Midwest Eco-Design - Your home for eco-friendly construction, remodeling & housing choices including prefrabricated homes, cabins and other sustainable material choices.

1. Less Waste, More Materials:

While material waste is virtually eliminated, prefab homes typically use 25-35 percent more material in the structure of the home itself. While the overall material consumption is probably a wash, the extra building materials of a prefab home go to good use. The factory-setting allows builders to construct a stronger home with fewer areas of vulnerability. A FEMA study found that wood-frame modular homes stood up better than stick-built homes to the devastating winds of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

2. Less Labor, More Quality-Control:

It’s not so much less labor as it is lower labor costs. Construction workers for prefab homes will go the home-building factory and can work on several homes at once, cutting down on commuting and wasted time. Meanwhile, inspectors are present during each step of the building process, ensuring a seamless structure, built-to-last. Indeed, panelized and modular homes, like conventional home and unlike mobile homes, will appreciate in value over the years.

3. Less Wait, More Money:

According to the National Association of Home Builders, “Once all building materials arrive at the factory, some manufacturers can assemble modules in a single day. Typically, a two-story, 2,500 sq. ft. home can be constructed in a factory in under a week.” Of course, this doesn’t mean you can move into your new home in just one week, but you probably won’t need to wait 6-8 months, either. This streamlined construction also translates into building costs between 10-35 percent less than a comparable stick-framed home.

Remaining obstacles for the prefab industry in the current Economic conditions:

The biggest obstacle is the startup capital prefab home builders require. Says Barry Bergdoll, curator of the architecture and design department at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, “If someone wants to launch a prefabricated house system, even with its possibilities of customization, they have this enormous upfront investment in machines and a factory, etc., so there are all sorts of odds set against someone who wants to do this.” This obstacle has been exponentially compounded by the tightening of credit markets, especially to small businesses, and the uncertainty of the home building industry at-large.

Yet, as these economic realities subside—taking several conventional home building companies with them—a sizable gap will remain for prefab housing to occupy. The development of computer-aided architectural design and optimizing monetary and material savings will be key, so a new generation of prefabricated housing can finally deliver on its promise of revolutionizing the home building industry.