Buying a house is everybody’s dream. If you are planning to buy your dream house any time soon, you should be aware of all the options available to you. Depending on the location that you choose to buy your property, there are options available. You can either go for a traditional home also known as “stick built homes” or a prefabricated or prefab homes also named as the “factory built” homes.

Prefab homes or prefabricated homes are becoming popular amongst home buyers because of the benefits they incorporate. They can be built well ahead of time, are sustainable, and can be relocated easily irrespective of the owner’s reason. Let us guide you through your choice to a prefab or traditional house based on the differences.

        1.      Traditional houses are built entirely on the location that the owner decides to build it. Whereas, prefab homes can be transported to the location in sections or pieces.  This is the reason why they are called “factory built home”. They can be assembled and disassembled      to some other location if the owner wishes to relocate.

       2.      Foundation: The traditional houses are built on the ground with holes with pillars and piers that create claw spaces to hold the structure tightly to the ground. On the other hand, prefab houses are built on top of foundations that are permanent and then are anchored to the ground thus giving a temporary fixation to the foundation.

      3.      Quality: The traditional houses need skilled construction engineers and craftsmen to work with, while the prefab homes are built in the factory with machines and materials that are measured accurately with lasers. In spite of this the prefab homes and their materials are at par with the traditional ones and they are equally safe to live in.

      4.      Speed: Being manufactured in factories, prefab homes require less manpower and are built at a faster rate because of their indoor production, whereas the traditional sites are affected by natural events, like heat, snow and rain, thus making it a lengthy procedure.

      5.      Prefab homes can be completely customized as per the owners will, and most of the times the designs are selected from the brochures and designs available in the manufacturing plant. This helps the owner find their unique style of living. This is the same way where owners choose the floor layout and level designs of their traditional homes.

      6.      Both traditional and prefab houses and their construction are ruled by local laws of ordinances. Depending on the state where they are built, the laws may vary partly or completely. This is the reason when a prefab property is to be transferred the owner should take care of the local laws of construction in that particular state.

     7.     Sustainability: Depending on what firm you have hired, both the types of houses are environment-friendly and sustain well if built properly. Moreover, the prefab homes being built in factories account for less wastage of materials and are cost effective.

Having said this, the prefab homes have gained popularity because of their easy relocation, simple process and cost effective nature and all this without a compromise in the best architectural designs and efficient crafting.