Prefab homes get chic

Technological advances have transformed prefab homes — whether traditional or contemporary, affordable or money's-no-object — into often downright sophisticated dwellings. “Many of the designs are generated with innovative software, and the materials used are much improved,” says Sheri Koones, author of Prefabulous + Sustainable (Abrams). “Professional workers are building the parts, and supervisors are checking the work.”

Prefab homes, which are manufactured and then shipped to a building site for assembly by trained crews, have become popular among the eco-minded. Prefab homes usually have a smaller footprint, literally as well as environmentally — some are as small as a few hundred square feet — and are often now built of earth-friendly materials.

Many people like these homes simply because they're faster to erect and can cost 15% to 20% less than conventional “stick-built” homes, Koones says.

Even aside from the flexibility in cost and design for prefab homes, Koones says, “building with prefab is the easiest way to produce a coherent green solution to construction.”