Prefab Was Never So Fab

When Buster Keaton gets a build-it-yourself house in the 1920 short “One Week,” he winds up spending seven days constructing a pieced-together dwelling with windows askew and a pitched roof that looks tipsy. Prefab has come a long way since then. If you have about 700 square feet and $223,000 to spare, you can order a smart guesthouse or office from L.A. architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner. The new Rincon 5 is a clean, rectangular box of a house with a bamboo floor, well-proportioned deck and breezeway. It takes two to three months to arrive, but when it does, it’s complete: The drywall is already painted; the plumbing and electrical systems and walnut cabinets are installed. Workers set up everything within a week. Easy, breezy and beautiful.

-- Laurie Winer

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Rincon 5

660 square feet

$179,000, plus $44,000 for delivery, site work and installation

Marmol Radziner Prefab (310) 689-0089

www.marmolradziner prefab.com