In a state where the weather ranges from the dry, arid heat of the Mojave Desert to the snowy mountaintops of Lake Tahoe, it can be difficult to imagine prefab homes that suit the broad range of climates—and clients!—that can be found in California. But fear not: here, we’ve gathered some of the most trustworthy, dependable companies that design and fabricate prefab homes throughout the state.

1. Proto Homes

Founded in 2009 by Frank Vafaee, Proto Homes is a company composed of architects, engineers, and contractors with a shared vision of reinventing the antiquated approach of the homebuilding industry. Based in Los Angeles, the company began producing prefab homes in 2011 and haven’t stopped since. With their own patented technology, they’ve developed their own proprietary prefabricated building envelope, which cuts the site construction time and reduces the cost by 50 percent due to its fully-integrated componentized process. The clean lines of the homes are undeniably modern, and they have over 120 floor plans prepared to suit different customers’ needs.

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2. Lindal Cedar Homes

As a company that started selling kit homes made of cedar in 1945, Lindal Cedar Homes is one of the oldest players in prefabricated homes. Since then, the company has expanded to offer hundreds of home designs that range in style from more traditional residences to modern urban homes, all of which are made of kiln-dried, premium-grade Western red cedar. For over 20 years, Lindal Cedar Homes has planted trees to replace those harvested for their homes, and they have led green home building efforts in the use of energy-efficient windows and detailing, engineered wood, and other sustainable materials.The company has built more than 50,000 homes over the past 70 years, and now even has international offices, but California customers can choose from 10 different suppliers of Lindal homes.

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3. Blu Homes

Blu Homes is a start-up prefabrication company based in Vallejo, California, that has executed a range of homes, from a 640-square-foot mini home to larger, custom-built prefab residences. They factory-build their steel-frame homes in the Bay Area in a manufacturing facility that was used to produce nuclear submarines, and they deliver homes throughout Northern California. Blu Homes recently embarked on an unusual endeavor: a model home village, featuring three different home models.

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4. Office of Mobile Design (OMD)

Established in 1998 and based in Venice, California, Office of Mobile Design was founded by Jennifer Siegal to focus on prefabrication of portable, demountable, and relocatable structures, including homes, schools, and commercial buildings. Many of OMD’s projects exhibit the firm’s commitment to merging responsible design with new technologies and luxurious details through green building techniques, despite needing to be produced in modules that will fit on the back of a truck trailer.

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5) Clever Homes

Clever Homes is an architecture, planning, and design firm specializing in the construction of unique prefab buildings and based in Oakland, California. Clever Homes designs residences that use systematized and prefabricated building systems, and focuses on green buildings—all of their homes are certifiable by USGBC LEED, Build-It-Green, Greenpoint Rated, or other certification programs. Their homes are panelized, steel-frame homes that used advanced framing techniques to reduce the amount of steel or wood used in a homes, and all products used are free of VOCs. Most have a high recycled content and have a cradle-to-cradle life cycle certification. After more than two decades in the industry, they’ve gained in-depth knowledge of sustainable design: they’ve designed off-the-grid homes, homes with solar panels, residences with alternative energy systems, and dwellings with green roofs, water catchment systems, and other eco-friendly technologies.

6. Logical Homes

Logical Homes, a subsidiary of the architecture firm De Maria Design Associates, is an LA-based company that focuses on upcycled and enviro-friendly materials in the construction of their homes. With an interest in container housing and building solutions, shipping containers are often used as the primary building block in their prefabricated homes, which clients adjust and tweak to create a customized solution from a simple, basic form. By using an efficient prefabrication and assembly process, the residences can be delivered and completed in a predictable timeframe.

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7. Sage Modern

With a home base in San Francisco, Sage Modern was founded in 2008 and focuses on designing custom homes that respond to local site, environmental, and client-based needs. Like many other prefab companies, Sage Modern is dedicated to sustainably-oriented homes through efficient planning, innovative systems and technologies that reduce energy and water consumption, and waste reduction during construction. Their designs are decidedly modern, and prominently feature wood siding, generous outdoor spaces, and expansive views to the outdoors; interiors are often clad in warm, natural materials like wood and stone.

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