Rural Prefabricated Housing

Rural prefabricated housing is a house-building model where core components of the house are standardized and prefabricated in factories and then quickly assembled on-site.

I. Domestic Application

1. Zhejiang Model: Represented by fully assembled rural houses, core components such as walls and floor slabs are prefabricated in factories, and the main structure on-site can be built in about 7 days. It mainly adopts light steel structures and concrete shear wall structures, combining construction efficiency with structural stability.
2. Hebei Practice: Since the pilot program was launched in 2022, assembled rural houses have been rapidly promoted in rural areas of Hebei. By the end of 2025, a total of 20,000 rural households across the province have voluntarily chosen to build such houses, with 45 counties (cities, districts) achieving full township coverage. Its characteristic is that large components such as columns, beams, and wall panels are fully prefabricated in factories, significantly improving on-site assembly efficiency.
3. Innovative Cases: Some self-built rural houses adopt prefabricated component assembly technology, completing the main structure in 14 days. For example, a 5-ton foundation pile is fixed with a base plate, the crossbeam is quickly connected using a mortise-and-tenon joint, the staircase is hoisted and then a 5-centimeter-thick floor slab is laid, and finally, the component gaps are treated with grouting, achieving a 'building-block' style of house construction.

II. International Export and Domestic Limitations

1. Export Advantages: Enterprises in the Pearl River Delta region divide reinforced concrete houses into modules, which are produced on assembly lines and then exported overseas. These prefabricated houses can be directly inhabited after assembly on-site, with a cost of about 200,000 yuan per set (including freight). In the first quarter of 2023, China's prefabricated building exports grew by 45%, and Guangdong Customs saw a surge of 38.1% in export value in the first four months compared to the same period last year.
2. Reasons for Not Being Widely Popular Domestically:
   • Small Cost Difference: The cost of self-built houses in rural China is similar to that of prefabricated houses, so farmers are more willing to choose traditional house-building methods.
   • Performance Shortcomings: Prefabricated houses have gaps compared to high-quality self-built houses in terms of structural stability, susceptibility to cracking and water leakage at module connections.
   • Limited Uses: Currently, they are mostly used for transitional housing or temporary construction site buildings, and long-term living needs still rely on traditional house-building methods.

III. Technical Characteristics and Advantages The core advantages of prefabricated houses lie in standardized production and rapid assembly. Factory prefabrication allows for strict control over component quality and reduces on-site construction errors; modular design supports flexible combination to adapt to different terrains and house type requirements; and the short construction period (such as only 7 days in the Zhejiang model) significantly reduces labor and time costs.