This new prefab manufacturer is making modular “haciendas” in Texas starting at $249,000

The modular home industry has exploded in recent years, thanks in large part to a host of companies marketing prefab homes as more affordable and durable than their conventional counterparts, due to shorter construction times and less waste. . Recently, a new player has entered the market. With a focus on affordability and sustainability, HiFAB has ambitious plans to become a leader in modular homes in Texas – and they’ve bet on a collaboration with the San Antonio-based architecture studio Lake|Flat.

The first two designs, called “Haciendas”, can look like regular homes, allowing them to fit into existing neighborhoods, but can be built on site in seven days or less.

Oaxaca Interests is a Texas-based real estate operator, developer and investment company. The company has partnered with award-winning architecture firm Lake | Flato to found HiFAB, which has just released its first two modular prefab houses.

Both models are available to order now and will ship in early 2023. The Studio is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home that starts at $249,000, and The Standard is a larger three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. bathroom that starts at $375,000. Both feature the same simple, clean design language with a vaulted ceiling in the main living and dining area which aims to make the footprint relatively small – the studio is approximately 1250 square feet and the standard is approximately 1875 square feet – feel spacious. The modular components can be arranged to create three different layouts, and customers also have the option of choosing tile, paint and other finishes.

Modular homes are designed to be primarily produced at a factory in Grand Prairie, Texas, which is also designed by Lake|Flato.

“The simple exterior material palette, including smooth hard-troweled stucco and corrugated material, gives a subtle nod to West Texas design,” says Grace Boudewyns, Project Architect at Lake|Flato .

“These homes are a way to design a new kind of adaptable urban infill that can appeal to a range of clients,” says Grace Boudewyns, Project Architect at Lake|Flato. “They were designed to encourage outdoor living, with a design centered around the yard as an extension of the house.”

The Haciendas are designed to be freestanding, but when placed next to each other they create small private courtyards that enhance the indoor and outdoor living experience.

Multiple glass patio doors open onto the courtyard to create a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

“A simple design is hard to achieve, but it allows us to focus on the details for a cleaner, more efficient way of living,” said Brent Jackson, founder of HiFAB and Oaxaca Interests, in a recent press release. “A clean life seems so much nicer,” he further explained in an interview.

The houses have a living-kitchen-dining room module that allows for efficient open-plan living.

Vaulted ceilings above the living space create a generous height that makes the interior appear larger than the modest footprint.

Along with this visual and functional simplicity, Haciendas are designed with sustainability in mind – think ultraviolet light air purification and fresh air exchange systems, VOC-free paints and tiling materials Greenguard Gold certified. But, like any prefab home, the main sustainability benefits come from a shorter construction process that results in far less waste in an industry notoriously full of it.

Customers can choose their own fixtures and accessories to create a unique home that reflects their own style.

The front patio provides another outdoor space for residents and can be used to develop a sense of community between Haciendas neighborhoods.

While the first Hacienda models were built onsite in Dallas to prove the concept, the market-ready models will be produced at a new dedicated manufacturing facility located in Grand Prairie, Texas, before being delivered to the site and In an effort to get consumers more involved in the manufacturing process, HiFAB has made it possible to track the construction of a custom home from start to finish online.

HiFAB will arrive at the construction site several days before the delivery of the house in order to pour the foundations and prepare the connections. On the day of delivery, HiFAB will “Crane Set” the house, bond the connections and apply the final exterior touches.

HiFAB has big ambitions for its new Haciendas, presenting them as a potential solution to the housing crisis. “I love that these homes represent a critical step toward solving the critical worker housing solution,” Jackson says, giving an example of who he hopes the homes will be purchased for. “These people are the backbone of our nation and we will absolutely continue this mission.”

Residents or developers will usually only need to seek approval to install the foundation and connect utilities. On-site construction then takes place in seven days or less.

According to Jackson, however, initial interest has unsurprisingly come from arguably the other end of the market — DIY developers who own five to 10 urban lots ready for a new home, Airbnb investors and the hospitality industry. . This is reflected in the HiFAB website, which Features a number of case studies demonstrating the ROI potential for each of these models. One case study, for example, claims that a “do-it-yourself developer” could realize a 20% unleveraged return by spending $499,000 on land, utilities, landscaping, and the Hacienda and selling to a home buyer for $599,000.

HiFAB hopes to grow its business and eventually pass the savings on to potential homeowners to make the homes affordable for more people.

“The market, however, will grow as we evolve to fulfill our mission of reducing costs to pass on to consumers,” Jackson says in response to this. “Our mission is to provide ‘high-design yet attainable’ homes that focus on both health and sustainability – efficiency and doing the right thing for our planet makes me smile.”

Project credits:

Architect: Lake|Flat

Maker: HiFAB

Photographer: Robert Tsai & Robert Gomez

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