Pros and Cons of a Prefab Home
There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to a new home.
You’ll have decisions about the garage, kitchen, flooring, cabinets, porch, amenities, and many other details.
But what about the construction process?
When deciding between a traditional, site-built home or a prefabricated home built off-site in a controlled factory environment, there’s much to consider.
In the past, when the words “modular home” or “prefab home” came up, the image some may have conjured wasn’t always the best – simple, unoriginal designs made with cheap materials.
Today, that image couldn’t be farther from reality. Over the last 20 years, modular housing has advanced significantly with top designs, materials, and craftsmanship.
In many cases, you wouldn’t even recognize a manufactured home as prefabricated because they’re now available with custom design options, unique craftsmanship, and luxury design and material options.
Modular homes also come in an array of design choices, from a 399 square foot tiny home to a farmhouse, to a two-story to a cottage, and many more.
Trusted local modular home builders such as Pratt Homes in Tyler, Texas, understand it can be a difficult decision when it comes to choosing between a prebuilt and site-built home.
Here’s a guide of pros and cons of a prefab home to help make the decision easier:
Prebuilt Homes are More Affordable
Let’s face it. When it comes to deciding on a new home, saving money is a major factor.
Whether you’re looking for a four-bedroom house or a tiny home, you’ll pay less per square foot than if you went with a site-built home. While you might be paying less, you won’t compromise on quality.
In fact, when you choose a modular home, you’re more assured of quality craftsmanship. Prefab homes are manufactured in an environmentally controlled warehouse where the building materials won’t be compromised by insects or the elements.
Too often, the building materials of traditionally built homes are exposed to rain, extreme heat, and extreme cold during the home-building process, which can cause expensive problems with warped materials and hidden damage found much later.
In addition, the labor costs are generally less, which brings the overall cost down.
The process of building a traditional home can come up against an array of unexpected expenses. When you choose to build a manufactured home, most of the unexpected scenarios of weather and exposure have been taken out of the equation, and you won’t suddenly come up against financial losses you didn’t plan for.
Prefab Home Sustainability Options
When you decide to build and design your own prefab home, you’ll have sustainable design options. Talk to your modular home builder and find out what sustainability design choices are available for your home.
Prebuilt homes can be more affordable in the long term because you’ll pay less in monthly utility bills. Because of the way they’re built, modular homes are more airtight than traditionally built homes, making them more sustainable because you won’t need to run your HVAC system as often.
If you decide to build a tiny home, you’ll have the chance to live both more sustainably and save money on your utility bills. The fact is less space equals less utility costs. You can save money on the cost of a tiny home, live more sustainably, and pay less in bills every month.
Timesaver
Are you in a rush to stop paying high rent prices and put that money toward your own home? Choosing to build and design your own prebuilt home means you’ll be moved into your custom-designed dream house in less time than it would take if you’d chosen to build a traditional home.
For example, the move-in time for a 2,240 square foot, two-part modular home is 9 months, while a traditional site-built home of the same size is double that with a move-in date of 18 months (about 1 and a half years).
There are a lot of things that can impact the timeline for a stick-built home. However, with a prefab home, the standardized, fast construction means you’ll be moving in before you know it.
Do your Zoning Research
One potential con of deciding on a modular home is zoning. It’s important you do your research ahead of time and find out what type of zoning ordinances are in place for your neighborhood to include the design of your manufactured home.
Some communities have zoning restrictions for certain types of homes, exterior finishes, and setbacks. It’s necessary to make sure you’re within the rules to avoid unnecessary headaches and expenses down the road.
What about the design options?
In the past, if you wanted a home with customizable design options and amenities, you would’ve had to choose a traditional home. Today, however, that’s not the case.
Modular home businesses such as Pratt Homes have dozens of home design options to choose from and almost unlimited customizable selections to make anything from a prefab luxury home to a tiny home to your dream home.
As you can see from this long list, the pros of building a manufactured home far outweigh the cons in comparison to building a site-built home.
| Manufactured Home | Site-Built Home | |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ✓ | X |
| Customizability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time Saver | ✓ | X |
| Easy Maintenance | ✓ | X |
| Design Options | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zoning Restrictions | ✓ | ✓ |
Contact your local modular home builder today and start designing your dream home right away!
Pratt Homes Customer Testimonials:
Chase and the entire team at Pratt Homes were great!
Super professional and cared to learn exactly what we wanted!
Thank you for a great experience!
– Sam
