# kit homes whats your thought



## local33stagehan (Apr 10, 2014)

I have been looking into owner builder kit homes and I was just wondering what your experience with these are? Here are some suppliers I have been looking into.
http://www.rdpackagehomes.com/standardplans.html
http://northcoastpackagedhomes.com/homeplansprices/homes1900sqft.html


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

I have no first hand experience building a house from a kit, but from what I have been told, and from my experience building a garage from a kit, be prepared to buy more lumber.
You will get exactly the number of boards, sheets, etc that the blueprints call for at a bare minimum.
Make one wrong cut, have one badly twisted board, etc and you are making a trip to the lumber yard.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

For a log or other specialty material built house I can somewhat see them. For a stick built home I can not see using one. If you have enough construction knowledge to build a house then you have enough knowledge to calculate out a bill of materials. 

That's really the service you're paying for in buying a kit. For them to take a set of plans and calculate out the meterials needed to build it and bundle them up for you.

WWW


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

back in the early part of the last century thousands of houe kits were sold and built, sears and wards and there were others that sold kits, 

most all steel buildings are kits, many pole barns are kits, 

yes some extra lumber will most likely be need, 

the one kit is for the out side only, no interior from what I saw, 

the plans are expensive (IMO), getting a good set of plans and tanking to a building center, they could give one a materials estimate, and most likely deliver it as a kit, or deliver it as needed, 

with precut studs (which have been available for many years now, so cutting studs is not a problem, one would need to cut the plates and assemble the walls, and floors, 

on the kits no foundations included, and one the one no ground floor if I read it correctly.

are the roofs in the kits? (shingles), and quality of shingles?

I would price out the kits and take the floor plan (even a blow up the drawing in the add if there is basic measurements one should be able to get a basic estimate,) in to a few building centers and see if one can get an apples for apples estimate, 

remember you will need electrical and plumbing heating and cooling, that most likely will be on top of the kit cost or the estimates, or extra, 

a few years ago what I understood the bottom end home was about $100 a sq. foot, finished, 

the fewer number of roof changes and wall angles usually lowers cost, the number of bath rooms and plumbing lay out, how spread out it is, 

the plans I have seen are very good, normally form the plan companies, most show where ever stud should go, 

(I have built homes from a drawing on a back of a calendar or butcher paper, so I would by pass the kit unless it just was lower cost over all and the quality of good value). 

a basic rule of thumb is a stud for ever foot of wall, (on 16 centers) (you will have double studs for doors and windows, and some nail backing corners, for estimating, and three time the lumber for plates, (good to see if full length boards will extend a full wall), so various lengths can work out to better walls, 

roofs for the most part are truss, pre built,

floors (depend on) on what you want)
wood or slab, 

like I said compare the quality and the prices and see where your at, and check plan prices, 

my two cents


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## local33stagehan (Apr 10, 2014)

Thank you all for the information. Especially Farmhand. I have never heard of a building center. I am early in my research for my project, I would estimate at a minimum of 3-5 years out. and have gotten very little information until now. Are there any other things I should look out for or into? Also what would be the best starting point?


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## riggerjack (Apr 21, 2014)

Wow! expensive plans for a simple home! if you want to build for yourself, spend a few weekends on a habitat for humanity build. you can get hands on experience, and decide how much you like/dislike this building stuff, without having a few years income in land an materials, and still no house!
The guys and gals there do this for fun/and to teach. it is an excellent place for those who want to learn to decide how practical this option is for them.


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## local33stagehan (Apr 10, 2014)

I already know I love building. I worked for seven years building sets as a stagehand in a carpenter shop and on shows. I do have some experience in construction and welding but never building an actual home.


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## Pokletu (Aug 7, 2013)

Cool, local 33 stagehand!

I'm in local 8, Philadelphia! Where's 33?

I'm looking at getting into the local around Bangor, Maine, pretty soon...


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## wharton (Oct 9, 2011)

33, RUN, don't walk away from this idea. I'm a recently retired builder, and just took a look at your first link. WOW, if anybody falls for doing business with these guys, they are pretty much paying THREE times the value of the material provided. I glanced at a very small ranch. The "Kit" is not a kit at all, just panelized wall, trusses, and windows and doors, basically enough material to erect a dried-in shell for $30K. Now in my area, I could have everything listed in the "kit" delivered for well under ten grand, and add another three for framing labor, so for $17K less, I could have a dry shell, with windows and doors installed, and not have to do anything but write checks. 

Two other points to ponder here. First, the kit includes panelized walls, which many truss manufacturers do for a reasonable charge. Second, whenever I see a gang of weekend warriors attempting this type of job, the red flag is always the truss package that lays on the ground for months, while the crew gets everything ready for them. Trusses are generally not too receptive to being flopped in a pile, twisting and getting wet, laying in the woods for a few months. Trusses should be ordered at the proper time, and be scheduled to arrive when the walls are up, and they can be craned up in place. Doesn't matter if it's DIY or paid for labor, a few hundred bucks in crane time is money well spent, cheaper and WAY safer than paying a crew to spend half a day fighting trusses up into the air.

Bottom line is that there really is no good reason to waste money on the majority of stick frame kits out there. Most are 2-3X the value of goods provided, and just a waste of your money. Wasting $20K for a framing and roofing package for a modest home means that you could of paid for framing, roofing, siding and other labor with money you used to grossly overpay for the materials.


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## local33stagehan (Apr 10, 2014)

Pokletu said:


> Cool, local 33 stagehand!
> 
> I'm in local 8, Philadelphia! Where's 33?
> 
> I'm looking at getting into the local around Bangor, Maine, pretty soon...


33 is in LA the home of entertainment.


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## local33stagehan (Apr 10, 2014)

Ok so with all saying they dont think a kit is a good idea i have to ask where should I start, what would a building center cost, as well as an architect? Please any tips will help.


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## wharton (Oct 9, 2011)

No right answer to this one. Are you going to build in a rural area with no codes, or in a place where you need to deal with totally onerous codes and inspections? Do you have property already? Do you have a large pile of cash to draw from, or need financing? Do you have any prior experience in any of the trades? All of these answers make a difference. As for an architect, generally they are best avoided as they typically are expensive, and tend to reach for either the most complex, visually appealing, or expensive way to get things done. There are some great ones out there, but few who meet the needs of DIYers, or the budget of 99% of folks in places like this forum.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

You can buy a set of building plans from a few hundred $ on up: 

www.homeplans.com, www.houseplans.com, www.plans.com, www.ownerbuilder.com, there are a jillion of them. 

Good luck!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

And my favorite, http://countryplans.com/ 
Not only does he have plans specifically FOR a relatively inexperienced do-it-yourselfer, but he also has active forums for people who are building from his plans or any others. 
I didn't use John's plans, but I have picked the brain of the group at the forums MANY times over the years.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

*"Building Center"* Generic term for = home depot, lowles, lumber yard, most any place that sells lumber and building supplies, most have a professional desk , and will give estimates and so on,


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## Pokletu (Aug 7, 2013)

local33stagehan said:


> 33 is in LA the home of entertainment.


Oh. Sounds like a humble place.  

If you've got time, and can get to your site easily, save your money with the kits. You're not getting much house for your dollar.

There's in-between levels of prefab, though. I plan on buying a precut/mitered timberframe, then popping sips on it, and returning later to run electric, plumbing, etc. A locally milled timberframe should be relatively efficient for your money. Small transportation fee. I could ride a bicycle from my land to the mill, here.


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## wharton (Oct 9, 2011)

Pokletu said:


> Oh. Sounds like a humble place.
> 
> If you've got time, and can get to your site easily, save your money with the kits. You're not getting much house for your dollar.
> 
> There's in-between levels of prefab, though. I plan on buying a precut/mitered timberframe, then popping sips on it, and returning later to run electric, plumbing, etc. A locally milled timberframe should be relatively efficient for your money. Small transportation fee. I could ride a bicycle from my land to the mill, here.


Hopefully the OP is not going to attempt a DIY house project anywhere near Los Angeles? I did several large Habitat projects in CA, and the place is a mess when it comes to affordable housing. I could literally write a 20,000 word piece here, on the topic, and not even make a dent in expressing the level of bureaucracy, waste, extreme expense and absurdity required to play the game in that mess. When it comes to building and the B.S involved in doing so in populated, heavily regulated regions of CA, the best advice you're going to get is DONT do it. Life is too short for that. headache.


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## Pokletu (Aug 7, 2013)

I don't know if he is.

I remember, though, reading about and seeing footage of people; many probably better educated and income-earning than myself; living in tent-towns out there.

My brother was out there, during his navy reserve days. Thankfully, he moved North to Washington since. I read a lot about how the ports are now owned by the Chinese... Pretty discouraging.

Long live the Republic.


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## local33stagehan (Apr 10, 2014)

wharton said:


> Hopefully the OP is not going to attempt a DIY house project anywhere near Los Angeles? I did several large Habitat projects in CA, and the place is a mess when it comes to affordable housing. I could literally write a 20,000 word piece here, on the topic, and not even make a dent in expressing the level of bureaucracy, waste, extreme expense and absurdity required to play the game in that mess. When it comes to building and the B.S involved in doing so in populated, heavily regulated regions of CA, the best advice you're going to get is DONT do it. Life is too short for that. headache.


I agree with you n the expenses of California. I no longer live there since joining the Army and dont think I will ever move back


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