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Builders, developers, designers, and architects have developed a range of homes that are composed of prefabricated, modular, or kit-of-parts pieces that can allow for lower costs, faster and easier on-site construction, and even higher quality spaces. Here, we delve into the differences—and similarities—among these manufactured residences.

Shady Pines Cabin floor plan

Floor plan of Boundary Point Cabin by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

The backyard is a protected retreat out of the wind. The team added a balcony off the kitchen at the third floor. It has a ship’s ladder to access the roof deck, in order to service solar panels installed there. The balcony also has a grill for cooking al-fresco. “You gotta be able to go out back and barbecue – this is the beach after all,” says Levy.

Before: All of the floors were connected by a spiral staircase, which wasn’t functional for the family.

The Lofthouse is built one of the many hills separating it from the couple’s main residence. "Excavation was a challenge, as we wanted to maintain as much of the existing landscape as possible, but needed to clear out trees for the foundation," says Tarah.

Peter Braithwaite Studio crafted this peaceful retreat for a couple in Seabright, Nova Scotia.

Over 1,700 square feet of steel decking wraps around the elevated home.

On a steep, forested, nearly 30-degree slope adjacent to a ski run and lodge north of Lake Tahoe, Greg Faulkner, founder of Faulkner Architects, spent multiple years working on this contemporary family cabin. The roof "tilts up to the mountains and down to the valley like a visor, while the main home mirrors the ski run to the east side of the property, so the home has a central axis that runs up through it," he says. During the winter, one can ski directly into the living room, with its inset fireplace and 17-foot-high ceilings.

Less than 100 square feet, Studio Puisto’s new modular cabin can be configured as a home office, gym, or forest retreat.

The kitchen features a large central island, custom walnut cabinetry, and quartzite countertops. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around the breakfast area and complement Ultimate Casement windows with divided lites above the sink.

Top 10 Black Gable Homes of 2020: A dramatic take on an archetypal shape, these pitch-roofed residences cut a striking figure.

The repeating arches give the house more character.

Cutler designed the window in the couple’s bedroom to extend below floor level. “It’s almost like you can walk right into the view,” he says. The platform bed is from West Elm.

A cast-iron tub from Signature Hardware sits beneath a large window; the unlacquered brass faucet is from Waterworks.