Exposing the Scams of Prefabricated Houses
There are scams as well as legitimate cases regarding prefabricated houses, and consumers need to be cautious in distinguishing them.
Scam Cases of Prefabricated Houses
Mr. Lv from Xinle City, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, fell victim to a scam involving prefabricated houses. He spent 31,000 yuan on a cement prefabricated house, but the house he received was of extremely poor quality. It had only windows and no doors, with cracks in the walls and gaps between the three rooms. What was even more infuriating was the manufacturer's恶劣 (bad) attitude. After multiple negotiations by Mr. Lv, the manufacturer still refused to resolve the issue, seriously damaging the consumer's rights. Such scams often take advantage of consumers' lack of understanding of prefabricated houses, attracting purchases with low prices while cutting corners on product quality and after-sales service.
Legitimate Cases of Prefabricated Houses
There are legitimate cases of cement prefabricated houses in rural areas of Henan Province. Take a two-story, 300-square-meter prefabricated villa in Xiaoguan Village, Gongyi City, as an example. It adopts factory-scale production, with all walls and floor slabs cast and formed as one piece in the factory using C35 concrete and then assembled on-site through hoisting. From foundation laying to roof sealing, it took only 4 hours, with a total cost of 250,000 yuan, saving 150,000 yuan compared to traditional brick-and-mortar structures. The cost reduction is attributed to the industrial compression of materials and labor, such as factory-scale procurement of steel and cement, millimeter-level casting errors by robotic arms, an 80% reduction in labor costs, and cost savings in transportation through centralized distribution. However, industry insiders point out that the unit price of 300 yuan only includes the bare main structure. If photovoltaic roofs, smart home systems, etc., are added, the comprehensive cost will rise to around 600 yuan per square meter. At the same time, prefabricated houses also have some issues, such as the possibility of accelerated aging of the grouting material at the module joints in hot and humid environments, with cases of joint leakage having occurred, and limited later-stage upgrades compared to traditional cast-in-place structures.
Other Types of Prefabricated Houses
Prefabricated houses of the "container house" type can also be purchased online. They are mostly made of steel, aluminum alloy, and fiberglass-reinforced plastic, with prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan depending on the area. Consumers can communicate with merchants for customization just like in daily shopping and can "move in upon delivery" after acceptance. However, the quality and after-sales service of such houses also need to be carefully examined to avoid falling into the dilemma of poor quality or no after-sales guarantee.
