Prefab house construction systems: which one to choose

What the construction system decides, and what it does not

The system is how the house is put up: the structure that holds it and the wall that closes it. Besides the price, it decides three things:

• •Noise: mass keeps it out, and that is where concrete wins. Cold is kept out mainly by the insulation, which fits in any system.
• •Maintenance: exposed timber needs its protective finish renewed every few years, sooner the more sun and rain it gets; concrete needs almost nothing. Schedule in prefab house maintenance.
• •Durability: any home is designed for at least 50 years; how long it really lasts depends on care, and the container is the first to suffer (25 to 50 years with good maintenance). Type by type, in how long a prefab house lasts.

Efficiency is not decided by the system alone: windows, airtightness and ventilation count. If you are still unsure between timber, steel or concrete, start with house with a timber, steel or concrete structure.

What it costs per square metre, by material

Among turnkey houses, concrete is the most expensive per square metre, and in return it gives the best acoustics, thermal mass and little maintenance. Medians by structural material:

• •Concrete: 2,025 €/m² (40 houses from 7 manufacturers).
• •Container: 1,639 €/m² (25 houses from 3 manufacturers).
• •Steel, which covers steel frame, sandwich panel and mobile homes: 1,606 €/m² (67 houses from 10 manufacturers).
• •Timber: 1,267 €/m² (47 houses from 10 manufacturers).

A kit is separate: it is the materials, and you pay for the assembly. A timber kit comes to 403 €/m² (132 houses from 8 manufacturers), and it is only compared with other kits. By size and by what each price covers, in the price per m² comparison.

Light timber frame: quick and easy to extend

It is the one offered by the most manufacturers, so you will have plenty to compare. It is a frame of timber studs with the insulation inside, made in a workshop and put up dry in a few days; as it is light, the foundation is simple.

What to check: how it is protected from moisture and, if the plot faces a busy street, what acoustic reinforcement the wall has. More in light timber frame (in Spanish) and in timber prefab houses.

CLT: solid timber for demanding projects

The panel itself is the wall that holds the house up: boards glued in cross layers. It allows heights and spans that timber frame cannot reach and is very airtight, which is why it suits Passivhaus. There are fewer manufacturers to choose from than with timber frame.

What to check: it is heavier, so ask what foundation it needs and how the outside face is protected. More in CLT, cross-laminated timber (in Spanish).

Precast concrete: the closest thing to a conventionally built house

Concrete panels or modules made in a factory and joined on the plot, with the solidity and the maintenance of a traditional house.

What to check: that a large truck can reach your plot and a crane can fit. And if you plan to grow, take it into account from the design stage, because it is the least flexible system to extend. More in precast concrete (in Spanish) and in concrete prefab houses.

Steel frame: timber frame, but in steel

Light galvanised steel profiles, filled with insulation and closed with boards. It is assembled dry, performs well in seismic areas and does not need the care that timber does.

What to check: how it solves thermal bridges, because steel conducts cold (ask whether the insulation also wraps the profiles), and that it is assembled by people who know the system. More in steel frame (in Spanish).

Sandwich panel: speed above all

Two metal sheets with an insulating core, screwed to a structure: they close and insulate at the same time. It is the usual system in budget modular houses, mobile homes and site offices.

What to check: before signing, whether your municipality treats it as a home or as a temporary construction, because the permit and the mortgage depend on it. More in sandwich panel (in Spanish).

Shipping container: it can be moved, but it needs good insulation

Shipping containers refurbished for living in, which can be stacked and combined as modules.

What to check: insulation is not optional (steel conducts cold and heat, and causes condensation) and rust is treated from the start. Before taking it as cheap, compare its price per square metre as a finished house with that of the others. And ask the town hall: depending on how it is installed, it may count as a temporary installation. More in shipping container (in Spanish).

Log, post-and-beam and A-frame: three niches with character

They are less widespread systems, but they do their job well:

• •Log house (in Spanish): the solid log is structure, insulation and finish at the same time. For cold climates and mountains, with periodic sealing.
• •Post-and-beam (in Spanish): exposed timber posts and beams that leave the walls free for large glazed areas. High end.
• •A-frame (in Spanish): the A-shaped house. Simple and good with snow, but the sloping walls reduce the usable floor area: better as a cabin or second home.

Proprietary systems: they tie you to one manufacturer

Some manufacturers have their own system, sometimes patented. Almost all refine one of the families above, but you depend on a single manufacturer for price, lead times and service:

• •TCH® (in Spanish) (The Concrete Home): the concrete walls are prefabricated and the house is finished on site. More design freedom in exchange for a longer lead time than a module: 6 to 8 months turnkey, according to the brand.
• •EMOHA (in Spanish) (inHAUS): concrete and steel modules almost finished in the factory, placed on the plot in one day. It allows cantilevers and double heights.
• •AKABRICK (in Spanish) (AK Modular): an industrialised and patented ceramic brick wall that arrives assembled and, according to the brand, is transported without cracks. A brick house with prefab lead times, but nobody builds it today: AK Modular, the only company that had the system, has been dissolved since December 2025.

Folding, cardboard or earth-covered houses

Three proprietary systems that change the shape of the house, not just the wall:

• •M.A.DI.® (in Spanish): cross-laminated timber that arrives folded and unfolds in hours. It needs no concrete slab and can be moved to another plot.
• •Wikkelhouse (in Spanish): segments of rolled cardboard and timber that are assembled in one day and grow by adding pieces, but it fears moisture: better as a studio or annex.
• •Green Magic Homes (in Spanish): vaults of fibre-reinforced polymer, covered with earth and vegetation, on a single floor. It is no longer sold under that name: the company that made it, Wonderful Structures, now offers the same type of house as Eco Green.

All of them, with their manufacturers, in construction systems (in Spanish).

How to choose yours: six questions

1. 1Price or performance? For price and lead time, light timber frame or sandwich panel; for performance, concrete or CLT.
2. 2What is your climate like? In the cold, a well insulated wall: timber frame leaves plenty of room for insulation. With hard summers or big differences between day and night, the mass of concrete.
3. 3How much noise is there outside? Next to a road, concrete.
4. 4All year or seasonal? To live in all year, any family well insulated on a fixed foundation; for seasonal use, the light and removable ones.
5. 5Are you going to apply for a mortgage? You need real estate (fixed foundation, permit and title deed); with that, the material hardly counts. More in mortgage for a prefab house.
6. 6What is access to the plot like? Concrete needs a large truck and a crane; with narrow access or a slope, light systems cause fewer headaches.

Before signing, ask in writing for the technical sheet of the wall (thickness, insulation and thermal transmittance), and compare houses of each system in the model catalogue.