Building a prefab house

Week 2

A few days after the slab is poured, the house arrives on a flatbed truck.

Week 2

Once the components arrive, Jones rents a forklift to unload them. The frame goes up in four days.

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Weeks 2-3

Although he did much of the work himself, Jones left the wiring and plumbing to professionals.

Weeks 2–8

The windows go in. The copper-colored siding goes up ― very slowly. "The siding was probably the biggest problem in the whole process," Jones says. Most subcontractors weren't familiar with it and balked at the idea.

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Weeks 4–10

For most of the interior finishes, Jones strays from Romero’s specifications, instead installing Ikea cabinets and epoxy floors, and pouring his own concrete countertop. He also designs and fabricates a barn-style sliding-glass door for the bathroom.

Weeks 10–11

The final touches ― including ductless air-conditioners and a sliding-door mechanism that Jones made using an old alternator pulley ― are installed.

• On Sunset.com: Instant modern cottage

Week 12

It’s done. Total cost: about $150 per square foot.

Would he do it again? "It was kind of painful, but it could have been just as painful to build conventionally," Jones says. "I’m really happy with how it came out."