Once considered less desirable than traditional, stick-built homes, prefabricated houses now have a lot to offer in terms of style, function, price, and the application of sustainable building practices and long-term energy efficiency.
The term “prefabricated” refers to a structure that is constructed somewhere other than the building site, then delivered in pieces and assembled on-site. This building practice offers multiple benefits in addition to being less expensive. Production of home components in a dedicated facility can result in reduced building waste, more efficient energy use, and tighter quality control, resulting in fewer mistakes. Also, manufacturers are better able to monitor practices, ensuring the creation of consistently airtight and insulated buildings.
Here are four different companies that make and sell prefab homes.
OPAL Shelter
Belfast, ME
OPAL Shelter offers a menu of predesigned spaces ranging from a small studio or guest house to larger, multiple bedroom units. Spaces are constructed on site from panels that are prefabricated in Belfast from cross-laminated timber, wood fiber insulation from TimberHP, and triple-paned glass windows and doors—all made using an efficient, low-waste process. OPAL Shelter’s modern-looking buildings are made entirely from wood, allowing them to fit beautifully into natural landscapes.
Ecocor
Searsmont, ME
Ecocor expands the possibilities of prefabricated homes with their unique panelization method. This means that the only limit is your imagination. For those without a specific design idea in mind, their Solsken line offers a range of predesigned homes with customizable options. Ecocor’s panelized components can reduce on-site construction time by as much as 6 months. Every component of Ecocor’s homes are low to zero VOC, with materials like wood fiber and cellulose insulation to reduce the embodied energy of the build. Their mission to reduce anthropogenic climate change through the built environment brings clean infrastructure to people living consciously throughout Maine and North America.
Coexist Build
Blandon, PA
Coexist Build is a Pennsylvania-based company that was the first to bring “hempcrete,” a bio-composite made of hemp fibers and a lime-based binder, into mainstream building practices. In 2021, they marketed a building kit that Architectural Digest named “best tiny house on the market.” The DIY building kit includes all the components of a small, customizable building with the capacity to sleep up to four people—and can be assembled in just a week by as few as two to six people. Multiple units can also be combined into a bigger structure. The resulting house features timber frame construction, a corrugated steel roof, and three forms of insulation. Kit materials are non-toxic and free from formaldehyde.
GO Logic
Belfast, ME
GO Logic manufactures panelized passive houses that are airtight, yet maintain a constant flow of fresh air through an efficient heat-recovery ventilation system. The firm’s research and development arm focus on energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and cost effectiveness without compromising on standards. Through a simplified design process, clients can choose from a slate of home plans influenced by Scandinavian modern and classic New England architectural style. GO Logic delivers both predesigned and custom, panelized passive house shell-assembly kits throughout New England and eastern New York.
