Houses should be mass-produced with makes and models, like cars
Posted by flopsyplum@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 50 comments
Posted by flopsyplum@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 50 comments
Reasonable-Age-6837@reddit
go into a neighborhood. there are maybe 10 shapes. and most similar.
CreepyOldGuy63@reddit
They are.
Exotic_Bill44@reddit
This was the intent of the Habitat 67 project in Montreal. They poured rectangular concrete modules at an on-site production facility, outfitted them with kitchens and bathrooms, then stacked them to create a condominium complex. There were a few different sizes for units based on how many blocks were interconnected.
Phillimac16@reddit
Have you ever driven through the suburbs or a Homeowners Association? They're literally all the same.
IM_OK_AMA@reddit
Cities don't like prefab houses because "poors" live in them so they pass laws to make them impossible or at least terrible.
Where I live new homes are required to have inspections at various points during construction, like before the walls get covered, which is impossible for a house delivered in a completed state. The only exception is if they have permanently attached axles (aka "mobile" homes).
ivanvector@reddit
Not that new of an idea.
During and after WWII, Canada (and probably other countries, but I'm familiar with Canada) created a housing program where several complete home blueprints were preapproved, and then a federal agency worked with municipalities to acquire land and then mass-produced homes according to the preapproved designs, and were given priority over private builders when there were material shortages. Originally they were meant to be temporary to support the influx of workers to cities during the war, and later they were made permanent and sold to veterans under a preferential mortgage program. Around 50,000 were built from 1942 to 1948.
Mark Carney proposed a similar program with preapproved designs last year as a response to the country's housing crisis, but I don't think it has gone anywhere.
Completely unrelated, there's an apartment building under construction near me that's being built with modular units. The units are fabricated at a large plant in another province, then trucked over here and assembled on site like a big Lego set. From groundbreaking to residents moving in will only be 7 months.
Mjarf88@reddit
This is an old idea that hasn't really caught on.
Gaxxz@reddit
They are. Haven't you seen neighborhoods where all the houses are a half dozen models?
allenrfe@reddit
They are, no one wants to buy them.
MakeoutPoint@reddit
....they are though?
SaltPositive7227@reddit
Name five house manufacturers off the top of your head.
MakeoutPoint@reddit
Lennar, Candlelight, DR Horton, Edge, Oakwood, Flagship, Fieldstone, Century
Dumped that out in 10 seconds and that's just the builders I've looked at this week, there are tons more in my area. Every one of them has a handful of preset models to choose from, no real customization. You just say "I want the Sequoia" and thats the model you get.
Diarrhea_Sandwich@reddit
They're spec homes, yes. But not true pre-fab. Clayton Homes would be a closer comparison.
quietflyr@reddit
They're local, but build thousands of houses.
My house was built by Campeau in the 1960s. The model is called Courtney. Others are Rochelle, Springfield, Parkhill, Lynhaven, Granville, Windsor, etc.
Other big builders in my area are Minto, Urbandale, Tamarack, Tartan, and Claridge. They all have models of homes.
ItchySundae1536@reddit
Yeah, architects sell plans that are mass produced. Some areas they have 4-5 models and just repeat with different add ons within the build. Walk in pantry vs a built in media center is one that can occupy the same space.
jkurratt@reddit
They are.
It is prevented by bribes, to keep "investment property" high value.
blackhorse15A@reddit
Have you ever gone to look at brand new houses being built? Ever notice there are like three model homes they build first up front and then all 100 house in the subdivision are one of those three? Or that people look at a house and just say, that's Victorian, that's Colonial. There have been standard house plans for a loooong time. Before we even talk about kit built, modular, and manufactured homes.
ju5tje55@reddit
They pretty much are. Most subdivisions, in the US anyway, are from a catalog of a handful of houses that have a make and model. Slight differences in layouts, mirror images and such, can be had for a custom feel and you can get different paint and finishes, but they are mostly the same.
ilanallama85@reddit
I mean… they kinda are? I can show you the original brochure for my 1955 ranch. Mine is the “Pueblo” style - other options were the Princess, the Duchess, etc. Each style had a couple different floor plans to choose from, and then you could lay extra for “upgrades” like built in trash compactors. Modern new developments are very similar - a handful of styles and floor plans to choose from, then pick your optional extras.
chickey23@reddit
You used to be able to buy a kit from Sears.
6hooks@reddit
My first house was "The Maryland" from sears. Very cool
Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit
They still are.
Prefab.
A reputable prefab is better then most “custom” houses.
ExpWebDev@reddit
Probably better than the Amazon prefabs too
ExpWebDev@reddit
Surprised Amazon hasn't tried selling their own
Sorry-Climate-7982@reddit
Yup, aka the Craftsman houses.
zoppaTheDim@reddit
They are, a lot of shitty manufactured homes out there.
pohart@reddit
But there should be good ones, too.
Ok_Establishment4346@reddit
Like Eichler homes?
FortWendy69@reddit
That’s how it works in Australia for 90% of new builds. You go to “Superbuild” and they’ll give you a catalogue of homes and you’ll choose “The Weekender” which “Starts from” $350K.
preddevils6@reddit
They are, but folks don’t want them because insurance doesn’t like them since they are more flimsy than regular homes.
dorkychickenlips@reddit
They do, and Reddit constantly complains about these “copy/paste” houses.
Your_As_Stupid_As_Me@reddit
But they aren't labeled as "makes and models". All the houses by use are cookie cutter, but we don't know who made them.
pinormous2000@reddit
They are, but only by the architect firm. Sometimes new homes will still be advertised with their name, but nobody cares enough after that.
Archon-Toten@reddit
Haven't you been to IKEA before?
ContributionEasy6513@reddit
Absolutely, we have that in Asia, including housing towers that are all made the same.
- It's cheap
- They go up fast
- They are a known standard (good for planning, banks, knowing what you get)
Annoys me in Australia when a similar house or building takes nearly a decade to make and is no joke 100 times the cost.
asdner@reddit
I read ”horses” instead of ”houses” and thought that’s a legit crazy idea. Luddite-innovation though
MidnightPale3220@reddit
Same.
Longjumping-Log1591@reddit
They are, Fred
YonKro22@reddit
Mobile homes and manufactured houses are done this way that's why they are so or at least they should be very very economical but they really should do it like a neighborhoods build one all in the same place and then haul it like a quarter of a mile to sit down somewhere. They need to apply mass production and Henry Ford type stuff to houses that are built on site also
dr-dirk-diggler@reddit
They have that it’s called trailer homes
captainshar@reddit
I think we're going to see a lot of this as prefab and robotic construction heats up. Not a crazy idea at all!
moeljills@reddit
They already do this in a lot of countries
ozaudi@reddit
Still applies in much of Australia except they're now bigger boxes.
https://youtu.be/VUoXtddNPAM?si=k3dFA1R8tpvor4AJ
SamLooksAt@reddit
In quite a few places they already are, especially for smaller houses.
Kaurifish@reddit
There have been a few companies that produced factory-made homes, like Katerra and BluHome.
Note the past tense.
VelvetBerryBun@reddit
Custom homes becoming the limited edition skin of housing.
Sweet_Speech_9054@reddit
Like manufactured homes?
DragonFireCK@reddit
Development homes already basically are that way. Typically a developer will design a handful of styles of house then build 100 of them in a neighborhood.
Factory houses are a similar concept. They are built as modules that are transported to the site and combined together with customer choice as to which modules are placed in what layout.
Awsomethingy@reddit
The big difference being that they can’t operate at all how OP is talking about lol. You can’t choose to have a certain model house outside of a neighborhood built with that as one of its few options. I can’t find a house style that I like in one neighborhood and have it in the other neighborhood that I like.
DragonFireCK@reddit
You actually can, presuming the house used a standard plan.
For factory homes, you go in and pick out the set of modules you want and the layout. Its not much different than having multiple trims for a car.
Manufactured homes take it a step farther, with the designs already fully preset.
Many development homes use standardized plans that you can purchase for your own use then hire a builder to build for you.