Prefabricated Homes

Home ownership is one of the most basic elements of the American dream, and prefabricated homes have helped many to achieve this goal. These homes are not only affordable, but also designed to be attractive and durable, convenient and long lasting. While site building a home, using the more traditional means, is often fraught with hassles, delays and unexpected expenses, prefabricated homes offer a smooth means of settling into a new home and lifestyle.

Prefabricated homes have come a long way since they first arrived in great numbers on the American housing scene. In the years immediately following World War II, there was a serious housing shortage, which resulted in many returning soldiers being unable to find housing for themselves and their families. Prefabricated housing provided the answer for many, offering affordable housing to many who would not have been able to own a house without this option. The famous Levittown houses offer an example of the usage of prefab home building techniques, and during that era there were numerous types of prefabricated homes. Some were precuts that the buyer assembled and others were factory manufactured almost to completion, and finished at the site.

It is from these roots in affordability, speed and function that prefabricated homes came to be associated with cheap housing of lesser quality. However, that simply is not the case with the prefabricated homes of today, which have been strictly regulated from the 1970’s on and have to meet the same stringent safety standards and residential building codes as the more traditional site built homes do. And, the lesser quality that people spoke of in the early days of this sort of housing probably wasn’t really the case back then, either. While, undeniably, those early prefabs did have a bit of an assembly line look to them, which is probably why they were judged a bit harshly, they did serve their families well for many years.

Assembly line looks are certainly nothing you’ll have to worry about with the prefabricated homes of today. There are countless styles and types, running the gamut from traditional, classical lines right on through to up to the minute modern designs. Many makers of prefabricated homes enlist the services of talented architects and home planners to bring style, grace and individuality to their houses. Furthermore, many offer a variety of customizations to choose from, allowing the buyer the opportunity to create a personalized version of a base design.

Quality of materials and building methods is essential to the success of the prefabricated homes industries, as these houses have to be sturdy enough to travel. Indeed, often prefab houses are made better than their site built counterparts. Because of the way they are built – in factories – theses houses are manufactured very efficiently, and the reduction of labor and other costs is what allows the manufacturers to offer them for such affordable prices.

Prefabricated homes have been an important part of the housing scene and, with their affordability, convenience and solid quality, can be expected to continue to increase in use and popularity. New building techniques and technologies have made prefabricated homes an excellent housing option, enabling them to last just as long, if not longer than, site built houses of comparable style.