Buying land to build later is a trend that’s benefitting from prefabricated houses. Don’t expect cookie-cutter kit homes, these future homes are build to last and there’s plenty of options to suit every budget and taste.

Atlas Steel kit homes are solid and built to last. Credit: Godfreeman Kaptigau

Kit, modular and prefabricated homes have been a blessing for many Papua New Guineans over the years.

With the high cost of living, the ease of obtaining your dream home with these quicker building options at a lower cost is attractive.

They have also suited the common trend in the country of buying blocks of land and building later.

Also attractive is the wide range of designs that can be modified to one’s preference or to suit the number of family members, or type of family.

Home buyers with access to builders are opting for kit homes, and many more who do not are going for factory in-built modular homes that take just over a month to assemble.

Atlas Steel’s very popular modular and kit homes come with steel frames, which the company says give homes a longer and maintenance-free life, with steel being fire resistant, durable and impervious to termites and the elements.

The lavish interiors are fitted with timber. The cabinetry is done by Fletcher Morobe, with glass from Quality Glass & Aluminium. Atlas Steel also provides a variety of kit homes for different budget ranges, even village-style low-set homes, which are now on display at the company’s Cameron Road display site.

‘Worry not about your house falling apart: with prefabrication, it is easy to maintain high construction standards.’

For homebuyers who prefer all-wood structures, the PNG Forest Products NiuHomes range is the most extensive, with a whopping 30 models to choose from.

Three kit home categories cater for differing budgets, with the Residential at the top of the range, Suburban for affordable urban living, and the Haus Ples variety for rural or village living. Rhodes PNG offers prefabricated homes, which have the bonus of being easily assembled without qualified builders.

But worry not about your house falling apart: with prefabrication, it is easy to maintain high construction standards. Rhodes General Manager, David Cusick, reinforced this assurance at a Hausples Real Estate show, where he said that most of the construction of prefab homes takes place on a factory floor which is quality controlled.

The story ‘Easybuild homes’ was first published in the April/May 2022 issue of PNG Now, Papua New Guinea’s leading lifestyle magazine.