The biggest drawback I see is that the only bath can be reached only through the only bedroom. I lived in an apartment like that, and non-solo home life runs more smoothly with alternative floor plans. Also, putting all the plumbing together should reduce costs, not that I'd want to have to walk through the bath to reach the kitchen, or the reverse.

I agree with Miami's Elaine, the bathroom would be better on the other side of the bedroom. However, I LOVE IKEA's designs (not to mention their prices) and would LOVE to live in this house. I wish it was available in Dallas, I would very seriously consider selling my condo and buying it, if it had 2 bedrooms.

I can see three problems. First, trying to assemble it via an instruction manual with no words--just pictures of a happy little stick figure man. Second, what if they don't put in enough screws, or you lose the Allen wrench halfway through? Third, it will look great for about three years, and then...

I hope it comes with more than a giant manual of pictures and a hex wrench to put together :)

In all seriousness though, I think it's a great idea to get a big brand behind modern prefab housing (not the junky trailer park prefab). This should serve to push this sort of conscious home design into the mainstream and allow folks to start reconsidering suburban cookie cutter neighborhoods where everything is the same floor plan just rotated and mirrored with different shades of brown stucco.

It's a good price, and it will probably offer a very affordable solution to many.
On the other hand, we already have too much urban sprawl as is.

My thoughts exactly. I currently live in an apt where the only bathroom is off the bedroom...I hate it.

Do you have to put it together yourself?

This scares me a bit. I'm gun shy with Ikea.
I've purchased 1 hutch and a TV stand and the doors on both 'broke' off.
I've purchased lighting and that didn't turn out so well either.
The lampshades don't fit well on other stores lamps.
The drapes I purchased are so dang hard to iron. The wrinkles just won't come out. I have to take them to a cleaners to get them pressed.

What did work: The dining room chairs are comfy and in good shape and I've had them for about 7 years now.
Their night light is still going strong - 3 years now.
Their 'mason type' jars for storing nuts keep them fresh and crisp.

I don't shop at Ikea anymore so living in a home made by them really scares me.

Agree with the bathroom issue. The home looks great and practical. Support the eco friendly and energy saving model. We should have more of these. I think we all will have different experiences with Ikea, as with other stores. My experience has been very good so far. I bought living room furniture and some organizers as well as kitchen items. It was very easy to assemble (I did it myself--53 yo female), the quality is good, furniture is comfortable, my friends liked the living a lot, and the chair cover was so easy to clean when someone spilled coffee on its white surface, I was surprised. Have to give Ikea a 10.

Will that include secret microphones, 2 ways mirrors,... See the scandale in france about ikea spying on they customers and employee...

IKEA STATEMENT ABOUT INACCURATE REPORTS OF A LAUNCH OF PRE-FAB HOMES IN U.S.

IKEA has not launched and is not selling prefabricated homes in the United States. Any reports saying otherwise are not accurate.

One of our U.S. stores, IKEA Portland, has participated in a collaboration with an Oregon-based prefab studio – ideabox (www.ideabox.us) – where a version of one of ideabox’s pre-fab homes is being sold with IKEA items (ie., wardrobes, kitchens, etc.). Interior designers from IKEA Portland helped furnish the interior of this particular home, and an example was on display at the recent Portland Home & Garden Show. Each home of this type sold by ideabox will include those same IKEA products that the local prefab studio will have purchased from IKEA Portland. To make clear: IKEA is neither the manufacturer nor the retailer of these prefabricated homes.

@tim.h(design330)
OIC. Do you know anything about the flat-pack homes wiki says ikea sells (used to sell?) in Europe, though? Are those a thing of the past, like Sears home kits?

PROFC- Hilarious!

http://www.boklok.com/ is the site for Ikea's cooperation with Swedish building company Skanska in Europe. I do think Ikano, which is a company in the housing business, is also owned by the Kamprad family/Ikea group.

Here's a floorplan for one of the apartment houses: http://www.boklok.com/upload/Images/Floor%20plans/Multi%20family%20houses/SE%20Floor%20plans/4/planl%C3%B6sning_alt%201.jpg

HUGE mistake to buy one!! They must offer financing, but if the owner later tries to sell it, few lenders will loan on pre-fabs. If they do loan on them, the guidelines are much tougher with every aspect of the loan package, the rates are much higher, fees will be higher also. That narrows the buying base when one wants to sell. It will also be a difficult home to comp out on the appraisal. This all makes the home less marketable and much less competitive to other homes in the are for potential buyers. That is a very foolish position to be in.

A home is the most expensive thing most people buy, and it needs to be looked at as an investment. We may not see ourselves every selling, but it happens, and owners need to be positioned for the best marketability and return on investment, just in case they need or want to sell. As a lender on and off for over 20 years, I have seen too many people buy something quirky and they cant sell it later, or they take huge losses. IKEA is doing no one a favor to offer these pre-fab homes. More money for them, and imo it will potentially bite the consumer later big time.

@TIM H. (DESIGN330) --really?? Shouldn't AT actually do research?

@B from Stockholm
Thanks for the link... aw, andrea rund, I remember that rug! (Obviously....)

@edin
What's wrong with prefabs, in the eyes of lenders?

I live in Norway and Ikea sold a heap of row houses in my city. They were well built by a local company, stylish and really smartly designed and you could opt in or out of buying the ikea furniture each one was displayed with. They were so popular that the sale was lottery based. If you wanted to buy one you listed yourself and for which apartment and then it was a lottery to see who got to buy one.

I never went to see then though as I love living in the center of the city and they were out in the suburbs.
I think at least a semi prefab is a great idea, cuts down on costs, they don't have to be low quality and in areas like mine, where you only get a few months a year to dig and lay foundations and build, it really helps out.

Places like Haiti could use a bunch of these...