Maryland house

Dubbed “Lorraine,” this 1,133-square-foot Plant Prefab home was installed in just one day.

A prefab home is any home that has been built, partly or fully, in a factory. The design may be fully preset, partly modified by the client, or completely made-to-order.

Named after its rooftop photovoltaic panels, the Solar Studio is the first completed build in NODE’s customizable Trillium Series.

The kitchen is one of McBride's favorite architectural moments in the open-concept great room.

The team shipped the FutureHUAS on five 43-foot-long trailers from Virginia Tech to Dubai, and installed it in less than two days for the 2018 Solar Decathlon Middle East. The open hatch is for drone deliveries.

Architect Mark Fullgar chose corrugated steel, aluminum window frames, and strengthened glass—cost-effective, non-combustible materials, given the cabin’s location in a rural fire zone.

Based in Guntersville, Alabama, Timbercraft Tiny Homes promotes minimalism, deliberate and mindful living, and sustainability. Its five available models can be customized for individual needs and budget restraints. The Denali, pictured above, ranges from 37 to 41 feet long, and features a bedroom that can accommodate a king bed. Choose a bathtub or a tile shower for the bathroom, and enjoy a fully equipped kitchen with butcher block counters. The price runs from $94,000 to $104,000 for the standard model; additional options will cost upwards of $120,000.

After losing their home in the Wine Country Firestorm in California in October of 2017, the homeowners selected Stillwater Dwellings to design their new residence. Stillwater's modern aesthetics and ability to fast-track the project were key factors in the decision.

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.

The weeHouse exteriors are clad in corrugated Cor-Ten, but with a custom pattern of folds to create an organic randomness. The foundations were designed with a shallow recess around the top to make the modules look like they’re hovering. After they bought the property in early 2014, the Siegels camped there for two summers while they saved up money and planned a permanent structure. In his research, BJ came across this design, a customizable prefab house by Alchemy Architects. "Of all the things that I found, I was drawn to that one because it was absolutely the simplest and cleanest," he says.

Project Name: Portable Prefab Outside Boxes Website: www.bertandmayspaces.com

Specializing in customized, modular units for residential backyard use, the Los Angeles–based startup Cover is out to transform the market with their high-quality prefabs. This Los Angeles suite was created for clients who were looking for a beautiful and functional space for their in-laws to live in. It was designed with all the amenities needed for independent living including a full kitchen, living space, bathroom, bedroom, office, and laundry space.

Based in New York City, Cocoon9 takes a unique approach to prefab homes, offering a line of tiny homes with high-quality construction and finishes, smart technology, energy efficiencies, and versatile spaces that are ready for the modern market.

Wheelhaus founder and CEO Jamie Mackay creates prefabs with the same quality and durability of the log cabins he grew up with, while also incorporating his values of green production and modern design. Although it takes about four months to construct his prefabricated properties, it takes about a week for the home to be delivered, and then three to five days for the house to be set up on site.

Huf Haus, a German–based company that has been around since 1912, constructs and installs prefab homes throughout Germany and Europe. Known for their modern designs, the homes are constructed by teams in their factory and arrive on site with all interior finishes completed. Site installation takes about a week, as long as the concrete pad that the home will sit on is already completed.

Though this 2,808-square-foot home in Lewes, East Sussex, England, used to be an old workshop, Sandy Rendel Architects transformed it into a beautiful home with a building shell that was made of SIPS (structured insulated panels), and prefabricated offsite.

This Beverly Hills kitHAUS is comprised of modernist prefab modules that can accommodate a variety of uses: from yoga studios to home offices, and from weekend retreats to pop-up kiosks and guest rooms.

“The factory-built modules were carefully transported up winding roads and set in place without harming a single tree,” adds the firm.