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Prefabricated construction is quickly becoming more popular and less of a niche product. It focuses on minimising the risk to self-builders by allowing the structure of the house to be built off-site under controlled conditions. By removing a lot of the outside influences and allowing the construction to happen in the warm and dry the number of unforeseen hold-ups and potential issues are drastically reduced. Prefab homes can be a great choice for the right homeowners and we’ll explore some of the positives and negatives below.

Pros of Prefabricated Construction

While there is no way to remove time spent on site, as the building still needs to be erected, prefab homes drastically reduce the amount of time and labour required on the site. This has a whole range of benefits but most directly it reduces the amount of disruption caused in the neighbourhood or to the life of the homeowner. By reducing build time on site the impact the construction team has on the surroundings is lessened either in terms of obstructions or noise which is always welcome when moving into a new neighbourhood. It also has knock-on effects for other areas of the build.

Minimising the time on site lowers the impact of bad weather and a host of other potential setbacks. This, in turn, lowers the chance of additional costs meaning a very precise and detailed list of costs and time constraints upfront. The accuracy in timeline and affordability also allows for an increase in build quality and standards. Every aspect of the build can be worked on under ideal conditions making sure that the engineering standards are at the highest quality.

Cons of Prefabricated Construction

The downsides of prefabricated construction shouldn’t come as a surprise given the long list of benefits that it can provide. The higher standards and level of design that is guaranteed comes with the counterpoint that it is harder to make any changes to that design down the line. With the product being completed away from the site there’s less of a window to make changes with next to no time once the building is actually on site.

There is also a price increase that is commonly associated with prefab homes. With a tighter timeframe and more professionally trained workforce the cost of a prefab home can be considerable than the original quotes of regular on-site buildings. This doesn’t, however, take into account any costs that are accrued during the process which are much less frequent in prefabricated construction.

Which Is The Best Choice?

Prefab homes are perfect for customers that have a strong idea of what they want, a tight timeframe, and a level of certainty regarding their budget. Prefabrication delivers a high-quality product with very few hidden extra costs in a timeframe that can be tailored to a customer’s timetable. Prefab homes aren’t for everyone or for every site and anyone looking into a self-build should make sure they understand exactly what the options are and when each option is best.