Benefits of prefabricated homes

by Disha Bangera Sales

Prefab (a.k.a. Modular) houses are constructed offsite and then transported in one piece to the final site for installation. The structure is much more expensive than mobile homes but is much easier and faster to build because it eliminates many of the challenges involved in moving a home that is made up of all-wood timbers (which is especially difficult in Alaska).

Some of the benefits of a prefabricated or modular home include:

1. A modular building process allows the builder to assemble the home on site. This ensures that all of the foundation and framing is completed before any permanent materials are added to the structure. It also allows for a more efficient use of time and money, especially in Alaska where there are low-cost labor markets. When contractors can put up a house on site they have more room for after-contractor work, such as insulation, windows, etc., at a later date. This can save money by delaying some other items until later in the building process.

2. A prefabricated home can be assembled using a standardized list of parts and pieces of the house. This eliminates the likelihood of having to replace parts and pieces that were not fit properly during construction. The builder can also make sure that all materials meet standards for strength, durability and insulation value.

3. A prefabricated home is often stronger than a mobile home because it is usually made of better quality materials, such as steel rebar instead of lightweight wood studs (because additional trusses add weight to the roof). This difference in material choice can save money if a prefabricated structure has to be replaced because of damage caused by natural disasters or other problems with it's construction (such as water leakage).

4. A modular home is assembled on site and the pieces of the house are much larger than what would be found in a mobile home. This allows for economies of scale when purchasing materials for construction, which drives down the price of building the structure.

Prefabricated homes were initially used during World War II when contractors needed to build military base housing quickly in order to accommodate the large number of people that were being relocated into military bases in strategic locations around the world. The need for these buildings was so great that in just three years, over 300,000 homes were built at six different sites in California alone.