FLAT PACK VS. DROP STRUCTURES PREFAB
When searching online for prefab cabins, off-grid tiny homes and home offices, you’ll come across a variety of solutions – from cheap and spartan to wildly luxurious.
This array of options allows you to pick and choose the best solution for you, which is great. However, as ours is a newer industry, the language that defines the different builds isn’t as well-known as it may be in other industries.
This often results in clients coming to us and expecting something we don’t offer, or expressing some surprise at the price.
We get it. Search Google for images of modern off-grid cabins and you’ll find beautiful photos and renderings of backcountry huts set against mountains, forests and streams. Those gorgeous pictures make it so easy to dream, but they only tell half the story.
““The journey, not the arrival, matters””
— T.S. ELLIOT
T. S. Eliot may not have been talking about prefab or modular structures, but he’s still right – your tiny cabin’s journey to you is just as important as what it looks like when it arrives.
Unless you’re just buying plans, every one of those modern, off-grid cabins starts in a shop. From there, they take different routes to the mountain, creeks and residential spaces where they’ll reside. How they arrive not only impacts the price, but the length of installation, their portability, and the amount of money you need to spend above and beyond their price tag.
To help you sort through your options so you’re comparing oranges to oranges, we’ll go through the various types of buildings available and give you the pros and cons of each.
What is a flat pack building?
Many cabins online, especially the ones that seem ‘surprisingly cheap’ are flat packs. This system allows companies to save on both the cost of delivery and the cost of construction by shipping the building much like an IKEA chair.
Flat pack construction
Flat pack buildings are constructed both at a facility and on-site. Much like the IKEA chair we mentioned above, a flat pack building comes in pieces that need to be put together on-site – that is, where the building will eventually stand.
Depending on how complicated the structure is, that can be a fairly simple job you can tackle with simple tools, or require an on-site contractor to take on the project.
Whether you choose do it yourself or pay someone else to, flat pack cabins cost you extra time or money on the back-end.
Pros of flat pack
Cheaper to buy
Easier to transport to site
Cons of flat pack
More time required to build and place
Subject to delays depending on weather
Final quality dependent on your contractor
Price of the building is much less than the final cost
Cannot be moved again once constructed
What is a prefab building?
Unlike flat pack buildings, prefab buildings, like DROP Structures, have a higher up-front cost because everything is done for you. So instead of the IKEA model, where you see the floor model but purchase five boxes of parts, it’s like going to the Apple website and picking out a new iphone – what you see on the page is exactly what is delivered.
The prefab experience
One of DROP Structures’ defining traits, one we’re very proud of, is the experience our customers get when they’re delivered their Mono, Duo, Holo, etc. Just like a new Apple product, a DROP Structure is ready to go within hours of it’s arrival.
Aside from creating a proper foundation, and running out an extension cord, most of our units require minimal on-site work on the client’s behalf. That’s because unlike a flat pack building, we do all construction at our home facility. Our drivers show up with a finished building on the back of a truck, then coordinate with the crane operator to lift and place the unit.
No contractor required.
After the crane places your new DROP Structure, we help you unwrap it, and then give you the keys.
Pros of prefab
What you see online is what you get
All work done on-site is finished in a day
Final quality is guaranteed (by us, anyway)
Can be placed on approved foundation at any time
Can be moved relatively easily
Cons of prefab
Higher upfront cost
Harder to transport to site
What are modular buildings?
Modular isn’t really a construction technique, like prefab and flat pack, but we should mention it here. While modular often splits the difference between prefab and flat pack as far as how it’s constructed and delivered, what really makes it different is its design.
Modular buildings are designed around different pieces, or modules, that fit together, kind of like lego. Using this design method, a client can pick and choose from different pieces, which are compiled to make a larger, cohesive building.
These modules may come as a flat pack building or each may come prefabricated.
Making the right choice for you
Depending on your wants/needs, any of the above may be the right choice for you. Knowing the difference allows you to make an educated choice about what you need, then compare it to similar products.
If you’re looking for a simpler, streamlined installation process, schedule a call, and we can help you decide which DROP Structure is right for you.