Commonplace Vancouver showhome pairs a dark modern exterior with a sheltered terrace. Photo by Ema Peter

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For decades, prefabricated housing has promised to make building a home faster, simpler and less wasteful. But the term prefab still conjures up a feeling of compromise. Repetitive designs, lightweight construction and houses chosen primarily for cost-savings and speed over architecture.

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It’s these assumptions the founders of Vancouver company Commonplace want to do away with. Their aim is not to produce a better budget prefab, but a precision-manufactured home that competes with high-end custom architecture.

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High design, premium finishes and a fully finished, turnkey product is the goal. Much of the work is completed before the components reach the property, reducing construction time and the number of trades required on-site.

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Commonplace was founded by Edmund Lee, Rich Frontain and architect Walker McKinley, whose backgrounds span manufacturing, business, commercial interiors, architecture and design.

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The central courtyard connects the kitchen and living spaces with light and greenery. Photo by Ema Peter

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Commonplace came about from a conversation about whether homes could be built differently, says Lee:

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“The initial thought to disrupt how homes were built using non-conventional materials started over a casual lunch seven years ago.”

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What followed was a lengthy development process focused not only on how a house could be manufactured, but on how that process could produce a genuinely luxurious home.

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Rather than designing a standard box that can be repeated with minor variations, Commonplace has centred its concept on a courtyard. The courtyard connects indoor and outdoor spaces, brings natural light deeper into the home and allows the rooms to feel more expansive.

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“The homes are designed around the ethos of Essential Living, where the rooms are generous for comfortable living without excessive spaces,” says Lee.

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The courtyard is the connection between the exterior and interior spaces, which makes the home feel larger than its square footage, and the finishes combine to provide a warm and inviting ambience, he says.

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The result is intended to provide the comfort, proportions and material quality of a custom-designed home without unnecessary rooms or wasted circulation space.

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The streamlined kitchen opens directly onto the central courtyard. Photo by Ema Peter

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Prefabrication does not have to mean sacrificing architecture, materials or finish, says Lee.

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They’ve designed their prefabs to be compared with bespoke luxury houses rather than low-cost modular buildings. Some features include carefully proportioned layouts, large courtyards, Italian-made kitchens, integrated storage and interiors influenced by modernist, Japanese and Scandinavian design.

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“From the design itself to the quality of windows and finishes to how they’re joining the walls, we didn’t want it to feel like a prefab,” says McKinley.