A Texas homebuilder has brought a high-end approach to a type of housing that has often been lumped into the low-end category.

Escobedo Group, based in Buda, a suburb of Austin, has introduced a “panelized” construction system that enables a luxury home to be prefabricated and then installed on a homesite within roughly five months. So far, more than 70 of the company’s DARIO Villas homes have been built.

Over the years, prefab construction has frequently been associated with cheap, mass-produced housing. Following World War II, the British embraced prefab construction to address a severe housing shortage. Amid the 19th century’s California Gold Rush, prospectors relied on prefab homes to quickly provide shelter.

In recent years, prefab homes have gained fans as construction techniques have grown more sophisticated.

“DARIO is a better way to build. The construction method we have designed is more efficient and dramatically reduces construction waste while saving the client the most precious commodity — their time,” David Escobedo, co-owner of Escobedo Group, tells CultureMap.

Escobedo Group, founded in 1987, official launched the DARIO brand in June. 

DARIO touts the ability to construct and assemble a home in a matter of months rather than, in some cases, a few years.

A buyer can choose from among three floor plans with one, two, or three bedrooms, and then select an interior package. A one-bedroom DARIO home starts at $600,000. Larger options go for $1 million or more. 

A DARIO home measures anywhere from 800 to 20,000 square feet.

Escobedo constructs the home panels at its 60,000-square-foot facility, then delivers them to a homesite and puts together the new home within hours. The panels include all of the components needed for a home, such as the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. Each home features steel framing and a pier-and-beam foundation. 

The end product is sleek and modern, like any built-from-the-ground-up luxury home.

Escobedo’s DARIO homes are currently available in Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The company says they can be placed in pretty much any residential setting, from a rural ranch to a cliffside locale.

“Whether you need a new guest house, vacation retreat, or expanded living space, this is truly revolutionizing the way building is done. The complications and mess of construction are a thing of the past,” the homebuilder says.

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