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After the Los Angeles wildfires destroyed more than 16,000 structures, thousands of families were left without homes and with few clear paths forward.
Labor shortages, high material costs and permitting delays have stretched rebuilding timelines into years. In response, a wave of prefab and modular housing companies is stepping in with solutions to meet the urgency of the moment. Plant Prefab, Azure Printed Homes and Ark Container Homes are answering the call.
Their models range from compact, recycled container units to fully customized modular homes — all designed to get displaced families into safe, livable spaces as soon as possible. Unlike traditional construction, which can take a year or more, prefab and modular structures are built in controlled factory environments and then delivered to the homesite for final setup, which cuts down on timelines, costs and logistical hurdles.
Plant Prefab
A spec home in the Pacific Palisades designed by Ray Kappe and fabricated by Plant Prefab | Plant Prefab
With a 270,000-square-foot facility in Teton Ranch, California, Plant Prefab is built for scale and speed, boasting the ability to produce up to 2,000 homes per year. The company has deep experience in post-disaster housing and is now responding to the Los Angeles wildfires with new modular housing options that will meet the zoning, aesthetic and climate needs of both Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
Steve Glenn | Founder and CEO of Plant Prefab
“Our mission as a company is to make the process of constructing customized, high-quality, sustainable and climate-resilient single- and multifamily housing as timely and cost-efficient as possible,” Steve Glenn, founder and CEO of Plant Prefab, told Inman. “Victims of the wildfires want to get back to their homes and communities as fast as possible, so our services are important to them.”
Plant Prefab homes offer a wide range of customization options, allowing homeowners to tailor everything from layout and design to the level of fire resiliency. Homes come complete with floor plans and a curated selection of fixtures, finishes and appliances.
“The level of fire resiliency is up to our clients,” Glenn said. “But we understand how to make these homes extremely fire resilient.”
Plant Prefab modules also come with all mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems installed.
Glenn also noted that the cost of Plant Prefab homes is often significantly lower than traditional construction, depending on location and labor rates, and people are showing interest. So far, Plant Prefab has had nearly 300 requests for site reviews and estimates, and a number of project designs are already underway.
Azure Printed Homes
Azure Printed Homes | YouTube
Azure Printed Homes is taking a high-tech approach to housing recovery, using 3D printing technology, recycled plastic materials and fiberglass to build homes in a matter of days from its Los Angeles factory.
In response to the wildfires, the company launched a $4.2 million crowdfunding campaign to scale production and meet the rising demand for temporary housing, especially on fire-damaged properties.
Ross Maguire | Co-Founder and CEO of Azure Printed Homes
“The recent LA wildfires have left thousands of families without homes, and Azure is committed to being part of the solution,” Ross Maguire, co-founder and CEO of Azure Printed Homes, said in a statement. “This new funding campaign underscores our commitment to rapidly scale our capacity and to bring affordable, climate-resilient homes to all buyers, and most especially, to those who need them most.”
Azure’s units are watertight, highly insulated and engineered to withstand extreme weather conditions. They are also 70 percent faster to produce and up to 30 percent more cost-effective than traditional construction, according to Azure.
Most 3D structures can be built in just 24 hours. Final touches — plumbing, electrical and insulation — are completed in about two weeks. Units come equipped for utilities, including electricity, water, sewer, and HVAC or underfloor heating, depending on the unit size. Azure also plans to enhance its fire resistance with improved composite materials and exterior fire-rated panels, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Ark Container Homes
Ark Container Homes | Vimeo
Ark Container Homes is tackling post-fire housing needs by repurposing recycled shipping containers into ready-to-move-in homes. Manufactured in the company’s Harvey, Louisiana, facility, each unit is designed for durability, sustainability, recycling and efficiency, and can be built in less than two weeks.
Ark Container Homes focuses on offering the most structurally sound and low-maintenance product possible. That durability comes with a design philosophy: Less is more. Ark limits customizations, including omitting windows, to preserve the container’s integrity.
“With added windows and doors, containers become like RVs or campers, and you need to check and reseal the windows on a continual basis,” the company explains on its website. “If you don’t, they can crack, rain gets in, and you come back to find the structure destroyed.”
Units come in two sizes: a 20-foot model (160 square feet) for $39,000 and a 40-foot model (320 square feet) for $69,000. Both can be used as either temporary or permanent residences.
Although Ark is new to the prefab housing scene, launching production in November 2024, the company has already delivered its first post-fire residence to Malibu last month, and Ark Container Homes co-founder Joshua Clark told the Los Angeles Business Journal that demand has been ramping up.
The news brings relief not just to wildfire survivors, but to the county as well. Ark Container Homes will donate a portion of its sales to LA community fire brigades.
