Know anything about kit homes?

[steve-in-kville]

As we search for some acreage, we are finding more and more empty lots off the beaten path. I've been reading about various kit homes (log homes, SIP's, etc) and was hoping someone here could suggest something that comes in pre-fabbed kits and can be built by someone with some construction experience. The only thing my wife asks for is a rancher style (one floor) and has at least four bedrooms, or can be added to easily.

I showed her the yurt thread and she wasn't too wild about that idea!

[Common Tator]

I know nothing about it either, but I am really impressed with SIPS construction. The main house at our ranch is like a sieve and we really freeze in winter. Yesterday we had a massive windstorm and I could feel the cold wind throughout the house. I would love to have a SIPS home with low E windows and doors that is easy to heat and stays warm longer.

I understand that SIPS homes cost less to build, and go up faster.

If we ever do build a new house I would put it in a different location at the ranch, above the pond with views down the valley that go for miles and with mountain ridges along the Nrth and South.

Then I would like to do some fix up (all DIY stuff) on the old house and rent that one out during nice weatrher to folks who would like to vacation on a ranch.

[TxAprilMagic]

Try here.



http://www.panelconcepts.com/

http://www.logcabinhomes.com/


http://panelconcepts.com/priceitAT.htm


http://www.logcabinkits.co.uk/

[barn-apart]

Timber frames work well with sip's and are simple to reconstruct on site.

[glenn amolenaar]

The logcabin kits are very labor intensive. If you have construction (building) experience it is not to bad, but most of the lower priced" kit's" are random length logs which means lots of cuts. To buy a precut kit cost is higher and you are plumbing and fastening logs together. If you go to www.lhoti.com you can learn a lot about the different styles and see lots of log homes. Glenn

[tamsam]

4 bedrooms? do you have kids or a lot of company. Sorry to ask but why all the space to heat or cool? We have 3 bedrooms here and two stay closed off all the time. If I was to build a new house i would make it as small as possible and build a large atached storage building that I wouldn't have to heat. Just my thoughts. Sam

[Tsadiyq]

Check this out: http://www.loghomebuilders.org/

I plan to attend their classes when time & money permits!

[haypoint]

Some of the bigger roof truss builders are offering pre-assembled walls to go with their enginered floor joists and roof trusses. They'd be able to turn out a complets package in any design you chose. Nice to have lots of bedrooms for the kids, but they'll be gone before you know it, leaving you with a lot of house to heat with the ever-rising fuel costs. A two-story house with those extra bedrooms upstairs is a cheaper way to build and you can shut off the heat to the upper half when vacant. You can get roof trusses that are designed for living space within the truss, making a cheap upper level, "attic trusses". At least cluster the bedrooms on the end of the house so you can close them off in the winter when empty.
Most house kits just include the main frame and roof. Might be cheaper to just hire a contractor to construct the basic structure and leave the foundation footings, block walls for the crawl space,wiring, plumbing, insulation,drywall, flooring, cupboards, tub, toilet and sinks, trim, paint, primer, siding, insulated glass windows, porch landing and stairs for you and the little misses to do. Prob. have to hire the well, septic tank and drain field.

[hunter63]

If you find a Kit home, remember that the cost of it will be at least 3/4 times more than the kit itself.

Be sure to do your homework on local codes, before buying anything

When looking for acreage, some times it's better to find one with an existing building/house as it might provide a starting point for well, septic, elect. road etc.
then if you buy it and improve it, a lot of stuff will be "grandfathered in" allowing you to move head with out a lot of code upgrades etc.

Kit homes can be a good deal if you can do most of the work your self, but be sure that you can legally build one on the acreage before you go head.

[steve-in-kville]

Thanks for the help. Ideally, we would prefer to buy land with a home already on it. But its tough finding exactly what we want. I thought of hiring a builder, but honest ones are tough to find in our area.

[Jalopy]

We built a panelized home five years ago. We acted as general contractor and purchased the made to order panels from a specialized company then I hired crews for various work that I did not have the time or the skill to do. The number one thing I would say is make your final plan your FINAL plan do not change anything. We had everything exactly how we wanted and it went great. Exhausting but well worth the effort. Good luck on your endeavors. JLP

[homebirtha]

These two companies offer kits that are designed for owner-builders with little construction experience. The prices include a lot more then most kit homes do.

http://www.shelter-kit.com/
http://www.firstdaycottage.com/

[Callieslamb]

Originally Posted by homebirtha

These two companies offer kits that are designed for owner-builders with little construction experience. The prices include a lot more then most kit homes do.

http://www.shelter-kit.com/
http://www.firstdaycottage.com/

I really like the firstday cottage site.

[haypoint]

r-control.com
enercept.com
fishersips.com
generalpanel.com
winterpanel.com

[PBPitcher]

Originally Posted by homebirtha

These two companies offer kits that are designed for owner-builders with little construction experience. The prices include a lot more then most kit homes do.

http://www.shelter-kit.com/
http://www.firstdaycottage.com/

Has anybody on here ever used these companies to build their home? Just looking for opinions/experience

[texican]

Before I bought a kit home package, I'd want to visit several in person, and talk to the owner/builders (without a rep present) to see how the process went, whether they were happy, what kind of obstacles they faced.

The whole thing boils down to whether you have more money or more time... More money, why not just get someone to build everything from scratch. There might be some savings, via an economy of scale factor... With a kit, you have a large initial outlay of cash, and then several months to half a year of putting it all together.

Be aware, like Hunter said, that the frame is only a part of the cost... the big stuff occurs when you start plumbing, electrical, hvac, finish materials.

SIPS are expensive, terribly expensive, imho.... You have to buy them... you cannot scrounge them, you cannot find them, you cannot make them yourself. Once again, if you have a sack full of cash, they're great (as long as you don't mind having a manufactured product that will disintegrate if it gets wet (particle/flake board)... and we all know, roofs NEVER leak..., and you don't mind possible outgassing of formaldehydes)

If you have more time than money, build it yourself from scratch. Practice your techniques on a small garage/barn... live in it, while you're building the main house.

[gracie88]

If you have to finance it, check with your bank too. Ours would not consider financing any kit homes, apparently they had pretty bad results in the past.

[hotzcatz]

Having helped build one log house, that is something I'll never do again. Nor would I recommend them. They are nostalgic and all, have great charm and are fun to look at but not so good on insulation and they use a staggering amount of lumber to build. It might be something to do in the Pacific Northwest, but if you don't have a huge supply of logs available, a different method might be more ecological. During construction, the logs have to be drilled for the electric and plumbing and I dunno how you would alter it or repair it afterwards if you had to. They also require a crew and equipment to build since each individual log is really heavy.

Kit homes have a tendency to use inferior materials and if you get the appliances and fixtures with it, they aren't usually the best either. Architect designed homes are wonderful and lovely, however they generally get paid by a percentage of the final cost of the home so they have zero incentive to save you money.

If I were doing it, (and I wasn't a draftsperson) then I'd make a sketch of sort of what I wanted. This sketch will be a lot better if you know where the house will be situated, too, so you can think about wind direction, sun, views, topography, etc., while designing your house. Ask the local lumber stores how folks get building permits and go about building houses in the area you are planning to build in, each area has different methods. Also, before designing your house, check the different lumber, fixtures, doors and windows available locally so you can save money by buying local. If possible, have your plans redrawn by a draftsperson instead of an architect, draftspeople are usually much less expensive. There should be a couple engineers involved if there are any structural questions.

There is a book called "Basic Home Building" put out by Ortho Books, it is a very good comprehensive overview of how to go about building a house. Even if you are hiring someone else to build the house, it is a good book to read since you will then know how the house should look as it is being put together. There are a lot of different ways to build a house, too, so there may be changes from what the book shows, but it does have a very good overview of the process.

Sometimes you can buy an old house and have it relocated to your site. That will save on taxes since the old house will not be considered as expensive as a new house. Folks do that around here, but many of our houses are built on "post & pier" foundation and are easy to pick them up and move them away. Handy thing, when the volcano blows.

[glenn amolenaar]

hotzcatz,

Please do not judge loghomes by having helped build one. If built correctly it is the thermal mass and not R-value and keeping air leaks down. Before you condemn them you need to do some serious homework about design/building a loghome. Yes they are a higher priced item over stick built but done right loghomes are easy to heat/cool. Sorry but you hit a sore spot. True loghomes are not for everyone. Glenn

[watcher]

have you thought about a concrete dome? We are looking into them they come as a 'kit'. We like that they are basically fire proof (no wood), storm proof and very well insulated right from the factory.

I have the URL around here somewhere if you think you'd like to check them out.