The GOOD Guide to Prefabhttp://www.good.is/For nearly a century, architectural visionaries have been predicting that some day, people everywhere would live happily in prefabricated homes. It hasn’t happened yet, but they’re on to something.Sun, 27 May 2012 12:44:49 -0700CakePHPhourly1en-us <![CDATA[Thinking Inside the Box]]> http://www.good.is/post/thinking-inside-the-box/ http://www.good.is/post/thinking-inside-the-box/


For nearly a century, architectural visionaries have been predicting that some day, people everywhere would live happily in prefabricated homes. It hasn't happened yet, but they're on to something.

"We shall arrive at the House-Machine, the mass-production house, healthy (and morally so too) and beautiful…" -Le Corbusier, 1919

It was a nice idea, but nearly a century after the father of modern architecture uttered those prophetic words, the prefabricated "House-Machine" is still far from commonplace. In fact, prefabs-houses manufactured partially or entirely offsite-make up less than 1 percent of the market. And yet they are out there. Couple an ever-growing emphasis on sustainability (and frugality) with the death of the nuclear family and the worst housing crisis the country has ever seen, and it seems we're poised for a prefab renaissance.

Then again, people always think we're poised for a prefab renaissance. In the 1920s, prefabricated houses were embraced as a novelty in a world desperate for new ideas. After World War II, it seemed the perfect postwar solution for the influx of vets in need of shelter. Still, these inexpensive, streamlined, and easy-to-make houses are once again growing in popularity. New York's Museum of Modern Art even mounted a whole exhibit about them last year. So will prefabs finally become commonplace? Or are they doomed to exist only in the margins?

]]>


For nearly a century, architectural visionaries have been predicting that some day, people everywhere would live happily in prefabricated homes. It hasn't happened yet, but they're on to something.

"We shall arrive at the House-Machine, the mass-production house, healthy (and morally so too) and beautiful…" -Le Corbusier, 1919

It was a nice idea, but nearly a century after the father of modern architecture uttered those prophetic words, the prefabricated "House-Machine" is still far from commonplace. In fact, prefabs-houses manufactured partially or entirely offsite-make up less than 1 percent of the market. And yet they are out there. Couple an ever-growing emphasis on sustainability (and frugality) with the death of the nuclear family and the worst housing crisis the country has ever seen, and it seems we're poised for a prefab renaissance.

Then again, people always think we're poised for a prefab renaissance. In the 1920s, prefabricated houses were embraced as a novelty in a world desperate for new ideas. After World War II, it seemed the perfect postwar solution for the influx of vets in need of shelter. Still, these inexpensive, streamlined, and easy-to-make houses are once again growing in popularity. New York's Museum of Modern Art even mounted a whole exhibit about them last year. So will prefabs finally become commonplace? Or are they doomed to exist only in the margins?

]]> Alexandra Spunt Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:36:00 PST <![CDATA[A Timeline of Prefab History]]> http://www.good.is/post/a-timeline-of-prefab-history/ http://www.good.is/post/a-timeline-of-prefab-history/

1624 – The first known prefab, a panelized wood house, is shipped from England to Massachusetts as housing for a fishing fleet.

1849 – Kit houses are shipped by rail to accommodate settlements during the California Gold Rush.

1908 – Sears begins a mail-order Modern Homes program, eventually selling more than 70,000.



1929 – Buckminster Fuller designs an early version of his Dymaxion House, a metal dome home that is easily disassembled and transported. In 2001, it's immortalized in a Michigan museum as a design masterpiece.

1936 – Frank Lloyd Wright designs the Usonian House using a grid system that allows for repetition of detail and dimension.

1937 – The Farm Security Association builds 1,000 semi-prefabs for sharecroppers in Missouri. By 1940, 10,000 more of their prefabs are built.

1946 – The war stimulates the market, with prefabs playing a role in Truman's Veterans' Emergency Housing Program. The promise of federal support nearly triples the number of prefab builders, to 280.

1949 – Fuller presents the Wichita House to much fanfare. There are 30,000 expressions of interest. In the end only two are built.

1953 –?Carl Koch designs the Techbuilt House, a wooden frame structure and panelized system that grew to become a great success in the 1950s and early 1960s.

1960 – Mobile homes now account for 15 percent of the nation's housing, but the rush to build them post-war results in houses that lacked in design. The stigma remains today.

1967 – The World Expo presents architect Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67, a housing complex built of 158 concrete modules. Click here for some additional thoughts from Safdie.

1974 – Israeli architect Zvi Hecker creates the Ramot Housing Complex, a striking beehive-like structure made of 720 polyhedric modules.

1996 – IKEA introduces its prefabricated BoKlok house. The BoKlok is currently available in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and the U.K.

2000s – A decade of renewed interest in prefabs kicks off: Before long, Rocio Romero's popular LV, Michelle Kaufmann's Glidehouse and Breezehouse, and Marmol Radziner's Desert House are launched and well received.

2003 – Dwell magazine launches its prefab house competition. A design by Resolution: 4 Architecture is selected for construction in North Carolina.

2008 – New York's Museum of Modern Art mounts a landmark retrospective of prefabs.

 Photo by Traci Roloff

]]>

1624 – The first known prefab, a panelized wood house, is shipped from England to Massachusetts as housing for a fishing fleet.

1849 – Kit houses are shipped by rail to accommodate settlements during the California Gold Rush.

1908 – Sears begins a mail-order Modern Homes program, eventually selling more than 70,000.



1929 – Buckminster Fuller designs an early version of his Dymaxion House, a metal dome home that is easily disassembled and transported. In 2001, it's immortalized in a Michigan museum as a design masterpiece.

1936 – Frank Lloyd Wright designs the Usonian House using a grid system that allows for repetition of detail and dimension.

1937 – The Farm Security Association builds 1,000 semi-prefabs for sharecroppers in Missouri. By 1940, 10,000 more of their prefabs are built.

1946 – The war stimulates the market, with prefabs playing a role in Truman's Veterans' Emergency Housing Program. The promise of federal support nearly triples the number of prefab builders, to 280.

1949 – Fuller presents the Wichita House to much fanfare. There are 30,000 expressions of interest. In the end only two are built.

1953 –?Carl Koch designs the Techbuilt House, a wooden frame structure and panelized system that grew to become a great success in the 1950s and early 1960s.

1960 – Mobile homes now account for 15 percent of the nation's housing, but the rush to build them post-war results in houses that lacked in design. The stigma remains today.

1967 – The World Expo presents architect Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67, a housing complex built of 158 concrete modules. Click here for some additional thoughts from Safdie.

1974 – Israeli architect Zvi Hecker creates the Ramot Housing Complex, a striking beehive-like structure made of 720 polyhedric modules.

1996 – IKEA introduces its prefabricated BoKlok house. The BoKlok is currently available in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and the U.K.

2000s – A decade of renewed interest in prefabs kicks off: Before long, Rocio Romero's popular LV, Michelle Kaufmann's Glidehouse and Breezehouse, and Marmol Radziner's Desert House are launched and well received.

2003 – Dwell magazine launches its prefab house competition. A design by Resolution: 4 Architecture is selected for construction in North Carolina.

2008 – New York's Museum of Modern Art mounts a landmark retrospective of prefabs.

 Photo by Traci Roloff

]]> Alexandra Spunt Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:34:00 PST <![CDATA[A Sustainable Housing Solution?]]> http://www.good.is/post/a-sustainable-housing-solution/ http://www.good.is/post/a-sustainable-housing-solution/ Some prefabs are well designed, but many aren't, especially when it comes to eco-friendliness. And the worst offenders-the houses shoddily built from cheap (and toxic) materials, that offer poor insulation and give prefabs such a bad rap-are particularly problematic. Indeed, a prefab's impact on the environment is only as well-controlled as the designers want it to be.

The good news is that many modern (and expensive) designers seem to be making green a priority. Marmol Radziner, for example, uses recycled steel for its structures, "responsible woods" like bamboo, insulation that reduces energy consumption, and offers a slew of additional features like solar panels, radiant heating and low-VOC paint. Michelle Kaufmann, meanwhile, is pushing for a universal sustainability-labeling standard, akin to F.D.A. labeling on food, so that homebuyers can make more informed, sustainable choices. Also, since prefabs use streamlined design, there is automatically less waste and increased efficiency by virtue of repetition. In traditional onsite construction, an estimated 30 percent of materials are either stolen, water damaged or thrown out, producing tons of waste. In a factory environment, most of this is avoided. In fact, sawdust is often reused as insulation, and any surplus can be saved for the next build.

All of these discussions are academic absent the context of how many of these structures are actually being built. A look at the number reveals that prefab housing is still very much a niche market. Below is a list of the most popular prefab manufacturers, and how many houses they've built in recent years:

LV Homes by Rocio Romero: 64 since 2004
MKD Portfolio Series by MKD: 34 since 2002
weeHouse by Alchemy Architects: 20 since 2002
Ideabox homes: 14 since ~2006

The market right now is largely driven by younger buyers on tighter budgets who are interested both in the architect caché (only about 5 percent of all homes built in the United States are architect-designed), and the sustainable implications of prefab housing. But until major developers commit to large scale projects with prefab at the core, the market-and the associated environmental impact-will remain limited.

]]> Some prefabs are well designed, but many aren't, especially when it comes to eco-friendliness. And the worst offenders-the houses shoddily built from cheap (and toxic) materials, that offer poor insulation and give prefabs such a bad rap-are particularly problematic. Indeed, a prefab's impact on the environment is only as well-controlled as the designers want it to be.

The good news is that many modern (and expensive) designers seem to be making green a priority. Marmol Radziner, for example, uses recycled steel for its structures, "responsible woods" like bamboo, insulation that reduces energy consumption, and offers a slew of additional features like solar panels, radiant heating and low-VOC paint. Michelle Kaufmann, meanwhile, is pushing for a universal sustainability-labeling standard, akin to F.D.A. labeling on food, so that homebuyers can make more informed, sustainable choices. Also, since prefabs use streamlined design, there is automatically less waste and increased efficiency by virtue of repetition. In traditional onsite construction, an estimated 30 percent of materials are either stolen, water damaged or thrown out, producing tons of waste. In a factory environment, most of this is avoided. In fact, sawdust is often reused as insulation, and any surplus can be saved for the next build.

All of these discussions are academic absent the context of how many of these structures are actually being built. A look at the number reveals that prefab housing is still very much a niche market. Below is a list of the most popular prefab manufacturers, and how many houses they've built in recent years:

LV Homes by Rocio Romero: 64 since 2004
MKD Portfolio Series by MKD: 34 since 2002
weeHouse by Alchemy Architects: 20 since 2002
Ideabox homes: 14 since ~2006

The market right now is largely driven by younger buyers on tighter budgets who are interested both in the architect caché (only about 5 percent of all homes built in the United States are architect-designed), and the sustainable implications of prefab housing. But until major developers commit to large scale projects with prefab at the core, the market-and the associated environmental impact-will remain limited.

]]> Alexandra Spunt Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:34:00 PST <![CDATA[A Few Words From a Legend]]> http://www.good.is/post/a-few-words-from-a-legend/ http://www.good.is/post/a-few-words-from-a-legend/
Almost half a century ago, a 24-year-old rocked the design world. The architect's vision for modular housing-his master's thesis, actually-was selected for construction as part of the World's Fair in 1967. Known as Habitat 67, Moshe Safdie's prefabricated housing complex was made of interlocking concrete modules with factory-finished interiors.

And yet it fell short of some key goals: the structure was intended as an affordable alternative to suburbia, a 1,000-unit "city in the sky" for urban dwellers. But in fact, only 345 modules were completed, and the buildings are now an elite condo complex.

So why didn't it work? "For a high-rise you need concrete, because it has to be fireproof, and concrete is very heavy, so the shipping becomes quite complicated," Safdie says, adding that, "what ended up catching on more widely is panelized, prefabricated structures, some of them very ugly."

According to Safdie, we have a long way to go to realize the dream of affordable, high quality, modular apartment complexes. "The breakthrough that's missing is in the material realm-to have something that is both light and fireproof. We have these in the lab now, some plastics, some carbon…but at this point they are still very expensive. When we have more access to these materials we will begin to see real innovations in both prefab and non-prefab structures."

]]>
Almost half a century ago, a 24-year-old rocked the design world. The architect's vision for modular housing-his master's thesis, actually-was selected for construction as part of the World's Fair in 1967. Known as Habitat 67, Moshe Safdie's prefabricated housing complex was made of interlocking concrete modules with factory-finished interiors.

And yet it fell short of some key goals: the structure was intended as an affordable alternative to suburbia, a 1,000-unit "city in the sky" for urban dwellers. But in fact, only 345 modules were completed, and the buildings are now an elite condo complex.

So why didn't it work? "For a high-rise you need concrete, because it has to be fireproof, and concrete is very heavy, so the shipping becomes quite complicated," Safdie says, adding that, "what ended up catching on more widely is panelized, prefabricated structures, some of them very ugly."

According to Safdie, we have a long way to go to realize the dream of affordable, high quality, modular apartment complexes. "The breakthrough that's missing is in the material realm-to have something that is both light and fireproof. We have these in the lab now, some plastics, some carbon…but at this point they are still very expensive. When we have more access to these materials we will begin to see real innovations in both prefab and non-prefab structures."

]]> Alexandra Spunt Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:33:00 PST <![CDATA[Prefab Financing]]> http://www.good.is/post/prefab-financing/ http://www.good.is/post/prefab-financing/ So you want to get a prefab

1. Find a site and establish construction feasibility-before buying it, obviously. Prefab companies will gladly advise you at this early stage at no cost.

2. Buy your land.

3. Pick a home you like. You should also start thinking about customization and installation choices-getting an idea of what you'll want to order once you have the financials sorted out.

4. Secure your financing. Most companies can recommend lenders who are familiar with prefab financing, though it is always a good idea to do your own research.

5. Sign a contract, make a deposit and finalize the design-but be careful. Once the designs go to the factory, there's no changing your mind.

6. Figure out permits. With modular prefabs, a lot of the permitting is handled by the prefab company. You will still need to work out site-related permitting (as you would with the construction of a regular house) with the city or town you live in.

7. While they're building your house in the factory, you, your contractor, or the prefab company do the site work and preparation for the delivery of your house.

8. Your home is delivered. Craning the modules into place only takes a day or two.

9. The buttoning up process begins: You'll hook up your utilities, seal the joints where the modules meet, touch up any materials that may have loosened in transit, and so on. The prefab company will help you with this. It can take up to a few months.

10. Move in.

Getting a bank loan

When it comes to getting a loan for any prefab, as long as it's not on wheels, there is no difference between it and a regular house. Charles Vides, a lender at Wells Fargo, says: "Most prefabricated homes are single-family dwellings, similar in appearance and characteristics of a site-built home. They must meet local zoning and building codes, and are permanently affixed to a foundation." Because of that, guidelines for loans, terms, and pricing are the same as a typical site-built house.

Where financing can get tricky

A construction loan-necessary to build a prefab-tends to be more complicated than basic financing. With these you need to "prove" to the lender that your plans are legitimate, and unless you have a big chunk of money up front, you'll require a "draw loan" from a lender. Working with an established firm can make this part of the process far easier. One way to do it, says Todd Jerry of Marmol Radziner, is to "build the prefab portion of the payment as an early item in the budget." But not all banks will do this type of loan: while lender Charles Vides concedes they are out there, it's not standard at Wells Fargo, where they only offer financing once the house is delivered.

Can you flip it?

In theory, sure. After it's been assembled, your house is indeed a house, and its worth will increase (or, these days, decrease) just like one. Another bonus? "Once it's attached, you're not actually required to reveal that it was built in a factory," says Paul Warner, co-founder of the Michelle Kauffman prefab firm.

Kit Houses: An Affordable Option

Rocio Romero, of the eponymous kit-home firm, used the home she designed for her parents as the blueprint for her increasingly popular LV kit house series. These modern bungalows can be built pretty much anywhere. They are pre-made, shipped in boxes, and assembled on site by a general contractor (or by you, if you fancy yourself a construction pro). Best of all, they're affordable. Romero is that rare breed of architects who believes good design doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. "I'm hands down the most affordable," she says, explaining that the final cost depends on what the client wants to spend on customization. Prices range from $25,000 to $50,000. The series is also designed in such a way that one could start small, but add square-footage later.

Already popular, Romero believes we'll only see the trend grow. Because of the housing crisis, as well as other cultural and environmental shifts, she adds: "The pendulum is swinging back right now. It's important to live within your means. And I think people are realizing that you need quality space, not a lot of space."

]]> So you want to get a prefab

1. Find a site and establish construction feasibility-before buying it, obviously. Prefab companies will gladly advise you at this early stage at no cost.

2. Buy your land.

3. Pick a home you like. You should also start thinking about customization and installation choices-getting an idea of what you'll want to order once you have the financials sorted out.

4. Secure your financing. Most companies can recommend lenders who are familiar with prefab financing, though it is always a good idea to do your own research.

5. Sign a contract, make a deposit and finalize the design-but be careful. Once the designs go to the factory, there's no changing your mind.

6. Figure out permits. With modular prefabs, a lot of the permitting is handled by the prefab company. You will still need to work out site-related permitting (as you would with the construction of a regular house) with the city or town you live in.

7. While they're building your house in the factory, you, your contractor, or the prefab company do the site work and preparation for the delivery of your house.

8. Your home is delivered. Craning the modules into place only takes a day or two.

9. The buttoning up process begins: You'll hook up your utilities, seal the joints where the modules meet, touch up any materials that may have loosened in transit, and so on. The prefab company will help you with this. It can take up to a few months.

10. Move in.

Getting a bank loan

When it comes to getting a loan for any prefab, as long as it's not on wheels, there is no difference between it and a regular house. Charles Vides, a lender at Wells Fargo, says: "Most prefabricated homes are single-family dwellings, similar in appearance and characteristics of a site-built home. They must meet local zoning and building codes, and are permanently affixed to a foundation." Because of that, guidelines for loans, terms, and pricing are the same as a typical site-built house.

Where financing can get tricky

A construction loan-necessary to build a prefab-tends to be more complicated than basic financing. With these you need to "prove" to the lender that your plans are legitimate, and unless you have a big chunk of money up front, you'll require a "draw loan" from a lender. Working with an established firm can make this part of the process far easier. One way to do it, says Todd Jerry of Marmol Radziner, is to "build the prefab portion of the payment as an early item in the budget." But not all banks will do this type of loan: while lender Charles Vides concedes they are out there, it's not standard at Wells Fargo, where they only offer financing once the house is delivered.

Can you flip it?

In theory, sure. After it's been assembled, your house is indeed a house, and its worth will increase (or, these days, decrease) just like one. Another bonus? "Once it's attached, you're not actually required to reveal that it was built in a factory," says Paul Warner, co-founder of the Michelle Kauffman prefab firm.

Kit Houses: An Affordable Option

Rocio Romero, of the eponymous kit-home firm, used the home she designed for her parents as the blueprint for her increasingly popular LV kit house series. These modern bungalows can be built pretty much anywhere. They are pre-made, shipped in boxes, and assembled on site by a general contractor (or by you, if you fancy yourself a construction pro). Best of all, they're affordable. Romero is that rare breed of architects who believes good design doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. "I'm hands down the most affordable," she says, explaining that the final cost depends on what the client wants to spend on customization. Prices range from $25,000 to $50,000. The series is also designed in such a way that one could start small, but add square-footage later.

Already popular, Romero believes we'll only see the trend grow. Because of the housing crisis, as well as other cultural and environmental shifts, she adds: "The pendulum is swinging back right now. It's important to live within your means. And I think people are realizing that you need quality space, not a lot of space."

]]> Alexandra Spunt Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:30:09 PST <![CDATA[Prefabs: Modular Vs. Kit]]> http://www.good.is/post/prefabs-modular-vs-kit/ http://www.good.is/post/prefabs-modular-vs-kit/ Inside a Modular Prefab


Designer: Marmol Radziner
Model: Palms House
Size: 2,800 square feet
Cost: $1.2 million, before landscaping and land

A recent visit to one of Marmol Radziner's construction sites in Venice, California, reveals a 2,800 square-foot steel-and-wood beauty, with 750 square feet of covered outdoor space. Assembled by crane in a single day from a series of factory-built modules, the house is currently in its "buttoning up" phase. To the naked eye, it looks just like a regular house (albeit a very large, very nice one), until the bolts and stitches are pointed out.

Traditionally, the appeal of modulars is that you can have a fancy architect design your house, without paying fancy-architect prices. According to Todd Jerry of Marmol, the appeal doesn't end there: He says it's greener, that the building period is shorter, and that prefabs pose fewer risks to lenders. That said, typical modular prefabs are not exactly priced for the people. But unlike kit houses, there's much less for the buyer to take care of here. Says Jerry: "[Our customer] just doesn't want to deal with the headaches of building."

They're also generally not the type to worry too much about a pricetag. These homes start in the $250-$300 per-square-foot range-that's before the cost of land.

Inside a Kit Prefab




Designer: Rocio Romero
Model: LVL
Size: 1,453 sq ft.
Cost: From $42,950, before landscaping and land

Matthew Meek, a 32-year-old New Yorker, built his LVL as a country house for his new family. He opted for a kit, he says, because modern modulars can be prohibitively expensive. "Rocio worked because it's standardized to a degree but allowed me to do a lot of the customizing," he says. He's quick to warn, however, that "even though there are many efficiencies to be gained, once you start the process you realize that you're always going to work with your unique property and circumstances."

Chad Foster, of Indiana, echoes the sentiment. "I did something nobody should ever do, though," he says with a laugh. "I basically built my own." A 41-year-old graphic designer, Foster says that mistake definitely lead to some inefficiencies and money lost, but he's quite happy with the finished house. He lives in it full time.

In the end they each spent about a year and a half on their houses before moving in. Not including the price of land, but factoring in all other expenses, Meek's final cost was about $175 per square foot. Foster kept his at about $127 per square foot-pretty standard for the area he lives in. But of course, his house is a lot cooler.

Photo of Rocio Romero LVL by Richard Sprengler

]]> Inside a Modular Prefab


Designer: Marmol Radziner
Model: Palms House
Size: 2,800 square feet
Cost: $1.2 million, before landscaping and land

A recent visit to one of Marmol Radziner's construction sites in Venice, California, reveals a 2,800 square-foot steel-and-wood beauty, with 750 square feet of covered outdoor space. Assembled by crane in a single day from a series of factory-built modules, the house is currently in its "buttoning up" phase. To the naked eye, it looks just like a regular house (albeit a very large, very nice one), until the bolts and stitches are pointed out.

Traditionally, the appeal of modulars is that you can have a fancy architect design your house, without paying fancy-architect prices. According to Todd Jerry of Marmol, the appeal doesn't end there: He says it's greener, that the building period is shorter, and that prefabs pose fewer risks to lenders. That said, typical modular prefabs are not exactly priced for the people. But unlike kit houses, there's much less for the buyer to take care of here. Says Jerry: "[Our customer] just doesn't want to deal with the headaches of building."

They're also generally not the type to worry too much about a pricetag. These homes start in the $250-$300 per-square-foot range-that's before the cost of land.

Inside a Kit Prefab




Designer: Rocio Romero
Model: LVL
Size: 1,453 sq ft.
Cost: From $42,950, before landscaping and land

Matthew Meek, a 32-year-old New Yorker, built his LVL as a country house for his new family. He opted for a kit, he says, because modern modulars can be prohibitively expensive. "Rocio worked because it's standardized to a degree but allowed me to do a lot of the customizing," he says. He's quick to warn, however, that "even though there are many efficiencies to be gained, once you start the process you realize that you're always going to work with your unique property and circumstances."

Chad Foster, of Indiana, echoes the sentiment. "I did something nobody should ever do, though," he says with a laugh. "I basically built my own." A 41-year-old graphic designer, Foster says that mistake definitely lead to some inefficiencies and money lost, but he's quite happy with the finished house. He lives in it full time.

In the end they each spent about a year and a half on their houses before moving in. Not including the price of land, but factoring in all other expenses, Meek's final cost was about $175 per square foot. Foster kept his at about $127 per square foot-pretty standard for the area he lives in. But of course, his house is a lot cooler.

Photo of Rocio Romero LVL by Richard Sprengler

]]> Alexandra Spunt Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:30:00 PST