Flatpak is a modern prefab system that can be customized to create a variety of homes. They work with a base 8' wall that is one story high and then build using those modular walls, eight feet at a time. It's been a great system for people building prefab homes but what will become of them (and others) in the current housing market?
End of Prefabs?
Although no one can know for sure, in an interview with the founder of the Flatpak System on MocoLoco Charlie Lazor he has this to say on the subject of prefabs and the current economic climate:
We sell a product that is a good value. We don't sell silver bullets. So like all good values, your market might shift in a severe downturn and you would expect to do less, but frankly, it's too early to tell. I can say we have clients looking to capitalize on hungry builders; savvy homeowners, university and resort property people. Worst case scenario, we can ride this out because we have low capital inputs and overhead and we'll be ready to rock when things getting moving again.
Will all prefabs be this lucky or are we going to start seeing the industry thinned out? Will a tightened up economy force prefab makers to find wider distribution and cheaper costs?
Image from Flatpack Flickr
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We were friends with people who were tossing up the idea of prefab since land price is less of an issue here but they found $250 psf seemed to be the lower end (and that's not including land). Architects and contractors quoted them the same price on the higher end, for something that was exactly to their specifications.
However, now that the housing market is a buyer market they decided to buy a house instead at less than $100 psf and fix it up to something they love for much less than either option.
I love the look of prefabs, but they are hardly affordable, so my guess is they either will lower their prices or suffer in the economic climate like most other things that are relatively more expensive than similar options.
view buffalogirl's profile
Quite right, buffalogirl. The problem with prefab housing modules has always been that it's not well priced enough to overcome the ideological hurdle many people might have about it being 'generic' or 'cheap.' I've priced out so-called modest solutions for a weekend cottage, and I still can't work out how $50K worth of prefab materials becomes a $400,000 construction project (not including land cost). Isn't the point meant to be that some of the more costly labour is already done? For nearly half a million, anybody can put up a quite nice custom cottage using conventional methods.
view amed studio's profile
The folks who buy these types of houses don't want a tract house/McMansion in a suburban-sprawl of foreclosed identi-houses on deserted cul-de-sacs
Prefab is also the way to rebuild quickly when you've been wiped out as a result of a natural disaster, such as a tornado, hurricane or firestorm - Labor and materials shortages have been a major issue in New Orleans with stick-building, but prefab circumvents 90% of the labor and time involved and is efficient for materials use.
Perhaps the market won't be as large as it once was in the short term - but it may increase again now that lenders are more familiar with prefab and folks demand more ecologically sustainable and modern choices.
view bepsf's profile