The prefabricated house: Is it really a home?

This paper examines the viability of the prefabricated detached dwelling, in France, as a home and shelter. It also considers its symbolic nature, and its role both as an investment and a form of inheritance. It is based on an exploratory survey in which 20 householders were interviewed in depth and their comments analysed by means of a specific method of content analysis. Consumer choices are investigated by establishing what prefabrication offers in relation to traditional housing, in terms of the construction process, acquisition procedures, architectural style and cost. Then the author examines ‘inhabiting’ and the feasibility of these houses as an inheritable property with reference to the cultural models of the purpose-built house.It was found that prefabricated housing is a solution suited to all professionally mobile people and to the retired. This adaptation makes home ownership compatible with residential mobility, quite the reverse of what is popularly believed.