I wouldn't really call that "stunning."

Slate slideshow on the realities of prefab homes: http://www.slate.com/id/2171842/

Thanks for that link, shani-o. It answered some of my questions concerning pre-fab.

shani-o, great link. The reality is you can't do any of these for under $200/sf but you get great design without hiring an architect

This is a stupid question, but how does plumbing work? If you plop it in the middle of a field, where would the running water and sewage system come from?

jems - You have to run water, sewer lines and set with a foundation. Of course permits, access roads for a truck and crane and local restrictions come into play (some communities think these are mobile homes and forbid them),

I do think that pre-fab homes do have a place in architecture and if designed right, they can be wonderful. I rather like the house pictured here. It's simple, modern and while spare, has a clean sight quality I rather like.

Sometimes, less is indeed more.

However, I do see one side to why they are not as popular, and that is the mobile homes and the people who often live in them. They often are lower class and live and act like them too, which in turn, turns off many to the whole idea in the first place, even though once you get into modular homes, they are not really the same as a mobile home (double or tripple wides included).

I think it's quite handsome -- any form of housing experimentation is noble in my view.

What's sad is that people look down on prefab, yet live in ticky-tacky little boxes covered in vinyl that they somehow believe are better. What gives in this country???

Living in the southeast, where hurricanes are likely this time every summer, I wonder if the "cool" pre-fabs would fare any better during a category 3 than a typical mobile home...

(Michael W. and Chris - Annapolis, thanks... I fortuitously came across that link today)

I think the first picture is nice... blue sky, birds... what's not to love? I just think the house itself isn't that amazing.

My biggest question is, what's the point of buying a prefab home (by the way, Mid-C Frank, most of the "ticky-tacky little boxes" you mention are considered at least partially prefab)?

Do we want a prefab house because it's cheaper than a built-from-the-ground-up house (which the ones featured on AT are not, by any stretch of the imagination), or do we want a prefab because it's "cool-looking" (which is a perfectly understandable reason)?

It just seems to me that the one above and others like it are fairly impractical... the prefab homes that are practical and which sell in large numbers are the ones that many of us would look down on.

*but you get great design without hiring an architect*

why not hire an architect? we don't bite. and many of us are happy to work on projects with tight budgets.

Shani-o--

I think the appeal of pre-fab, in the US, is a desire to have all details worked out, with a far amount of instant gratification thrown in (or, to address a very short building window in some parts of the country). Outside the US, I think they are innovative solutions to a variety of global housing issues, and I'm onboard with Mid-C Frank for recognizing the nobility of the cause and exploration.

And *typically* they provide a savings of square-footage.

I think the point of this post is to highlight the ones that seem to cater to a more "design-y" audience.

But are you considering partially-constructed framing, for example of new developments to mean "pre-fab"? If so, I think that a stretch of the intended definition of the term.

And what makes the one above "impractical", at least based on the provided pics?

Myself, I have a hankering to buy that way-cool Airstream from DWR...

I think it's the "I want it all and I want it now" for those folks who can't live without 2 1/2 baths and two car garage, this will never be on their radar. While not what I would call stunning or beautiful, thank goodness someone is thinking about the people who lose their homes, or can't afford the taxes never mind buy the 2 1/2 bath jobs. As for looking "down on people" who live in mobile homes, who are you to judge.

Prefab houses are made in factories. There is less waste of materials and much less contamination of the building site. Sears houses were all prefabricated.

Thanks for the thoughtful response, patrick (too). I don't actually have a problem with prefab homes, but all these posts seem to say is: "hey, this is a cool-looking house!" while home buying has greater ramifications than, say, a new window treatment. My question was an attempt to get a feel for others' views on the true impact/purpose of prefab homes.

I do consider partially constructed framing a type of prefab... it serves a similar purpose: save on square footage, a faster turnaround time on building.

Perhaps the home above is just impractical for me. (I think the DWR Airstream is pretty hot, btw.)

Mid-C Frank, are you a "Weeds" watcher, by chance :)

I am kinda irked by the designer prefab fad. Here (middle of KS) there are tons of developments filled with double-wides/prefabs. A house on the corner burned down recently, and a new prefab just went up. The bf nailed it when he said, "the sad thing is that this brand new house is, in every way, indistinguishable from the older, surrounding houses." People here choose prefabs not as vacation homes or art studios, and not because they're "in," or will make their homes stand out as "stunning" pieces of architecture (the kind built here won't), but because they can't afford the alternatives. At the worst, designer prefabs take what is considered a lowly structure from the realm of those less fortunate, tweak it, then put it out of the reach of those less fortunate.

I know that there is an "at the best..." side to the coin, but I think some of the comments above already touch on that. Just my (cranky) two cents.

I've spent some time researching this an option for a second home and have done some tours as well as visited a few manufacturers. The benefits of this approach far outweigh the cons. The industry is in it's infancy and still has a ways to go. The Wee House, Hive Modern and LV Homes all seem to have something that is obtainable and within the realm of actually getting a loan and being able to pay it off in your life.

I'm met some of the architects/owners of these firms (at CA BOOM 2007) and they are terrific. Green, sustainability, good design and affordability is what they're all trying achieve.

For some real stories and pics of people who've done the LV Home route:

http://www.rocioromero.com/LVSeries/testimonials.htm

re: "People here choose prefabs not as vacation homes or art studios... but because they can't afford the alternatives."

And what, exactly, is the downside of that?
And why can't a prefab market place address as much "fitting in" as "standing out"? It's the issue I've had with "green": If green didn't LOOK so green, more people would consider it. But yes, that is indeed changing.

Chris, I'd love to hear more. I am faced with having some money to buy something (just sadly, but of course, NOT here in NYC...) but it may end being land right now, and a prefab home would help me get a structure on the property faster than construction would, but would also allow me to live in a "designed" home. It is totally on my radar as an option now, and never used to be. For that, I thank designers like this, as well as AT for giving them a showcase.

Housing is a category where "more options" is better in my book.

An architect can design a house that will cost under $200/sf.

And utilities cost a fortune to install. That's why rural houses on 10-acre plots are still right next to the road.

And J, I think it slightly unfair to link pre-fab inextricably with "double-wides."

There are some AMAZING and HUGE pre-fab log homes, for example... no "Sordid Lives" trailer park, they.

Patrick

They're all going to be exhibiting/speaking at the Dwell conference in September. It's a great way to get up to speed on this really quickly. Little tidbit - you don't have to buy the full conference package, you can get in for as little as $20 for exhibits only. I did the house tour at CA Boom and saw the homes that the NY Times was oozing over. One was prefab (Glide House) and the rest where green, modern, beyond cool places. California and Washington State are way ahead of us in getting into the game.

Interestingly one of the barriers to a purchase is the Rocky Mountains. The glide house folks can't get their components over the mountains out east and the Wee House folks can't get them out to the other side.

Somebody made a comment about earlier about hurricanes. That's a comment based on traditional prefab or modular house thinking. These are certified and built for the hurricanes, snow loads or whatever in you area.

Anyways here's the conference link

http://www.dwell.com/peopleplaces/conferences/6520827.html

J -- I've never seen that show -- not much of a TV watcher. But I am familiar with the subject matter.

Frankly, I'm not sure why so many here are jumping on pre-fab -- as P(too) said, having lots of alternatives is always great in housing. My partner and I have given serious consideration to a "flat-pack" house -- but we will make sure it withstands New England winters, etc. Any form of housing should address local climate issues -- sadly, most american houses don't.

Thanks, Chris! Good stuff.

Pretty funny that as far as we have come, the Rocky Mountains still block the wagon wheels of progress!

Were looking (kinda) for a home now. Were not strapped by time, just by budget so we are looking around alot. We looked into Prefab because we liked the idea behind it and although we found many we liked aesthetically, most models were pretty expensive, more than $100 per sqft, and that wasn't factoring in the foundation ect.

Also it seems as if most modern prefab homes are in the middle of sprawling fields, or desserts or forests ie. on a huge lot of land. I would love to see one plopped down on a normal sized lot.

That and many of the models we looked at were just that, models. Some had been built, but neither of us know how sturdy and long lasting they will be. At least when you buy a house that has been around for 50 years and it's bones are good you can assume it's built to last. I feel like jumping into prefab is big risk, especially when almost everything you have is in your home.

I know we didn't spend of ton of time researching the matter but we ended up feeling pretty down on prefab pretty fast.

Mid-C Frank, I asked b/c the opening song used for the show refers to houses as little boxes of ticky-tacky that all look the same, or something to that effect!

P2, as I noted earlier, there is indeed a flip side to the opinion I expressed, which you and others have brought to bear nicely. I should have been clearer that my comment was geared towards the small, prefabs such as the one pictured above, which to *my* eyes seems more similar in structure to a double-wide than dissimilar. Because, beyond some cosmetic flourishes, I cannot appreciate some fundamental difference, it is strange to me that the designer prefab is swooned over while its sister structure is ridiculed and derided. It's par for the course to acknowledge the limitations and faults of the trailer, but the designer prefab is somehow "stunning." Yes, there are many prefabs that are quite different, but as far as I can see some are *not* and for those, I just don’t get the hype. (I realize others who are versed in architecture and design may see something I can't.)

As for the comment about vacation homes and art studios, there’s nothing wrong with that per se. Hell, I would practically kill for an art studio. My point was just that it may be easier to exalt a tiny ZenKaya when it is viewed as a getaway or secondary structure like a studio rather than as a primary residence where one will spend the better part of 365 days a year. No trailer-bound people that I've met here so far would eschew a bit more space if they could afford it, or picked their place because it was exactly the same as the 49 other rectangles in the development.