Turnkey prefab houses: prices and models

It publishes a fixed amount and says what it is made of: building the house and, separately, the design, the technical work and the administrative management.

A single-storey house made of steel modules that leave the Casas Cube plant in Carballo (A Coruña) finished and are set in place by crane in one day. The technical part of the price includes the geotechnical and topographical surveys, the design to apply for the permit, site supervision, health and safety coordination and the electricity and water certificates. If the larger one fits you, the Cube 150 spreads that technical part over more metres and comes to 1,431 €/m², against 1,716 for this one.

The technical part of its price hardly changes with size, so here it is spread over more metres: the house grows by half compared with the Cube 100 and the price per metre goes from 1,716 to 1,431 €/m².

A single-storey house made with the same steel modules as the rest of the range, manufactured in Carballo (A Coruña) and set in place by crane in one day. The fixed price includes the same as the rest of the range: the paperwork, site supervision and the foundations if the ground allows a slab. It suits a family that wants a fixed, explained price. On the plot you need a rectangle of about 16 × 9 m, plus whatever setback from the boundaries you are required to leave.

Its price already includes VAT and, near the factory, assembly, and leaves out the architectural design and the permit, which the manufacturer charges separately per built square metre.

A two-storey timber house that American Building System finishes entirely in its factory in Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara) and takes to the plot in modules. Transport, unloading and assembly are included if the plot is less than 60 km from there, a radius that covers Guadalajara and much of Madrid; further away, delivery is quoted separately. The slab, utility connections, fees and kitchen furniture and appliances are not included either. It suits central Spain; far from it, the figure is no longer that of the house in place.

It is not a house to be manufactured: it is a unit Atlántida has already built and sells on promotion, so it is placed in about 2 months from the permit.

A single-storey home with a steel structure and concrete panel façade, with a porch along the whole front. The price includes the preliminary studies (topography, geotechnical), the design, site supervision, permit management, transport, placement, the first 10 m of trench to the utility connections, the equipped kitchen and bathrooms and the wardrobes. It is expensive per metre for a turnkey house (50 % above the median, across 137 houses from 21 manufacturers), and you pay for that and for the speed. It is not for anyone who wants to change the layout: the house is already built.

It arrives in one piece and finished, and is ready within hours on a level base, without conventional foundations.

A two-level timber module by the Estonian manufacturer Kodasema: downstairs, living room, bedroom and a tiled bathroom; upstairs, two lofts. Its price is a factory price list in Estonia, without VAT, and Kodasema has no distributor in Spain: the journey of about 3,500 km as an oversized load, the level base and the utility connections are extra, and the kitchen is delivered only pre-installed. It suits a compact home for one or two people; not anyone looking for a closed final price.

It is designed for living without connecting to the grid: photovoltaics with battery and climate control already come in its entry level.

A one-piece module with a timber façade, made in Slovakia. Its figure is for the basic level, which includes the bathroom but not the kitchen, beds or wardrobes (they come in the higher level), nor the autonomous water system, which belongs to the most complete one. It is expensive per metre for a turnkey house (30 % above the median, across 137 houses from 21 manufacturers): you pay for your own energy in very little space. It suits land without services; not if you expected the figure to be the furnished house.

It is a turnkey house the German way: a fixed price and a committed delivery date, from the slab upwards.

Baufritz, a Bavarian manufacturer, builds this two-storey house with a timber wall insulated with wood shavings and electrical wiring shielded against electromagnetic fields. Its price is a German price list, calculated for delivery there and with German VAT included, and the brand only delivers in Germany and Switzerland. It shows how far a well-defined turnkey house goes, not something to buy from here. Foundations, kitchen and furniture are left out.

Its fixed price goes beyond the finished house: it includes the architect's design and the furniture, as well as the kitchen and tiled bathrooms.

A single-storey home with a terrace that MCCM Casas delivers completely finished. Per metre it is close to the median for turnkey houses (across 137 houses from 21 manufacturers), but that metre depends on a floor area its own website does not make clear: the title says 115 m² and its web address and images are of a 95 m² house. If it is 95, the price per metre goes up. It suits you if you want to move in without buying furniture; ask for the plan before comparing.

It is cheap per metre for a turnkey house (13 % below the median, across 137 houses from 21 manufacturers), and it does not arrive in modules: VME builds it on the buyer's land.

VM Ecogroup builds it from Sueca (Valencia), with a timber and steel frame hidden behind a mortar façade that gives it the look of a traditional northern manor, and it is paid in stages, with no advance payments. The problem lies in what the figure covers: VME does not break down which items are included, neither the permit, nor the utility connections, nor the level of finishes, which is exactly what defines a turnkey house. It suits you if you already have a plot and like a traditional-looking house; if you need to know the total cost today, ask for that breakdown first.

It is expensive per metre for a turnkey house (59 % above the median, across 137 houses from 21 manufacturers), and what you pay for is Moodul taking care of everything that does not depend on the land.

A single-storey L-shaped villa made of steel modules that leave its factory in Tarragona with the kitchen, bathrooms, wardrobes and services already installed. The price includes the technical study, the basic and construction design, site supervision, planning management, manufacturing, transport up to 300 km and placement on the plot. It suits you if you want a single point of contact from start to finish and can afford it; not if you are looking for a cheap metre.