Prefab or Site-Built? Comparing Homes in Alberta and BC

Start with the rooms the house needs

Draw the important activities with furniture at its intended size. A dining room needs space for chairs in use and a route around the table. If the proposed module cannot accommodate that arrangement, examine whether joining modules, changing the plan or choosing another system would give a better result. Each option has consequences for construction.

A regular grid can provide a useful discipline. We would explore where repetition suits bedrooms or service spaces and where a shared room needs a different proportion. A hybrid approach may be worth considering, but its connections need someone to design and coordinate them. Naming several systems does not resolve how they meet.

Read the section through the connection

Ask the supplier to show what is included in the assembly. A panel package and a substantially completed module leave different amounts of work to be done on site. At a junction, identify the structure, enclosure and finishes that each party provides, including how continuity is achieved after installation.

The detail can affect the room. Structure at a module connection may influence the available opening or ceiling height. Foundation levels need to agree with the supplied building. We would want those constraints visible in the drawings before the client approves a plan that depends on a different relationship.

Factory production can bring opportunities for repetition, but the design still needs to fit the property. The position of the entrance and the connection to outdoor space should be tested against the actual ground levels rather than inherited without question from a standard arrangement.

Compare completed scope

Consider an illustrative pair of quotations. One covers enclosed modules at the factory; another covers a house completed on its foundations. The first may still need transport, lifting, connections and site completion. Ask each team to identify what remains outside its offer before comparing the totals.

Use the same brief and completion standard for both. Separate the site and foundation work, the supplied structure and enclosure, and the remaining services and finishes. Confirm which contractor fees and taxes are included. This is a way to expose missing scope, not a claim that one construction method will be cheaper across Alberta and British Columbia.

Work back from delivery day

The supplier and installation team should assess the delivery route and working area for the actual property. A sloping Okanagan site may need a very different approach from an accessible Alberta acreage. Ask where vehicles turn and how the building reaches its final position, with any lifting proposal assessed by the appropriate team.

Then compare the complete programme. Include the design decisions needed before manufacture, approvals, supplier availability and the preparation of the site. A brief installation period can be useful, but it does not tell the client when the whole project will be ready. Identify what happens if the foundation or an approval is late and who is responsible for resolving the mismatch.

Confirm approvals and responsibility

Alberta's safety-code guidance identifies the municipal and agency routes for permits. British Columbia directs applicants to confirm the requirements of the local authority. Establish the approvals for the proposed building and site; do not assume a purchased package removes that work. [1] [2]

Warranty also needs checking for the particular product. BC Housing identifies certain manufactured and factory-built homes as exemptions or special cases under mandatory home-warranty requirements. Obtain written confirmation of what applies to the building and the site work, rather than equating a supplier warranty with statutory coverage. [3]

The decision should leave the client with a house that fits the brief, a coordinated delivery plan and a clear account of who completes each part. Prefabrication deserves consideration on those terms, alongside site-built and hybrid alternatives.