Who says prefab houses can't be fancy?

Prefabricated homes are often associated with being cheap and not necessarily great quality, but modern prefab homes come in all shapes, sizes and prices. The old, boring, cookie-cutter modular homes are out; here’s a selection of the most expensive luxury prefab villas that will leave you astounded.

As with any product, there are models with differing levels of quality. It is quite hard to establish an average price for prefabricated houses because it depends a lot on the materials and design. "In a prefab house, just as in a traditional one, the most visible elements are the materials used and the finishes," explains Fernando Agudo, CEO of Atlántida Homes. “What will determine the price is the quality of the construction, which is not be directly related to the construction system used. Some people think that modular or prefabricated houses are cheaper than traditional ones, but that’s not necessarily true.”

For example, Atlántida Homes estimates the cost per square metre of a basic modular house at around 1,000 euro, which is 93 euro per square foot, but also points out that the excessively low prices are due to half-finished products (excluding foundation costs, transport, etc.). ABS, a leading company in the flat-pack house sector in Spain, says that the costs are around 1,150 euro/m2 (107 euro/sq ft) for their homes.

"The price of this prefab home, with zero consumption and geothermal energy, is similar to that of other less efficient prefab houses, which is possible thanks to industrialisation," explains Santiago Muelas, director of ABS. “The building process in the factory is cheaper, even if putting up a modular house is more expensive. In our case, the two factors are balanced. So, our prices range between 1,100 and 1,200 euro/m2 (102-111 euro/sq ft) for the standard versions.”

Prefabricated house prices, therefore, are similar to normally built homes, with the difference that a prefabricated house can be built in just 2-3 months.

A new concept for prefab houses: flat pack luxury villas

Among those who can afford the most expensive prefabricated homes is Antonio Banderas who, in 2015, left California and settled in Surrey, England. "I don't like parties anymore and I found in Surrey the perfect place to relax and focus on writing," said the actor. The house cost him 2.4 million pounds (about 2.8 million euro at the current exchange rate).

This prefab home cost Antonio Banderas 2.8 million euro / Huf Haus

The house was built by Huf Haus on a plot of over 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft) and has 5 bedrooms, 4 of which have a bathroom. There is also a pond and a cinema, among other exclusive facilities.

Prices start from 1 million euro for a 'Marbella' house / Inhaus

The prefabricated house model “Marbella”, meanwhile, is the jewel in the catalogue of the company Inhaus. This house has a surface area of 758 m2 (8,160 sq ft), spread over two floors, with 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. Prices start at 1.065 million euro.

Blu Homes, based in California, designs and builds ecological and energy efficient luxury prefabricated houses. The company says its models use 50% less electricity and water, and generate up to 30% less waste.

The top model, Breezehouse, costs 545,000 dollars / Blu Homes

Prices for its flagship model, Breezehouse, start from 545,000 dollars (approximately 485,000 euro at the current exchange rate) and has 200 m2 (2,153 sq ft), 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

The American company Connect Homes has several models with prices ranging from 222,000 to one million euro. Its most expensive house is the Connect 10 model, which has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a surface area of 300 m2 (3,230 sq ft).

There are multiple modular homes for sale with prices up to 1 million euro / Connect Homes

These are just some of the most expensive prefab options on the market, but the price can be higher still since they are fully customisable and you can add as many rooms and extra features as you want.