Prefab Houses -- question about Sweden

[DanS]

I read in Wired this month that about 70% of Sweden's houses are prefabs (another place mentioned prominently was Japan). Does that sound like a roughly correct number, or does that seem off?

The cost figure quoted for quality pre-fab was pretty high -- $150 - $200 per ft^2 (~ $1,500 - $2,000 m^2). In comparison, a friend of mine just got a quote for $80 per ft^2 built custom. Admittedly, he lives in the Midwest and got a really good deal. On the East Coast, it would probably be at least $110 per ft^2. By way of comparison, urban mid-rise and high-rise apartment buildings cost over $200 per ft^2 to build.

Prefab has a big stigma in the States. How is it in your neck of the woods?

[Wezil]

Re: Prefab Houses -- question about Sweden

Originally posted by DanS

Prefab has a big stigma in the States. How is it in your neck of the woods?

Why? Trailer homes are preferable?

Not a threadjack, just a thought while waiting on more informed posts....

[JohnT]

Here in the US, many people think that prefab=trailer. Hence the stigma.

[Wezil]

Ahh.

I see a difference and would take prefab.

[JohnT]

Yeah.

But here people prefer to have the materials that make up their homes trucked in, dumped in a muddy lot, rained and snowed on while job-jumping construction workers put it together (inside-out so every part of your home is exposed, for weeks, to the elements! ), concluding by having a 3-inch layer of dirt and grass put on top of all the trash and debris left by the building process.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by JohnT
Yeah.

But here people prefer to have the materials that make up their homes trucked in, dumped in a muddy lot, rained and snowed on while job-jumping construction workers put it together (inside-out so every part of your home is exposed, for weeks, to the elements! ), concluding by having a 3-inch layer of dirt and grass put on top of all the trash and debris left by the building process.

Thats what we did !!!!


I just did some quick calculations and our house was about $117 per square foot to build 3 years ago . Thats Canadian dollars and does not include land costs and did not factor in our basenment into the square footage --( factoring in the basement we get down to about $85 per square foot-- the basement though is undeveloped-- insulated and wired but not drywalled and is one big open space )

[DanS]

The Wired article did mention that the tar sands were creating good business for some of the Canadian pre-fab outfits, since pre-fabs can be moved from one place to another.

[Wezil]

Three years and you haven't finished the basement?!

[DanS]

Seems pretty typical to me. Less in real estate taxes until you get around to having money to invest in the basement.

[Wezil]

A finished basement was always the sign our family was about to move again.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Wezil
Three years and you haven't finished the basement?!

Why would we??

We have two adults and a child and 2566 square feet of finished space upstairs. The basement houses the utility room, junk and is where I play hockey with my son. We just put a treadmill and a TV down there and I laid a carpet end down so my boy can play .

But why exactly would we spend thousands of dollars finishing this space which is useful in its current state??

[Flubber]

Originally posted by DanS
Seems pretty typical to me. Less in real estate taxes until you get around to having money to invest in the basement.

PLus as an investment, basement renovations apparently don't make a lot of sense. My reading has indicated you frequently don't get a price bump as big as what you put into the home.

I will do up the absement if and when a second child is imminent. At that time we would finsih a bathroom and a bedroom down there, close off the machinery area, create a small workshop room and then have a large games room ( about 36 feet long). We roughed in most things we would need like ducting and wiring and plumbing. It would actually be quite a nice space-- but again I have no need as long as I have a spare bedroom as it is

[Last Conformist]

If a "prefab" means one of those houses they smack onto a lorry and drive to wherever it's supposed to be, 70% sounds way too high. Hell, 7% sounds too high.

[Combat Ingrid]

LC: no it's not
http://www.alvsbyhus.se/

They just build all the sections in the factory and put them together on site.

[Footie Mad]

I'm still waiting for the house of the future, the one you go to IKEA and buy and then assemble yourself with a few easy steps.

Alternatively, a robot who puts the parts together for you and then explodes into a cloud of pleasant pine forest smell.