Let’s raise a cup of cheer to the original panelized homes

This holiday season, millions of families around the world will be participating in that time-honored ritual of panelized-home construction known as making gingerbread houses.

The tradition as we know it started in the 1600s in present-day Germany, and got a boost two centuries later with the Grimm brothers’ publication of “Hansel and Gretel.” 

These days, the activity is as popular as ever, with millions of gingerbread-house kits being sold every year. 

What’s remarkable is how much of the panelized build process those early 17th century bakers got right.

Consider …

1. Gingerbread houses are manufactured offsite, where their components are created by experts at a dedicated facility.
2. Home components are precision-crafted. Each is made from high-quality ingredients and shaped to exact specifications.
3. The houses take advantage of flat-pack shipping. Panels, joinery, accessories, fasteners, and the like are fitted securely into shipping containers for easy, efficient distribution.
4. Homes are delivered directly to the build location for onsite assembly.
5. Builds can be completed quickly with small teams of nonspecialist workers. 
6. The homes are designed to be both functional and beautiful.
7. Each home kit includes everything you need to build the house.
8. Gingerbread houses are sustainably built.

Of course, gingerbread houses have issues that limit their practical application. They have no foundations. They dissolve in the first substantial rain. And the fairy-tale-witch market is quite limited.

Fortunately, we’ve solved those problems — with steel footings, durable frames and cladding, below-market pricing, etc. — while keeping everything that makes gingerbread houses so amazing. 

Full disclosure. While Momo homes look good enough to eat, only gingerbread houses actually are. 

We wish you and yours a delicious holiday this year.

Cheers! 

— Your friends at Momo Homes 

Photo: Isabela Kronemberger