Prefab homes have always been a part of the Dwell DNA. Here you will find prefab homes published in dwell magazine as well as great prefab home ideas. Prefabricated means either panelized, modular, or kit homes. Prefab architecture works for both remote sites and dense urban spaces. Modular homes are popular but can be the most expensive to customize. It is best to change as little as possible when buying prefab. Possible advantages of pre fab include lower cost, higher degree of precision, and less construction waste.

Prefab, Proven
In January 2003, we issued a challenge to 16 architects: Design a modern prefab home for $200,000.
Prefab for Humanity
In inner-city Baltimore, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake paves a path to affordable prefab.
When Prefab Is Painless
An easy construction process reduces any drama for a couple in California.
A Picturesque Desert Prefab
Jim Murren’s prefab house in Sin City, designed by Marmol Radziner, is as artful as it is art-filled, thanks to an asymmetrical...
Not Ready For a Prefab House? How About a Prefab Kitchen.
Kitchen systems are a lot like prefab housing: they're designed to be modular but they're endlessly customizable—not that that's...
We Dream of Prefabs
...and wake up, every so often, to a project that fulfills the potential of mass-produced housing.
7 Coolest California Prefabs
With their main components manufactured in a factory and assembled on-site, prefab homes often cost less to build, offer a higher...
An Unconventional Prefab on Fishers Island
A family’s remote island retreat becomes a more permanent home base, thanks to the efficiency of building modular.
9 Modern Prefabs in the Desert
The barren beauty of a desert landscape can be a source of inspiration for off-the-grid prefab living.
This Isolated Prefab Is One with the Wild
A home in Ontario, Canada, demonstrates how factory-built housing can be as site sensitive as traditional construction.
A Ruddy Shipping Container House Is Installed in New York in Only Two Days
With a prefab structure near Hudson, LOT-EK—the pioneers of shipping container architecture—make a new case for the genre.
7 Prefabs Set in Nature
One of the benefits of prefabricated and modular buildings is that they leave minimal construction waste and can be built without...
A Family’s Glass-Enclosed Cabin Hovers in a Pine Forest in Ecuador
To turn a 700-square-foot home into a more permanent residence for a family of four, RAMA estudio attached a prefab...
This Eco-Minded Home in São Paulo Raises the Bar For Prefab
Made of 100-percent recyclable materials and equipped with smart home technology, SysHaus is a new model by a Brazilian...
This Island Retreat in the Netherlands Flexes the Power of Prefab
Designed by Orange Architects, the compact, energy-efficient home features open and airy interiors that can instantly be adjusted...
This Black Prefab Cabin in Uruguay “Melts” Into the Woods
The modular design by iHouse is clad with sustainably sourced wood in a black finish, making it at home with the forest in more...
A Massive Metal “Caterpillar” Brings Eight Cost-Effective Apartments to Detroit
Prince Concepts slices up a prefab Quonset hut to create a series of light-filled dwellings.
A Prefab Passive House Takes Root in the Catskills
Assembled in just two weeks, the idyllic retreat near Woodstock, New York, realizes a couple’s dream of rural living.
A Seattle Musician Improvises During the Pandemic by Building Out His Own Backyard Cottage
Starting with a design from prefab builder NODE, musician Michael Lerner relies on YouTube tutorials and perseverance to complete...
The Timber Screens of This Off-Grid Prefab in Italy Lift Up Like Wings
Designed for a couple needing a temporary home, MU50 is a modular cabin whose moving sunshades create a dappled effect, called...
Raised in Just 10 Days, This Airtight Prefab Is a Lesson in Efficiency
This stunning forest retreat in England uses prefabricated panels to minimize site impact, shorten construction time, and protect...
This Timber Prefab by Manta North Is What Dreams Are Made Of
The Scandinavian-inspired prefab—a minimalist design that starts at $179K—is one family’s happy place by the sea.
10 Sunny Poolside Prefabs
The idea of relaxing poolside or jumping in for a quick dip is pretty enticing—especially if the body of water is accompanied by...
Two Prefab Prisms Form an A-Frame Retreat in the Chilean Wilderness
With an off-the-grid house on a remote mountain, architect Smiljan Radić rebuilds the past.
Muji Just Unveiled a New Prefab Home—and it’s a Minimalist Dream Come True
The Japanese “no-brand” masters of minimalism unveil the first single-story design in their line of prefab homes.
Video: Prefab Japanese Joinery
In our September 2011 Japan Style issue (now on newsstands!) we showcase a plethora of Japanese-influenced houses as well as...
This Floating, Off-Grid Prefab Can Be Assembled in Just Two Days
Ready for life on land or water, the net-zero LilliHaus is a plug-and-play prefab by SysHaus.
A Dutch Couple Are the First Tenants of This Boulder-Shaped 3D-Printed Home
The Flintstones-style home in Eindhoven is the first legally habitable house in Europe with 3D-printed load-bearing walls.
Three Shipping Containers Form a Tiny, Eco-Friendly Home in Australia
A designer couple convert three shipping containers into a 530-square-foot, solar-powered dwelling on their family’s farm.
An Off-Grid Prefab Home Slides Wide Open to the Australian Bush
The self-sufficient Courtyard House embraces the bush landscape in all directions.
A $4000 Prefab Prototype in Vietnam
A compact Vietnamese prefab housing prototype features local materials.
These Affordable Solar Homes in Sweden Produce as Much Energy as They Use
The compact row houses feature carefully angled solar panels that harness every moment of the sun.
Prefab Pods Create a Super-Efficient Floating Apartment That Shape-Shifts at Sea
Michael K. Chen Architecture channels Le Corbusier vibes into a modular and multifunctional holiday home aboard the world’s...
These Spellbinding, Handcrafted Saunas and Cabins Start at Less Than $10K
Handcrafted according to centuries-old technique, Estonian company Iglucraft’s shingled saunas and cabins are straight out of a...
7 Reliable Prefab Companies in California
You don’t have to look far to find a host of experienced designers and builders of prefab homes in the Golden State.
Small “Hybrid Prefab” Home in the Desert
The Blue Sky prototype home tiptoes gracefully across the desert landscape just north of Joshua Tree National Park.

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