You’ve always loved the idea of a custom home. Who doesn’t? Imagine waking up every morning in a house with the exact layout, colours, flooring, lights, windows, stairways, and rooms you’ve always wanted…the stuff dreams are made of!
But if there’s one thing that turns most people off from building a custom home, it’s the construction time. Building a house in Ontario can take years (literally!) from the planning stages to the day you finally move in.
That’s the beauty of prefabricated homes.
Instead of hiring a builder to build your house brick-by-brick with a construction crew on-site, more and more Canadians are embracing the idea of custom prefab homes – which can take you from concept to completion in under a year!
Here are a few facts every homeowner in Ontario should know about building prefab!
1. Prefabricated Homes are Built to Last
One of the biggest benefits of building a home in-factory is the constant attention to detail. Instead of hopping from one building site to the next, dedicated tradespeople work on each prefab home exclusively until the job is done.
Each prefab home is inspected at numerous points throughout the building process – not just at the end by a building inspector. At Royal Homes, each home must meet the standards set out by Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and our own 250-point inspection in addition to local and provincial Building Codes.
Best of all, a prefabricated home is never exposed to the weather until it’s complete and ready to be installed on the building site. The ‘bones’ stay dry! You don’t have to worry about your future home being pummeled by rain, snow, or wind.
The result is a home that is truly built to stand the test of time, with a level of quality control that is worlds beyond what you get when you build on-site.
2. Prefabricated Homes are Incredibly Energy-Efficient
With strict quality control and protection from the elements, prefabricated homes are remarkably more weather-tight than most houses – meaning no accidental gaps in the windows, doors, or building envelope.
This, combined with proper insulation, makes your typical prefab home far more energy-efficient than the stick-built house next door. Warm air stays in during the winter, and out during the summer!
3. Prefabricated Homes Don’t Always Come From a Catalogue
You might think getting a prefab home is like ordering from IKEA – you browse the floor models, make a few colour choices, and have it shipped to your building site in pieces.
Well, that’s only partially true. While it’s correct that your prefabricated home is delivered in pieces (called modules) planning one is nothing like picking from a catalogue!
Our home model gallery is here for inspiration, but our designers and architects can help you customize them in any way you can imagine. You can have a variation on one model, a combination of two or more, or something completely different!
Of course, not every prefabricated home builder offers this level of customization! Learn more about the Royal Advantage.
4. These Days, You Can’t Even Tell if a Home is Prefab
Those plain, box-shaped prefabs that rolled out of factories in the 50s? They’re things of the past.
Like many 20th-century inventions, the prefabricated homes of today are worlds beyond their predecessors. Most of our custom homes and models look no different from a house that’s built on-site. If your neighbours didn’t see it get delivered, they’d never even guess it was prefab!
5. Prefabricated Homes Are Better For the Environment
You’re right to wonder about the environmental impact of building a custom home. Did you know that construction and demolition make up 23% of all the waste in ouxr landfills?
Not to mention the disturbance to nature bordering the building site, and all the greenhouse gas emissions caused by builders driving to and from the site for months on end…
The good news is, you don’t have to harm the Earth to bring your dream home to life! Prefabricated homes are faster, more efficient, and much easier on the environment.
Prefab homes have precise, custom components, making for far less wasted material. Any spare parts are easily reused or recycled. And most of the construction takes place in a closed, sheltered factory (not on site) so it minimizes the impact on the natural world around your land.
It’s a win-win for you and the environment!
6. Prefabricated Homes Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
Just because you’re going with a prefab build doesn’t mean you’re stuck with one style or another. Take a drive to cottage country and you’ll quickly see how many modular home builders there are these days!
There’s a prefab home out there for every location and budget. On the other hand, the sheer number of prefab home builders can make it hard to choose.
At Royal Homes, we are proud to hang our reputation on feedback from real homeowners. We also invite you to visit the nearest Design Centre and tour a Royal Home in person so you can judge the quality for yourself!
7. Yes, You Can Get a Tarion Warranty on a Prefabricated Home
Thought Tarion only covered traditionally-built homes? Think again! It might only take weeks to build a prefabricated home, but Tarion offers 7 years’ protection for prefabs constructed by reputable builders.
In fact, Royal Homes is proud to have been selected as one of only 5 builder finalists for the 2020 Homeowners’ Choice Awards in the Medium Volume Category!
Plus, Royal Homes personally extends that warranty for an additional 3 years for a full 10 years of coverage. Learn more about our support for homeowners years after moving day.
8. Prefabricated Homes Do Require Building Permits
Although prefabricated homes are mostly built indoors, they still require a building permit. Permitting is one of the key factors in the time it takes to build a custom prefab home.
The sooner you get that permit, the sooner your dream home can become a reality!
9. Prefabricated Homes Can Be Installed Almost Anywhere
If you’ve got land, a vision, and a desire to build, you can have a custom home. It doesn’t matter if that land is located southeast of Toronto or way up North; in the city or country; on sprawling acreage or a tiny sliver of a building lot.
We’ve even delivered a home to a private island in cottage country. No matter where you want to live, your home will be delivered on time, on budget and hassle-free!
10. Going Prefab is the Fastest Way to Build a Custom Home
Here’s the best part: if you start planning now, by this time next year, you could be living and loving life in your very own custom prefabricated home!
The average, single-family home takes almost a year to build. Worse, a few days of bad weather can draw out the whole process! And just look at how many building sites ground to a halt with the spring 2020 lockdown.
As for prefab homes? No weather delays. That, along with an advanced building process perfected on thousands of custom homes, means we can bring your home from concept to completion in as little as 6-8 months!
Plus, since Royal Homes has been designated an Essential Service, construction can continue even as other builder sites are forced to shut down.
If you’re thinking of building a custom home, and you don’t want to wait 2-3 years to move in, a custom prefabricated home could be the answer. Contact us to learn more about the Royal Homes building process!