15th Jan 2010
Changing Times For Prefabricated Structures
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems as though there’s a lot more interest in prefabricated structures nowadays than just tired old mobile homes or commercial prefabricated steel structures. When the homepage of Yahoo.com flashes feature articles on slick new prefab designs clearly done by gifted architects, it’s pretty clear that the old associations of this type of construction being driven by cost considerations alone, are changing.
Well, why would they not change? Just because prefabricated housing was conceived a century ago as being a cheap solution to provide livable homes to large numbers of people without the means to afford decent housing on their own, doesn’t mean that some creativity can’t be added to the same construction methods. A quick search on the Internet shows that when this happens, it produces gorgeous homes that are relatively inexpensive to construct as well as achieving real savings for homeowners when it comes to utility bills.
Of course modular construction will always be an attractive option when it comes to putting cheap housing on land that is relatively inexpensive. There will always be a need for housing solutions of this kind. But it’s worth affirming the value of methods of construction and materials usage that are at once easier on the environment and more economical, especially when it has been clearly shown now that using methods of prefabricated construction need not compromise the aesthetic sensibilities of homebuyers.
If some of the creations produced by architects in the last 20 years or so are any indication, the future looks bright indeed for prefab structures. In fact, in some situations these houses make it possible to live in places where one couldn’t put house previously. Some people have the dream of “living off the grid”, or at least putting a second home or a retirement home in a remote location, but the logistics of power generation and adequate water supplies rendered this dream possible for people without a lot of money. Prefabricated building techniques will reduce the cost of transporting building materials to a remote building site, as well as construction time required. But the real advantage is that the sensible, spare designs normally characterizing prefabricated construction mean that elements like solar paneling and water catchment can be incorporated into the designs of these homes rather than being an inefficient afterthought purchased at Home Depot and installed by yet another contractor.
Considerations such as these make prefabricated possibilities more attractive than ever. Maybe that piece of land that has been in the family for generations, that no one imagined would work as a site for a livable home, should be reconsidered. Prefabricated structures today give everyone a chance to make use of property that might have had a little functional value previously. Take a look at the possibilities, you might be very surprised.
[...] addition to a reduction in labor costs, prefab structures also tend to use materials more efficiently, since the major components will all have to be [...]