Empty Lot + Cheap Pre-fab Home
Transworld, As you can probably tell from the above, it will be tough for you to do a standard pre-fab. It will be extremely limiting in terms of what you can do, if possible at all. However, there are options for combination approaches that are worth looking into. People are beginning to do more site assembled, pre-fabricated components as a way to save some money. I’d be happy to discuss some options with you. Jim Hill, RA, LEED AP
Urban Pioneering Architecture
dazednconfused2
in DIY 13 years and 6 months ago
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whaaaaaaaat | 13 years and 6 months ago
http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4f2da05d7bbb8-.jpg
I often fantasize about approaching first time home ownership by buying an empty lot and placing a tiny, cheap pre-fabricated home on it until I can afford to build something bigger. I’ve never seen this done around Brooklyn – is there a reason why (building codes, etc.)?
jockdeboeraia | 13 years and 6 months ago
Anything can be done, but you would need to find somewhere that can build it to code and provide the required inspections. I suppose if it is delivered unfinished inside than the inspections can be done once on site.
argylerd | 13 years and 6 months ago
It’s possible. I’m aware of one instance where a single prefab house was erected in Brooklyn. That was in Marine Park on Quentin Rd west of Flatbush Ave. The trucks parked near the Toys are Us on Flatbush Avenue as a staging area awaiting the crane. May of the houses built in Brownsville in the 1980’s were prefab. The “oversize trucks” that the traffic reports refer to are carrying prefab houses.
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 6 months ago
I’ve done a lot of research into this. The real hang-up is the fact that most affordable pre-fabricated homes are built with wood frame construction. In most of NY (all of Brooklyn & Manhattan, most of Queens, SI and the Bronx) wood frame residential construction is limited to homes two stories or less, 2,500 sq ft or less. If your lot is small, this may not be a limitation at all, but on a standard 20 x 100 lot in a R5 or higher zoning district, you may be allowed to build significantly more than that. Otherwise, you can deliver factory built homes, with walls closed up, painted, cabinets installed and everything. The manufacturer has a license that states that the homes are built to state codes, which in these cases actually override the city code for inspection items. The savings are in the labor cost and the time. You can be excavating and pouring the foundation on site while building the house off-site, greatly reducing the construction schedule. It’s a process I have some experience in and have connections with a builder who does this. Jim Hill, RA, LEED AP Urban Pioneering Architecture
architect66 | 13 years and 6 months ago
Hmm. Last answer got lost in the ether. Will try to post quickly here. A barrier to doing what you like to do here is the permitting process. It was only last year that the City firmed up their inspection requirements for prefab units – the NYC Department of Buildings does not accept state issued licenses for inspection. They have their own method of dealing with inspections in the factory now, and their own certifications and qualifications to address. Of course these procedures at the DOB are relatively new and untested, and it is likely that only a few people there actually know about the policies. When filing a cutting-edge, vanguard type project like this, you can expect to have to work patiently with the DOB to get your permits and approvals.
And you would need to file for a building permit and utility connection permits. The building permit would need to address foundation and site plans and utility connections. It is also likely, unless you are planning to purchase a trailer or mobile home, that you would need to get a permit for the building itself. The city requires building permits for just about everything these days, even temporary structures, so don’t kid yourself, the process will be arduous. I think you would really have to show that you were just rolling a mobile home onto the lot and parking it there in order to get out of the requirement to file.
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 6 months ago
66 – Interesting. I found the memo which states the DOB’ new approach to pre-fab (http://bit.ly/xauvDc). It does sound like a bunch of paperwork, but also seems as of the bulk of the certifications come in the form of paperwork and third-party inspection reports similar to controlled inspections, and not actual inspections from the DOB. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I’ve been working with a manufacturer for a few months on the design and filing of a new pre-fab, but this has not come up yet. We are filing to demo an existing house and put a new pre-fab on top of the existing foundation, so we’re actually filing a Demo application and a New Building application.
shahnandersen
in DIY 13 years and 6 months ago
To the OP. You’re dreaming. The first consideration is that cost of land in most areas in NYC is extremely high. There is no such thing as what you perceive is an empty lot. And for a building like you are talking about, it would require a fairly big lot because of the necessary side yards (unlike typical row or apartment houses). Why would you pay $1,000,000+ for a 25 X 100 foot lot just to put a tiny one story building on it? And who would finance that?
whaaaaaaaat | 13 years and 6 months ago
Thanks for all of these expert responses! Re: the cost efficiency. I’ve noticed two Fort Greene lots recently priced at $450,000.00 each. To buy a lot + a $200,000 small pre-fab home would cost the same amount as a one-bedroom in the neighborhood. And I would be able to hold on to prime real estate (going fast!) until I can afford to upgrade.
dazednconfused2 | 13 years and 6 months ago
bobjbkln,
Don’t go quashing dreams just yet.
Here’s the section of the code that would apply (Type VA construction = wood frame):
APPENDIX D – FIRE DISTRICTS – D105.1 General. One- or two-family detached or semi-detached dwellings of two stories or less in height and 2,500 square feet (232 m²) or less in area located within zoning Districts R-2 through R-5 may be constructed or reconstructed of construction Type VA.
So you’re limited to 2,500 sq ft, in R-2 thru R-5 districts. Most of these, all except R-4B, R-5B and R-5D, do require a side yard of some sort, so a small lot in most districts will make it hard, if not impossible, to do pre-fab. Now, a few blocks of Fort Greene (northeast of the park) is R-5B, so in some very specific cases, it should be possible.
transworld | 13 years and 6 months ago
I just bought a 25×100 R6 lot in crown heights for $110k, and there’s plenty of land down there still available at similar prices. I am looking into prefab as well, so any information is welcome.