Picture the perfect dream home: it’s modern, minimalist, and elegant in design, boasts ample room space, and it’s sustainable to develop. Even better, it comes with a price tag of $250,000, which is significantly lower than the cost of the average American home.
Fortunately, prefabricated houses, as they are called, are well and truly real!
Prefab homes: Where artistic aesthetic meets sustainable living
Also known as “prefabs,” these boxy, modular homes are different from traditional houses, specifically in terms of construction. Their component modules are manufactured off-site in a factory. These modules are then transported to a separate location for final assembly, usually on a plot of land already purchased by the soon-to-be homeowner.
There are many companies, such as Modular Home in Madrid, Spain, that specialize in creating eco-friendly prefab homes that cater to both practical and aesthetic needs. One of the key features they offer is design flexibility, allowing potential buyers to customize the prefab’s size, floor plans, building material, and essential amenities according to their preferences.
For those who prefer a standardized approach, they can opt for pre-designed models that are luxuriously minimalist in appearance and are fitted with environmentally friendly features. Modular Home’s most popular model is the Rothko 195, a sleek, two-story structure that covers a surface area of 2098 square feet. Spacious with an emphasis on natural lighting, it consists of three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a large exterior porch located next to the kitchen—a mini-mansion ideal for a family looking for their forever home.
Prefabs offer a wide range of benefits that align with modern living
The practical advantages of owning a prefab house cannot be discounted. These include:
Reduced construction time: From the manufacturing of the modules to its final assembly, it can take at least three months for a prefab house to be completed, allowing homeowners to move in much quicker.
Waste management: Prefabrication in a controlled factory environment reduces less waste. Suppliers ensure that leftover materials are properly recycled while the completed modules are transported to the plot via optimized transportation routes.
Sustainable materials: Many prefab homes are constructed using recyclable materials. They also incorporate energy-efficient systems such as thermal insulation, LED lighting, and high-efficiency air conditioning to reduce your carbon footprint.
Cost effectiveness: Homeowners can look to spend between $80 and $160 per square foot, which works out to a little over $250,000. By opting for a lush, eco-friendly prefab, homeowners can save significantly instead of forking out over $400,000 for a smaller, less energy-efficient house.
Prefabs may be very pretty, but they can also be pretty darn costly
Before investing in a modular home, budget-conscious homeowners need to take some drawbacks into consideration. For instance, purchasing a plot of land can add to overall expense, as can acquiring the necessary construction, clearance, and leveling permits from local zoning and building departments.
There are additional costs for property registration, utility connections, and customized design features to consider. It can also be mentally overwhelming for homeowners to decide what materials to use, how the prefab will be laid out, what efficiency systems will be installed, and so on.
In the end, you could potentially spend more than the $250,000 threshold, depending on the decisions you make throughout the process.
All in all, if you’re in a position to manage these financial factors, and if you’re looking for a home that combines long-term sustainability, comfort, and artistic minimalism, then buying a prefab house could be the best choice for you. Not only will you get to enjoy a beautiful living space, but you will also contribute to a greener future.