1.15 DeMystifying Prefabs with Amy Sims

It's a value proposition both on the cost savings and potential time savings for the overall budget. PlantPrefab is the nation's first prefabricated design and manufacturing company dedicated to sustainable construction, materials, processes, and operations. It was spun out of LivingHomes, a sustainable design development company responsible for dozens of award-winning prefabricated homes, including the nation's first LEED Platinum-certified home under Amy's direction. Amy Sims is a founding member of LivingHomes and currently the Director of Design for PlantPrefab.  Over 10 years of experience in commercial office, sound studios and retail/restaurant design, allowed Amy to develop a core set of skills to apply to the start up of a studio dedicated to prefabricated structures. We explored following topics: Prefab homes are becoming increasingly popular these days.  Can you briefly define what “prefab homes” are, and perhaps explain the difference from what’s known as “manufactured homes”?Are most or all “prefab homes” considered “sustainably designed”?Are your customers mostly home owners building new homes for themselves or do you have a sizable business from developers? What are the benefits of building prefab as opposed to the conventional way of building?How does the process look like for PlantPrefab?  Do your customers have to know they want to do prefab before they purchase the lot, or can it be an after thought?What is your sense of the future of prefab homes and sustainably designed homes in coming years?