What Are the Hazards of Prefabricated Houses?

The hazards of prefabricated houses are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. Low structural strength and poor earthquake resistance
   Prefabricated panel houses are assembled from prefabricated panels, resulting in insufficient overall firmness and toughness. They often adopt a hollow design with an unreasonable distribution of steel bars, leading to extremely poor earthquake resistance. Minor vibrations can loosen the joints between floor slabs. Over time, cracks will increase and expand, and may even cause the collapse of the entire building. If the structure is damaged during decoration (such as drilling holes or removing walls), the safety hazards become even more significant.

2. Short service life and high repair costs
   The designed service life of prefabricated panel houses is usually shorter than that of cast-in-place concrete buildings, possibly only 20 - 30 years. As time goes by, problems such as material aging and construction defects worsen, and many old prefabricated houses are identified as "dangerous buildings". Repair requires professional treatment and is costly. Moreover, houses with shoddy workmanship may be scrapped in advance.

3. Serious wall cracks and water leakage problems
   Wall cracks tend to spread in a spiderweb pattern, weakening the structural strength and increasing the risk of collapse. Roof leakage causes water to accumulate indoors on rainy days. A long-term damp environment breeds mold and bacteria, endangering the health of occupants. Improper joint treatment is the main cause of water seepage, and repairs are prone to recurrence.

4. Poor thermal insulation performance and high energy consumption
   Prefabricated houses have prominent problems of being cold in winter and hot in summer. In summer, the indoor environment is stuffy and difficult to cool down, leading to a sharp increase in air conditioning energy consumption. In winter, cold air seeps in, and the heating effect is limited. Long-term high energy consumption not only increases living costs but also affects the health of sensitive groups such as the elderly and children. In addition, the sound insulation effect is poor, interfering with sleep quality.

5. Limited internal structural adjustments
   The walls of prefabricated houses mostly bear structural functions. Large-scale modifications (such as removing non-load-bearing walls) may damage the overall stability. Residents find it difficult to customize the spatial layout according to their needs, and the flexibility is much lower than that of modern commercial houses.

6. Strict requirements for foundation treatment
   If there is uneven settlement of the foundation, prefabricated houses are prone to tilting and cracking, and the repair is extremely difficult. Foundation construction requires strict control of flatness and bearing capacity; otherwise, it may cause irreversible damage.

7. Limited building height
   The load-bearing capacity of prefabricated components is limited. An increase in building height will cause excessive pressure on the bottom components. Without reinforced design, it may lead to continuous collapse. Therefore, prefabricated houses are mostly used for low-rise buildings.

8. Easy water seepage due to improper joint treatment
   If the joints on the roof and walls are not sealed tightly, rainwater will seep into the interior along the gaps, corroding the structure over time and affecting the user experience. Regular maintenance is required, but the effect is limited.