The History of Prefab Buildings

A prefab building is a building that is completely or partially constructed at a separate location and then transported to the actual site where the building will be located. Most prefabricated buildings are constructed in a factory and are relatively low in cost.

1830

The history of prefab buildings begins in 1830 with the invention of the balloon frame in Chicago. A balloon frame is the standard rectangular formation of 2-by-4s and 2-by-8s to construct the inside of walls. This formation is still in use today. The balloon frame was constructed and then transported to the actual site of the home. It was also very simple to join several balloon frames together to form a complete house.

1908-1940

Between 1908-1940, Sears began selling home kits that included balloon frames, asphalt and shingles. The home kit was available in 447 different models. Sears also allowed customers to design their own home kit by submitting their own custom blueprints. The Sears home kit was very successful with over 75,000 kits sold.

1945

In 1945, the mobile home became the dominant form of prefabricated buildings. The mobile home is completely constructed in a factory and then transported in separate pieces to the actual home site. The separate pieces of the mobile home are then connected together. The low cost of mobile homes was appealing to the World War II veterans returning home after the war. The mobile home is still popular today.