Last updated: August 2026
Factory-built homes are described with a lot of overlapping terms:
modular · prefab · panelised · kit home · log cabin
They are not the same thing. And those differences affect far more than marketing. They influence transport, installation, regulatory compliance, financing, maintenance and long-term value. So before comparing prices, understand what you are actually buying.
Where TheHouz sits
TheHouz is a permanent panelised home system built using modern methods of construction.
We manufacture the structure and high-performance building envelope in controlled factory conditions, transport the home as engineered panelised elements, and assemble it on the prepared site.
We chose this approach deliberately.
It gives us the precision and repeatability of factory production while retaining flexibility in:
- transport;
- difficult site access;
- layout;
- glazing;
- façade design;
- building-services integration;
- and future home configuration.
TheHouz combines:
- galvanised light-gauge steel structure
- high-performance insulated envelope
- factory-controlled manufacture
- coordinated building services
- managed site assembly
The result is a permanent residential building system designed for long-term living.
TheHouz is not a log cabin, not a self-build kit and not a room-sized volumetric box.
Why we chose panelised construction
Panelised construction gives us the ability to standardise the parts of a home that benefit from repetition without turning every home into the same box.
Factory precision
Structural and envelope elements are produced in controlled conditions using repeatable dimensions, details and quality-control procedures.
Efficient transport
The building travels as comparatively flat engineered elements rather than complete room-sized units. That can make transport more efficient and reduce some of the access constraints associated with large volumetric modules.
Greater site flexibility
Narrower roads, constrained plots and difficult access do not disappear as issues, but panelised delivery can make sites possible that would be much harder to serve with large three-dimensional modules.
Architectural flexibility
The same underlying system can create different home families, layouts, façade combinations, glazing options and interior specifications.
Controlled site assembly
The main connections and interfaces are developed as part of the system rather than reinvented from scratch on every project.
That is the balance we wanted: factory control without unnecessary architectural restriction.
What does Modern Methods of Construction mean?
Modern Methods of Construction — or MMC — is a broad term covering construction approaches that move more work away from the traditional open building site and into controlled manufacturing.
MMC can include:
- panelised systems;
- volumetric modular construction;
- structural framing systems;
- factory-made building components;
- bathroom or service pods;
- and hybrid systems.
TheHouz sits within this wider MMC category as a panelised permanent-home platform.
The goal is not simply to build somewhere else.
It is to improve:
quality control · repeatability · material efficiency · programme certainty · installation speed
while still delivering a permanent residential building.
So what are the other categories?
Volumetric modular: complete rooms built in the factory
Volumetric modular construction normally uses large three-dimensional modules that can arrive on site with substantial portions of the interior already completed.
This approach can deliver:
- very high factory completion;
- rapid site installation;
- repeatability;
- and reduced site labour.
But large modules can also require:
- specialist transport;
- wider road access;
- larger turning areas;
- substantial crane capacity;
- and more site space for installation.
For the right project, volumetric construction can work extremely well.
It is simply a different approach from TheHouz.
Prefab: a very broad word
“Prefab” simply means prefabricated.
It tells you that part of the building was manufactured before arriving on site.
That could mean:
- one wall;
- a structural frame;
- a roof section;
- a complete room;
- or almost the entire building.
So the word itself says almost nothing about:
- quality;
- permanence;
- energy efficiency;
- compliance;
- or expected lifespan.
In some markets, “prefab” still carries associations with older temporary buildings.
Modern off-site construction has very little in common with many of those historical examples.
The better question is: what has been prefabricated, and how was the complete building engineered?
Kit home: the customer takes on more of the build
A kit home usually provides materials, structural components, drawings or pre-cut building elements. The amount included varies greatly. Someone still has to coordinate:
assembly · trades · services · finishes · quality · programme · site interfaces
For an experienced self-builder or contractor, that can be a perfectly legitimate route.
But a kit price should not be compared directly with the cost of a completed home.
The missing work still has to be done — and paid for.
A kit is a construction package, not necessarily a completed home.
Log cabin: a different construction type
A log cabin is generally built using solid or laminated timber sections.
Many are attractive, well-made buildings used for:
- garden rooms;
- offices;
- holiday accommodation;
- leisure buildings;
- and ancillary spaces.
Some log-building systems can also be engineered as permanent dwellings.
But the term “log cabin” by itself does not prove that a building has been designed and documented as a permanent residential home.
Ask whether the specific product demonstrates the applicable requirements for:
- structure;
- fire performance;
- insulation;
- airtightness;
- ventilation;
- moisture control;
- drainage;
- and local regulatory compliance.
The category alone is not enough.
Why the category changes the price
This is where comparisons often go wrong.
Imagine three homes of similar floor area:
€50,000 cabin
€80,000 structural kit
€150,000 completed panelised home
Those numbers do not necessarily represent expensive and cheap versions of the same product.
One price may exclude:
- foundations;
- windows;
- heating;
- ventilation;
- electrics;
- bathrooms;
- kitchen;
- flooring;
- internal finishes;
- delivery;
- installation;
- testing;
- and technical documentation.
Another may include most of them.
Price per square metre therefore means very little until the scope is aligned.
Compare:
building type + specification + completion level + site scope
before comparing price.
The questions that actually matter
Whatever label a supplier uses, ask:
Is it designed as a permanent home?
Not a cabin, garden room or temporary building being marketed as one.
What is the structural system?
Steel, timber, concrete, volumetric module, panel system — and how is it engineered?
What is the full wall and roof build-up?
Structure, insulation, airtightness, moisture control, cavity and external finish.
What arrives on site?
Materials, panels, complete rooms or a nearly finished building?
Who assembles and finishes it?
The manufacturer, a nominated installation team, local contractors or the customer?
What is included in the price?
Shell, completed envelope, systems, interiors, delivery and installation should be clearly separated.
What has been tested or certified?
Ask what was tested, to which standard, and whether it applies to the product you are buying.
What documentation do you receive?
Drawings, specifications, compliance information, O&M manuals, commissioning records and warranty documentation all matter.
Those answers tell you far more than the label on the brochure.
Where TheHouz fits in practice
TheHouz is built around a coordinated panelised system. Homes range from compact R Family™ configurations to larger L Family™ and Combo Family™ homes, with the largest current configurations extending to 156.5 m².
Across the range, the principle remains the same:
- engineered steel structure
- continuous high-performance envelope
- controlled factory production
- integrated building systems
- efficient site assembly
The home is then completed as a permanent residential building. The factory does not replace the house. It gives us a better-controlled place to manufacture more of it.
Frequently asked questions
Is TheHouz modular?
TheHouz sits within the wider off-site and MMC sector, but the actual construction method is panelised rather than volumetric.
The home is delivered as engineered building elements and assembled on site rather than arriving as complete room-sized boxes.
Is TheHouz prefab?
Technically, substantial parts of the home are prefabricated. But “prefab” is too broad a term to describe the building system accurately.
Panelised MMC home system is a more precise description.
Is TheHouz a kit home?
No.
TheHouz is developed as a coordinated permanent-home system with technical design, factory production and managed installation.
It is not simply a pack of components left for the customer to assemble independently.
Are log cabins bad?
No.
They are simply a different product category.
A well-made log cabin can be excellent for the purpose it was designed for.
The important question is whether it has been engineered and documented for the use you actually intend.
Which is better: panelised or volumetric modular?
Neither is universally better.
Volumetric construction can maximise factory completion and minimise site time.
Panelised construction can provide advantages in transport, access, architectural flexibility and configuration.
TheHouz chose panelised construction because it best suits the homes, sites and European markets the platform is designed to serve.
Do all factory-built homes meet building regulations?
No.
Factory manufacture does not automatically establish regulatory compliance.
The complete building still needs to satisfy the applicable requirements in the country and location where it is installed.
The principle is simple
Do not buy the label.
Understand the system behind it.
What is the structure?
What is the envelope?
What arrives on site?
What is included?
What has been tested?
Who installs it?
And is it genuinely designed as a permanent home?
TheHouz is a permanent panelised home system built using modern methods of construction — combining factory precision with the flexibility of a site-assembled home.