Build a Factory-Made or Prefabricated Home

Architect Andrés Duany designed the Haitian Cabin for Haiti earthquake victims. Learn about the design of this resilient and affordable emergency structure.

Learn about the various types of prefab housing, from early Sears houses to modern factory-made houses.

A manufactured home is one that is constructed almost entirely in a factory. The house is placed on a steel chassis and transported to the building site. The wheels can be removed but the chassis stays in place. Learn more about manufactured homes.

A modular home is constructed of pre-made parts and unit modules. Unlike manufactured homes, modular homes must conform to the building codes for the locations where they are erected. Learn more about modular homes.

Made of porcelain-enameled steel panels, Lustron Homes were manufactured like cars and transported to far corners of the USA. Learn about Lustron homes and find resources.

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed homes and communities along America's Gulf Coast, architects and designers developed cheerful, inexpensive, energy-efficient pre-fab housing known as "Katrina Cottages." Find facts, photos, and ordering information.

Students and faculty from the University of Virginia worked with Habitat for Humanity to build a panelized prefabricated house in Katrina-devastated Gautier, Mississippi. Attractive, energy-efficient, and storm-ready, the "preHAB" house is constructed economically from steel and foam panels.

According to Real Estate Journal, one of the biggest debates in architecture is whether prefabricated homes are the cutting edge of design. Are prefab homes high art, or flimsy knock-offs?

Modern prefab housing has been popular in Europe for decades. Now, builders are using modular materials to build trendy, upscale homes in the United States, says this article from Real Estate News.