Pre-Fab Homes

[Scott Pollak]

This is about as off-topic as you can get, but hey, I started a tankless water heater thread here a month ago, too.

Anyway, I heard a story the other day on NPR about a Chilean-American woman who is an architect who is doing well with her company that creates pre-fab homes. So I went to her site to check it out and these things are COOL! Very Frank Lloyd Wright-ish. Like my wife said, kind of like living in an "IKEA home".

They're well-built and very affordable.
My kids will fly the coop in a few more years and we'll be looking to downsize and this may be just the ticket for us, plopped down on a few quiet acres in mid-Georgia country.

Go take a look at these sites:
Here is the site of the lady interviewed on NPR: Rocio Romero, modern design and prefab architecture (http://www.rocioromero.com/)

And here's some more:
NapaPreFab.com - Photos Of The Home Tour (http://napaprefab.com/pictures.html)

[Colin Campbell]

Describe "affordable."

[Scott Pollak]

On Rocio Romero's site the top-of-the-line unit is about $42,000. Now admittedly it's not a big house, it's 3 BR/2 BA and about 1450 s.f. And also, that's just the walls and roof. You'll still need the land, a contractor, foundation, electrical, plumbing, flooring, etc., so I figure, excluding land, you're probably looking at closer to $100k. But still certainly quite affordable. And again, since it'll be just my wife and me, all we need is one B.R. for us, a guest B.R. and a place to put a home office.

[Colin Campbell]

How would they compare to some of the "double-wides" out there? My brother has one in Texas and it's pretty darn nice. I guess it doesn't have the "avant garde" look though.

[Scott Pollak]

The thing is, a pre-fab home isn't the same thing as a 'manufactured home' like double-wides and trailer homes. Pre-fab merely means the structure is shipped out to your location for assembly.

I personally wouldn't ever want to own a mobile home or manufactured home, due to the depreciation and susceptibility to storms, tornadoes, etc.

A Pre-Fab home stays put. It's attached permanently just like a normal home. It is, in fact, a 'normal' home except that instead of having studs and framing and all that erected on site, it's pre-assembled at the factory and shipped out for 'easy assembly'.

But... you're right, Colin, in that the newer manufactured homes are pretty nice inside.

[Paul Plack]

Mobile homes are tough places to have a home studio, however. Less attenuation through the walls, and more work to get the HVAC quiet.

Those Romero designs look pretty neat!

[Colin Campbell]

Some fun....

[Mike Sommer]

The homes in the link I would not call "Pre Fab" more like "pre-fraimed."
In the PreFabed homes I've seen the walls and floors are framed, plumbed, wired and insulated, some even with drywall 85% complete.

With that aside; True PerFab homes are great, not necessarily cheaper, but you do get a better product. Because the structure is built in a factory, construction is not
interrupted due to bad weather, this equals quicker turnaround times, better construction. Also because of the close tolerances in construction these homes tend to be more energy efficient, and material efficient, i.e. there is less waist in building materials.

Of course you can always go with shipping containers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65C9OLvmjpI

[John Bigl]

don't get this trailer park guy uppity... besides, we just went thru a huge beautification project by re-upholstering all the couches on our front lawns :aggressive:

anyway ... manufactured homes (aka 'trailers') have improved quite a bit in the past couple decades, and look nothing like their stereotypical ancestors: pitch & shingle roofing, 2x6 outer wall framing, dual pane double hung windows etc... granted, our 'mobile home' was built in 1980, before many modern day improvements, but w/ little money spent on improvements its quite a cozy place, in a mixed income neighborhood, and even w/ todaze fuel prices we spend less than a grand to heat our place for the winter...

we've been living in our mobile home for close to 30 years.. and its been paid for for 18 years !!! which means we can save our money for when we retire to that nice beach house in Newark.. heh ..

oh, btw, if you ever decide to visit, i just converted my broken down Dodge van into a spiffy guest house... mmmmm, the plaid chintz curtains really compliment the Elvis on black velvet...