Advantages of prefabricated and
on-site built houses
It all depends on how everything is planned and the plan implemented. The below advantages are pointed out based on an assumption that the quality of design, materials and implementation of a prefabricated and an on-site built house would be similar (which they never are).
Advantages of pre-fabricated houses
1. Improved quality
Improved quality mainly comes from three sources:
- Weather changes are not influencing the quality of materials nor the quality of building work
- Elements are precision engineered
- Building practices are repetitive and skilled workers become specialists in fewer activities which in return results in higher quality of each element of the house
2. Cheaper to build
Increase in labor productivity leads to lower costs and decrease of construction waste lowers the cost of materials. In addition, in many cases the cost of design and projection is shared by a number of clients. The cost of transportation to the building site might (dependent on distances) somewhat increase the costs, but savings on labour and materials outweigh the extra cost of transportation.
3. Cheaper to maintain
Increased quality on its own results in longer building life-span. In addition to this, if a prefabricated house is well designed and documented, replacing worn out materials and parts (which happens even to the best materials one day) and continuously maintaining the overall good shape of a house is easier and consequently, cheaper.
4. Minimalised construction waste
Up to 30% of new construction waste ends up on landfills, whereas 1/3 of landfills are already filled up with demolished construction waste. Prefabricated houses can minimalise waste production due to predictability. If the design phase already considers no waste as a priority, waste produced from a prefabricated house can be as low as 1.5% (ODYL design is trying to make it 1%).
5. Quicker production and installation
Production of prefabricated houses is quicker as the delays that usually happen on an on-site construction site don’t happen in a factory as processes are under better control. Installation time depends on house design, but it can be as quick as a few hours (small modular houses).
6. Fixed price
Prefabricated houses have a fixed price and there should be no surprise costs.
Advantages of on-site built houses
1. One of a kind, control over choices
The major benefit of an on-site house is that it allows the owner to choose any solutions and materials they want.
2. More financing options
On-site buildings can be financed by traditional mortgages whereas prefabricated houses might not have the option available.
In addition to the above, it is important to note that on-site built houses give its owners more budget flexibility. On-site building can be cheaper, but it also most likely means making concessions on quality.
Are prefabricated houses better?
The list of advantages for prefabricated houses looks convincingly longer. Having said that, all this list is subject to the design, quality of work done and the priorities of the home owner. It is about setting the priorities, making trade offs and choosing the best option available according to the personality of the home owner.
Prefabricated houses are an excellent option for someone who is interested in a very good price/quality house and is willing to make some concessions on certain choices regarding design and materials. On-site built houses are an excellent option for someone who has always dreamed on designing their own house or need some price flexibility with their choices.
One thing is for sure: on-site or pre-fabricated, getting a cheap house with good quality and quickly, is impossible.