These are terms from the world of PREFAB CONSTRUCTION:
PREFABRICATED HOMES
Often referred to as prefab homes, these are dwellings manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled. Some current prefab home designs include architectural details inspired by postmodernism or futurist architecture. The word “Prefab” is not an industry term like modular home, manufactured home, panelized home, or site-built home. The term is an amalgamation of panellized and modular building systems, and can mean either one. In today’s usage the term “Prefab” is more closely related to the style of home, usually modernist, rather than to a particular method of home construction.
MODULAR HOMES
Modular Houses are composed of one or more “modules”, or boxes, which people assemble in factories, transport by truck , and join together on a pre-poured foundation. Modular houses are built to comply with the local building codes, and often arrive in various states of completeness upon delivery. However finished the modules are when delivered, all are quickly closed up and made weather-tight (something that’s impossible with site-built construction). Moreover, you can construct modular houses in as little as week.
PANELIZED CONSTRUCTION
Panels can be constructed with SIPs, or by using standard frame construction, though in both cases they are built in an enclosed environment. In standard wood-frame panelization, factories build transportable sections of a house in the factory in much the same way as those built on-site. Then they send the finished panels on trucks to the site, and workers install them, much the way you assemble a jigsaw puzzle.
STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are panels that are manufactured by sandwiching foam insulation between two outer, structural panels of wood (usually oriented strand board or plywood). Other materials, such as metal can also be used for the outer shells. SIPs form a strong and continuous barrier against the elements because each panel mates tightly with the next. Factories often send panels out with openings cut for doors and windows, though sometimes they cut them onsite.
TIMBER FRAMES
Timber frames are self-supporting structures that workers connect with mortise-and-tenon joints (joints formed by inserting the end of one piece of timber into a hold cut in the other).
POST AND BEAM CONSTRUCTION
Post-and-Beam Construction (when wall posts directly support roof and floor beams) is similar except connections are often made with metal, whereas timber frames are built out of solid timbers. Post-and-Beam Construction, may also include engineered wood, such as glulams, Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL), or Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL).
STEEL FRAME
Commercial construction has long depended on prefabricated steel frames. Using steel for residential construction however is a fairly recent development. People choose steel because it is durable, resistant to fire, mold, rot, and insect damage, and is strong enough to span large distances without support.
KIT HOMES
These are homes that include all of the basic structural elements and parts required to complete a home. Typically assembled on the site by the homeowner or a contractor, kit homes include log homes, domes, timber-frame houses, and hybrid combinations. Within this category of prefab homes there is a great variation in styles, prices, and quality; they can range from a backyard shed to an opulent multimillion-dollar mansion.
MANUFACTURED HOMES
A term used interchangeably with “mobile homes” or “house trailers”, manufactured houses are considered portable and temporary structures. The manufactured home is built on a trailer chassis and manufactured off-site using lightweight metal framing. After mobile homes are constructed in a factory,they are transported to a site in a finished state. Little to no on-site labor is required.
-Terms and definitions taken from “Prefab Green” by Michelle Kaufmann and Catherine Remick as well as “PreFabulous & Sustainable: Building and customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home” by Sheri Koones
Tags: CT Architect, Karin Patriquin, Kit Homes, Manufactured Homes Words of the Week, Modular Homes, Panelized Construction, Post-and-Beam Construction, Prefab, Prefab CT, Prefabricated Homes, Steel Frame, Structural Insulated Panels, Timber Frames
