Prefab construction · St. Louis, MO
Prefab construction in St. Louis, built in St. Louis
Looking for modular or prefab homes in St. Louis? MBS builds the walls, floors and roofs of your building in our plant in North St. Louis, then sets them on your foundation. Factory speed and a fixed price, with the design freedom of a stick-built home.
Know the terms
Modular, manufactured, prefab or panelized?
Four words that get mixed up. Here is what each one means, and where MBS fits.
Prefab
Any building made partly in a factory. Modular, manufactured and panelized are all prefab.
Modular
Finished 3D room boxes built in a factory to state and local building codes and set on a foundation. Box size is limited by what can travel on the road.
Manufactured
Homes built to the federal HUD Code, traditionally on a permanent steel chassis used to move them. Often called mobile homes, and often mixed up with modular.
Panelized
What MBS buildsFlat wall panels, floor cassettes and roof panels built in a factory and set on site. The finished building is conventional wood framing.
Why panels
Why St. Louis builders choose panels
Built in St. Louis
Our 40,000 ft² CNC plant is at 921 N 20th Street, St. Louis, MO 63106. Tour it Monday to Friday.
Ships on standard trucks
Panels travel vertically or flat-packed on standard flatbed and step-deck trucks. No wide loads, no escorts.
Inspected as wood framing
In St. Louis the City inspects our panels in the factory and again on site.
Fixed factory price
Your panel price is fixed from contract through delivery. Freight within 1,000 miles is included.
50% quicker schedule
Panels are built while your foundation goes in. Interior trades start in a dry, enclosed building.
Your drawings, not a box size
Every project is modeled in BIM and cut to your plans. Bring your own design or start from ours.
Lenders: Fannie Mae's Selling Guide (B2-3-02) says panelized housing "is not considered manufactured housing." Read the full answer in our FAQ.
Active in St. Louis
Panelized projects across the city
Infill homes, rowhomes and multifamily on the books in St. Louis.
MBS-P01 · In production
Greater Ville Infill Housing
The Ville, St. Louis, MO
15 single-family and row homes
MBS-P03 · In design
Monroe Street Infill
1200-1214 Monroe Street, St. Louis, MO
8 rowhomes, 9 flats or 15 to 19 apartments
MBS-P04 · In design
2835 Missouri Avenue
St. Louis, MO
3 stacked two-bedroom apartments
MBS-P05 · In design
Canterbury Homes
St. Louis, MO
2 two-bedroom homes
MBS-P06 · In design
Aldine Place
The Ville, St. Louis, MO
21 units in a three-story building
MBS-P07 · Estimating
Habitat for Humanity Homes
St. Louis, MO
Two-story single-family homes, two plan types
What we build
One to six stories, wood-framed
Homes, rowhomes, ADUs and multifamily for St. Louis lots, from one plant.
Single-family homes
From 1,200 ft²
Townhomes and rowhomes
Typically 1,200 to 2,000 ft² per unit
ADUs and carriage houses
Backyard and alley living
Multifamily and mixed-use
Wood-framed, 1 to 6 stories
Affordable housing
Scattered-site and neighborhood infill
Relief and temporary housing
Shelter and relocatable concepts
Renderings are MBS concept designs, shown for illustration.
- Lower project cost
- Up to 30%
- Quicker construction schedule
- 50%
- Less waste
- 90%
- Delivery radius
- 1,000 mi
- Building height
- 6 stories
- CNC plant
- 40,000 ft²
Is MBS a modular builder?
No. Modular builders ship finished 3D boxes. MBS ships flat wall panels and floor cassettes that form a conventional wood-framed building on site. There is no chassis, no HUD-code unit and no volumetric box, and no wide-load transport.
Is a modular home the same as a manufactured home?
No, though many people use the words the same way. Manufactured homes are built to the federal HUD Code, traditionally on a permanent steel chassis used to move them. Modular and panelized buildings are built to the state and local building codes that govern site-built construction, and they sit on permanent foundations. MBS builds panelized: no chassis, no HUD-code unit, no volumetric box.
Do I have to use one of your designs?
No. Every project is modeled in BIM and cut to your drawings, so there is no fixed catalog or box size. Bring your plans, start from an MBS catalog design, or have our in-house architectural designer work from a survey and lot dimensions.
How fast is it?
MBS delivers a 50% quicker construction schedule. Panels are manufactured while your foundation goes in, then arrive closed, so the building is weather-tight in days, not weeks. Your production slot, delivery date and install sequence are confirmed at contract.
Is panelized construction code compliant?
Yes. MBS builds to the adopted code of your jurisdiction. In Missouri our panels are inspected as conventional wood framing. In St. Louis the City inspects them in our factory and again on site, and drywall stays off at panel edges, tops and bottoms so inspectors can see every connection. Some states, Illinois among them, run their own factory-built programs with plan approval, third-party plant inspection and a state seal. We confirm the pathway for your state before scheduling.
Will a lender treat this as a manufactured home?
No. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide (B2-3-02) says panelized housing "is not considered manufactured housing" and receives "the same treatment as site-built housing." The home must conform to local building codes and sit on a permanent foundation. MBS panels form a conventional wood-framed building with no chassis or HUD-code unit. Use the word panelized with your lender and appraiser, and ask your construction lender early how it funds factory-built components.
Can we tour the plant?
Yes. Tours run Monday through Friday at 921 N 20th Street in St. Louis. Plan on 60 minutes: about 30 on the floor and 30 for discussion. Bring your construction manager or board members.
Start a project
Build in St. Louis with panels made in St. Louis
Permit-ready drawings and a site address are all we need. Your estimate is valid for 30 days and includes freight within 1,000 miles.