
Mention the word ‘prefab’ and you would not visualise picture-perfect homes with saunas, cinema rooms and sweeping staircases.

But then, as these envy-inducing pictures show, pre-fabricated houses have come a very long way since their inception in the Forties, with their traditional corrugated iron roofs and concrete walls.

Today’s prefabs are positively posh, with Channel 4 Grand Designs’ presenter Kevin McCloud a big fan.

Usually made from timber, they’re put together rather like a giant Lego house, with pre-assembled sections that have been precisely cut with lasers so they slot together with ease.

And they’re as sturdy as brick, being placed on concrete foundations and attached to embedded metal plates.

They’re just as cosy as a ‘real’ house, too, and modern building techniques mean the sturdy walls can be plastered.

What’s more, the new breed of pre-fabs allow for utter flexibility inside and out. Any sort of layout is possible and unique features are easy to accommodate.

While a double-vaulted ceiling or balcony might be prohibitively expensive and tricky to install in a traditional brick build, that’s not the case with a prefab.

It’s this ability to create the ‘wow’ factor quickly and relatively cheaply that’s attracting the smart set to prefabs.

Barbara Fischer-Clark, UK agent for Stommel Haus, a German prefab company, says: ‘Double-height rooms with vaulted ceilings, which are often more than 7m high, are common,’ she says. ‘You can have anything you dream of.’

Gadgetry is easy to install, too, as there’s no carving out of brickwork for cables. Everything can be installed neatly away within the timber frame as it’s built.

Where the post-war prefabs cost just £1,000, today’s posh versions can be anything up to a £1 million.

But as these owners testify, these days you can lead a surprisingly luxurious lifestyle in a prefab...

Living it up with a cinema and hot tub

Wendy Irvin-Braben, 51, lives with her husband David, 52, a computer gaming entrepreneur, and two sons in a 6,000 sq ft prefab by the River Cam near Cambridge. She says:

From a fully soundproofed cinema room to a spectacular staircase, every element of our home is perfect. Because it’s a prefab, we were able to tick every box on our wish list.

Wendy Irvin-Braben, 51, lives with her husband David, 52, in this 6,000 sq ft prefab by the River Cam near Cambridge

Wendy and her husband chose to build the home with WeberHaus and were very involved in the design process

From a fully soundproofed cinema room to a spectacular staircase, Wendy says every element of her home is perfect

The couple went to their German headquarters of WeberHaus to go through every tiny detail

We chose to build it with WeberHaus and were very involved in the design process. We went to their German headquarters to go through every tiny detail.

It took two-and-a-half years to finish and in December 2014 we moved in.

I’m reluctant to say how much it all cost, but basic WeberHaus prices start at £435,000 for a five-bedroom home of just over 2,000 sq ft. Ours is three times larger.

The home took two-and-a-half years to finish and in December 2014 the couple moved in

Basic WeberHaus prices start at £435,000 for a five-bedroom home of about 2,000 sq ft - and this one is three times larger

As well as the staircase the home has a designer kitchen, an indoor sauna and hot tub by the swimming pool

It arrived on 17 lorries in April 2014 and took just nine days for the shell to go up — it was incredible to see rooms forming in front of you — and then nine months to fit it out internally.

As well as the staircase — which cost £60,000 — we also have a designer kitchen, an indoor sauna and hot tub by the swimming pool. It’s my for- ever house. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

From corrugated iron to a mansion of glass

Amy Burgess, 59, lives in a pre-fabricated timber home in Lewes, East Sussex, with her friend Chavdar Vesselinov, 61. Amy says:

Perched on the beautiful South Downs is my beautiful glass-fronted double-height home. It’s the best of modernity.

You’d never guess it was a prefab — and much less that there used to be an old post-war prefab on this very spot.

Amy Burgess (above), 59, lives in this pre-fabricated timber home in Lewes, East Sussex, with her friend Chavdar Vesselinov

Perched on the beautiful South Downs is Amy's beautiful glass-fronted double-height home

As well as being Amy's dream five-bedroom home, Skyhouse, as she has called it, is also a luxury B&B

The prefab cost Amy around £700,000 and she chose the German company Baufritz to build it

As well as being my dream five-bedroom home, Skyhouse, as I’ve called it, is also a luxury B&B.

With cosy stoves, underfloor heating and a wonderful view, it’s a fabulously restful place that’s environmentally friendly.

It cost me around £700,000. I chose the German company Baufritz to build it. Our first task when we bought the site in 2010 was to remove the post-war prefab.

Our new prefab by German supplier Baufritz arrived by lorry in May 2014.

With cosy stoves, underfloor heating and a great view, Amy says it's a fabulously restful place that’s environmentally friendly

Her first task when she bought the site in 2010 was to remove the post-war prefab which had been on the very spot

Despite being 4,000 square feet, the prefab in East Sussex took just four-and-a-half days to build

Sections of pre-fab arrived with windows, insulation and plumbing in place, before being fitted together with a large crane

Despite being 4,000 square feet, it took just four-and-a-half days to build, which is remarkable considering the intricacies of the glass frontage.

Sections of pre-fab arrived with windows, insulation and plumbing in place, before being fitted together with the help of a large crane.

There was no possibility of error, as the building had been precisely measured in the factory before arriving on site.

I had my heart set on a glass structure like this and the prefab made it so much easier to achieve. I just love it.

Tudor? No, our new eco-home came off the back of a lorry

Connie Minton, 43, a doctor, and her husband Drew, 44, a company director, live in Purley, Surrey, in a pre-fabricated, five-bedroom detached house with their sons Dex, ten, and Max, six. She says:

Our prefab is a slice of Scandinavian luxury in Surrey, thanks to our fabulous sauna and the kiln-dried polar spruce timber from which our home is constructed.

When I turn my key in the door, I’m greeted by the wonderful smell of pine. It just envelops you.

Connie Minton, 43, and her husband Drew, 44, live in Purley, Surrey, in a pre-fabricated, five-bedroom detached house

The couple say their prefab is a slice of Scandinavian luxury, thanks to a sauna and the kiln-dried polar spruce timber

And concealed beneath all this lovely wood is super high-tech advanced internet cabling, easily installed into the structure.

More people should live in a prefab like ours. It’s been life-changing for our whole family.

Three years ago, we were living in a cramped, rented flat in Clapham, South London, which was hardly the ideal environment to raise our sons. But it was just impossible to get on the property ladder.

Fortunately, we came across a plot of land for sale in Surrey, which already had planning permission in place.

The family came across a plot of land for sale in Surrey, which already had planning permission in place

Connie's family is German - home to many prefab companies catering for all budgets - so she was familiar with the concept

The couple chose to build their prefab with Stommel Haus, who specialise in luxury eco-houses

However, we didn’t want to build our home in the traditional manner — it’s too risky and stressful — so we plumped for a prefab.

My family is German, which is home to many prefab companies catering for all budgets, so I was familiar with the concept.

There’s so many it’s like you’re choosing between Ford, Volkswagen and Jaguar. There’s a prefab that’s right for everyone.

We chose to build ours with Stommel Haus, who specialise in luxury eco-houses. As we were building in a conservation area, we had to ensure we adhered to local regulations, which is why it’s Tudor-style on the outside.

The house arrived on two lorries in February 2013 -and in a few hours, the sides were up

The house alone cost £380,000 - and the Mintons say it's worth every penny

The house arrived on two lorries in February 2013. In a few hours, the sides were up. Ten days later, it was windproof and watertight and, four months after that, the interior was finished.

It was all very efficient. In June 2013, we moved in.

The house alone cost £380,000 — and it’s worth every penny. It’s spacious and super-cosy inside.

Now we’re in, we’re here for life. The whole family loves it.

Downsizing to a trendy barn in my old garden

Merula Frankel, 71, a widow and retired nurse, lives in a pre-fabricated timber house in the grounds of her former family home near Alton, Hampshire. Marula says:

My husband Richard and I moved here from London in 1977. We bought a Grade II-listed, six-bedroom house and raised our four children there.

As our needs changed, we thought about downsizing, but we didn’t want to move from the area.

Merula Frankel, 71, a widow and retired nurse, lives in a pre-fabricated timber house in the grounds of her former family home

As Merula's needs changed, she thought about downsizing with her husband, but they didn’t want to move from the area

Thankfully, our house was in a large plot of land, so we decided to split it and build next door.

We engaged an architect, but there were planning issues and the process stalled.

Then, in 2008, I was widowed when Richard died in a traffic accident.

I decided to pursue the dream we’d shared — but as a recent widow, the stress of a traditional build no longer appealed. I thought it would be wonderful to have a company to hold my hand.

Barn-style with a pitched roof and larch cladding, the prefab near Alton in Hampshire cost around £750,000

Merula says the prefab route has been extraordinarily stress-free compared to a more conventional self-build

So, in 2011, I employed the German company Baufritz to build my dream house. Barn-style with a pitched roof and larch cladding, it cost around £750,000.

It’s light, airy and modern, with four bedrooms and a lovely smart kitchen that I adore.

For me, the prefab route has been extraordinarily stress-free compared to a more conventional self-build. Baufritz’s project manager took care of every tiny detail.

Merula says the home is light, airy and modern, with four bedrooms and a lovely smart kitchen that she adores

Merula says the ease of the building was a real comfort in a difficult time after her husband died in a traffic accident in 2008

The diggers arrived at the end of January 2013.

My house arrived on the back of several lorries on April 9 and it took just three days for a team of eight master carpenters to put it up as a dry shell and a further four months for the inside to be finished.

All in all, it’s been a joy. The ease of the building was a real comfort in a difficult time — it’s everything that we as a family could have hoped for.