Prefab homes (prefabricated homes or “prefabs”) are often associated with mobile homes, but they certainly have a place in South Florida custom home building. In fact, you might say they are the true method and style of custom home building! What are prefabs, and what makes them so special?

Prefab Homes & South Florida Custom Home Building

In a technical sense, prefab homes are manufactured off-site and then put together on-site. To illustrate, this is the traditional method of custom home building in South Florida:

By contrast, this is part of a prefab home that already has whole walls and rooms pre-built: This helps to distinguish prefab homes in South Florida from other ones. However, it tells us little about the difference between prefabs and mobile homes. Yet, as all upscale homeowners know, there is a big difference between luxury and mobile homes. The true difference comes from the style of prefabricated housing.

Prefab Homes & The Style of South Florida Custom Home Building

What truly distinguishes prefab homes in South Florida is not the way in which they are made. It is their style that distinguishes prefabs from transportable homes. Separately producing individual components of a custom home gives homeowners the option of a highly complex and modern design. The individual components can come in 3 primary varieties:

1. Panels – individual pieces of the housing structure such as walls and floors.
2. Modules – whole rooms that come pre-built.
3. Sections – whole sections of a house that include entire rooms such as the master bedroom, closet, bathroom, etc.

The Advantages of Custom Building With Prefab Homes

For custom home builders in South Florida, the principal advantage is less work and effort. However, this doesn’t mean a decrease in the quality of your luxury home! There are many advantages that you may find interesting.

Design

Stylistically, prefab homes make for both easier and more customizable design:

• Easy Design: Many homeowners find it easier to design their custom home when they have the prefabricated building blocks right in front of them. They don’t have to imagine what a particular room will look like when it’s in front of their eyes.
• Custom Design: Prefabs also allow South Florida homeowners to get more creative with their design. By streamlining the process, they allow you to choose one style for your bedroom, another for your bathroom, and yet another for your living room.

Green Construction

Prefab homes are also widely commended from their environmental friendliness. Having its components separately produced makes it easier to add green features after construction. For example, it is much easier to install solar panels on a prefab. There is also a growing trend of building entire prefabricated houses out of green materials. A good example of this is the luxury Perrinepod.

What You Should Know About Prefab Homes in South Florida

Prefabs come in many different shapes and sizes. They are a truly custom option for luxury home building in South Florida. However, because there are no two alike prefabs, there is no universal standard for building one.

Certain prefabs (or all prefab homes in general) are prohibited in neighborhoods and housing communities. Therefore, if you are interested in custom prefab home building in South Florida, make sure your contractor knows the local zoning and permit regulations.