The Most Impressive Prefab Homes of 2024
From a solar-powered floating home that putters through Dutch canals to a rainforest retreat with an oculus, here are the year’s standout prefabs.
From a solar-powered floating home that putters through Dutch canals to a rainforest retreat with an oculus, here are the year’s standout prefabs.
Prefab homes have come a long way from the sterile, cookie-cutter prototypes of yore. This year’s best-in-class prefabs show how the construction style is continuing to break new ground, at times blending with traditional building methods to create sophisticated homes, popping up as unexpected housing types, and providing an effective solution for building on some of the trickiest terrain. Here are the prefab projects that wowed us in 2024.
Kicked Out of a Rental, This L.A. Couple Bought, and Then Built the Best ADU They Could
Niki Weber and J.P. Guiseppi were booted from their rental in Venice, California, with only a month’s notice. In the frantic search that followed, the pair bought the first property they visited: a hillside residence in the Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A. The plot had enough space downslope to install an ADU. Putting their hard years of renting to good effect, the pair hired Cover, a Los Angeles-based start-up specializing in prefab backyard homes, to build the rental they wish they had lived in as tenants.
Photo by Manolo Langis
Cover surveyed the property and presented the Niki and J.P. with a few workable layouts. The pair chose a 720-square-foot, two-bed, two-bath model with a full kitchen, wraparound porch, and floor-to-ceiling windows that provided views over downtown L.A. "If we were going to rent it, we wanted to make it a place we’d love to live in," says Niki. "It wasn’t about what’s the cheapest thing."
Photo by Manolo Langis
After building a globe-trotting career in the fashion industry, Julie Park wanted to build a sanctuary where she could escape from L.A. on weekends and reconnect with her family. They visited the Mojave Desert, fell in love with their rental, and resolved to construct their retreat in the area. It took the family three years to save up enough money for the plot they had dreamt of—somewhere with enough terrain to afford privacy that was not too remote—just outside the town of Yucca Valley.
Photo by John Park
See the full story on Dwell.com: The Most Impressive Prefab Homes of 2024
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