Our guide to buying a prefab or Modular home in New York, NY and surrounding areas such as the Hudson Valley and on Long Island provides area-specific information to potential prefab home buyers. This guide provides information relevant to choosing a company, home model, land, and lender, as well as cost info for localities such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Hamptons, Greenwich, Rye, and Kings Point. Continue reading for more info buying a prefab home in New York City and its surrounding suburbs.

Why Might You to Want to Build a Prefab Home in the Greater New York City area?

• Quicker Build and Installation Times - prefab and modular homes are manufactured off-site, in a controlled environment and then later assembled at the build site. The efficiency of off-site manufacturing facilities often allows for quicker build times

  • With sometimes hot, stormy summers and cold, snowy winters indoor home manufacturing allows for year-round building

  • Cost Controlled - with a highly controlled build process (homes are manufactured in climate-controlled warehouses), unforeseen cost overruns can be better managed leading to reduced overall cost. This is especially important for expensive areas in the New York metro area such Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Hamptons, Greenwich, Rye, and Kings Point

• Sustainable & Modern - many prefab builders that serve New York and the surrounding areas such as the Hudson Valley and Long Island can build energy efficient, net-zero homes. Many manufacturers specialize in homes that are LEED and Passive House certifiable

Key Decisions to Make:

• Home Location - building in an expensive area of New York city such as in Manhattan or Brooklyn or in suburbs such as Rye, Kings point, Greenwich, or White Plains might have high up-front costs but a prefab home in these (or other high-cost) areas can be a sound long-term investment. When buying property you should be mindful of a few things that could affect your home build:

  • Slope of lot - while this is not as big a concern in New York as it is in cities such as San Francisco, building lots with a significant slope may be unsuitable for some pre-engineered floor plans

  • Set back requirements

  • Floor area ratio or other zoning protocols that may affect the size of the home

  • Whether or not your neighborhood requires a design review

• Standard vs. Custom - While many prefab manufacturers that operate in New York City and the surrounding areas of New York State, Connecticut, and New Jersey offer pre-designed floor plans some also offer options for partial or total home customization. This is in addition to companies who primarily serve as prefab designers and only work on custom prefab and modular homes. If you live on a tricky lot (uneven terrain, small-lot size, etc.) you may face a limited offering of standard home designs that are suitable for your situation - in these situations a custom home may be your best option

• Modular vs. Kit Home v.s. Panelized - While all three of these construction techniques qualify as prefab home building techniques, there are nuances that you should know when building your own prefab house. These prefab home styles include:

  • Modular - homes are made up of multiple box-like modules. These modules are fully assembled and consist of floor, walls, ceiling, wiring, plumbing, and internal fixtures. These modules are constructed off-site and then later shipped to your desired location. Once on site, they are joined and connected to the foundation. Modular construction is one of the most affordable prefab building techniques.

  • Kit Home - all materials and components necessary for building a home are delivered to the build site. In most cases, an owner-builder can assemble the kit home themselves as a cost-saving method.

  • Panelized - the home’s structural components: walls, floor, ceiling, are manufactured off-site and then later constructed at the final site like a traditional build. While somewhat similar to modular construction, panelized building offers more flexibility in the home build process.

• Architect vs. All-in Company - There are many steps in the prefab home build process. Major steps include land acquisition, home design, manufacturing, and assembly. When selecting a company for your prefab home, you should pay attention to the services your company offers. In some cases the company you choose may only offer a home design your home and therefore sub-contract out the manufacturing process. This leaves you responsible for acquiring land and later finding a builder to assemble the home. Other companies however, may be a one-stop shop and assist you in all stages of the home build process.

• Financing your home - unless you are planning to pay for your home in cash, you are likely going to need outside financing for your prefab home. The two most common ways of financing a prefab home build are:

  • construction loan - a short term loan that you can refinance once construction is complete

  • temp to perm loan - a construction loan for the duration of construction that converts to a normal mortgage once your house is finished. The advantage of these loans is you only have one mortgage close vs. two with just a construction loan.

  • These methods usually allow you to finance both the land purchase and the construction of your home however, the underwriting and approval process on these loans can be lengthy (60+ days) as the bank is not only underwriting you as a borrower, but also the viability of your building plans. To get land imore quickly, buyers will often pay cash for their building lot and then the lender will credit the land purchase as a down payment percentage on the purchase.

  • Some of the best lenders for these products only operate regionally. Therefore, if you would like assistance we can provide recommendations here.

  • If you’re looking to purchase an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) or tiny home, then you may want to consider a personal loan:

    • Many personal lenders allow you to borrow up to $100k with no down payment

    • These loans are typically amortized over a shorter period than mortgages (up to 12 years)

    • These loans typically don’t underwrite the property and instead underwrite you as a borrower

    • Many of the best personal lenders are online and serve almost the entire country

    • The time to get approved for a personal loan is generally pretty fast (as little as a day to up to a couple weeks)

Common Questions

• How much will it cost to build a prefab house in the New York Metro area?

  • While certain variables such as location, builder, and floor plan will affect the total cost of building your home, it is our experience that the final cost of your prefab will range between $250 and $500 per sqft before the cost of land, as of May, 2019.

• Is a prefab home a good investment?

  • Yes, in areas where the total cost of building your prefab home (land cost + building costs)  is less than the average dollar per square foot sales price of homes in your neighborhood i.e. you are able to sell your home for more than it cost to build it. In the Greater New York area, that includes areas where the average sale price per square foot is $500 per sq ft or higher. This includes parts of New York City such as Manhattan and Brooklyn, areas of Long Island such as; Kings Point, the Hamptons, and Port Washington, and more outlying suburbs such as Rye and Greenwich.

• Can I finance a prefab home in New York?

  • Yes. The most common way to finance a prefab home is a temp to perm loan or a construction loan if you already own the land. This financing method starts out as a loan for the construction of your home and converts to a mortgage once your home is completed. Another financing option is a construction loan which is a short-term loan that you then refinance once the construction process is finished

• What do the economics of an investment in a prefab home look like?

  • Our table (below) is an example of what the costs and potential benefits of a prefab home investment might look like. While there may be high up-front costs, there is still a chance for a sizable return on your investment. In New York and its surrounding areas, much like other competitive real estate markets in the United States, one of the most challenging parts of the build process is finding a building lot at a reasonable price.In some cases it might be cheaper to buy and tear-down an existing home rather than purchase a vacant, build-ready lot.

How long will it take?

• The answer to this question depends a lot on your particular location. Your town’s permitting and building process will play a large role in determining the timeframe for your build. Total, the build process can take between 1-2 years and maybe longer if there is a design review process.

• Planning Departments in and around New York City

  • https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/codes/codes.page

  • https://www.ryeny.gov/government/building-department

  • https://www.southamptontownny.gov/311/Building-Applications-Forms

  • https://www.greenwichct.gov/1339/Permit-Application-Process

  • http://cityofportwashington.com/buildingInspection.html

  • https://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/115/Building-Permits-Applications

Reputable Companies that Serve New York City and Surrounding Areas

• Resolution:4 Architecture

  • Offer award winning, custom prefab home with  contemporary designs

  • All-in-cost: $350 - $500 per sq ft

• Cocoon 9

  • Offers 3 models of high-end prefab tiny homes. Homes (also suitable for use as ADUs, backyard studios, or pool houses) are notable for their repurposed shipping container exteriors

  • All-in-cost: $700 - $800 per sqft

• Turkel Design

  • A well-known designer, Turkel has 11 models of beautifully designed and crafted luxury homes.

  • All-in-cost: $450 - $550+ per sqft

• BrightBuilt Home

  • Has 9 net-zero energy buildings — featuring Cape-cod and farmhouse designs — all optimized for sustainability and energy efficiency.

  • All-in-cost: $280 - $390 per sq ft

• Lindal Cedar Homes

  • Has a variety of home offerings ranging between 470 sq ft and 6,000+ sqft. Buyers can choose between 9 home styles or custom design their home from the bottom up.

  • All-in-cost: $300 - $550+ per sqft

Alternatively, see our list of prefab home builders and modular home builders in New York or our list of tiny homes for sale in New York. For project-specific assistance, speak with a member of our Prefab Concierge program.