Avrame FAQ

This is by far the most asked question ever.

How much does the house cost? 
What is the total cost figure for Trio 100 or another model? 

There really can’t be one answer for the total cost of a finished building.
In our Budgeting Guide, we dig deep into this topic and we provide a reliable method and a tool to answer this question for your specific project.

In short, there several factors that play on the price and different factors to consider.

For example:

• we ship worldwide and shipping costs depend on location
• extent and cost of groundworks depend on the soil on your location
• the type of foundation you can use depends on the conditions of your ground
• the price depends on the level of customization
• the price depends on your preferences on interior decoration and the materials you choose
• ...

As a rule of thumb, the final cost of the houses we have shipped so far been between €1500 to €1800 per square meter ($150 to $180 per square feet).

So a 100 square meter house or (1000 square foot) should be budgeted at about €150,000 to $180,000. That’s roughly $163,000 to $196,000.

Again, our Budgeting Guide contains more precise answers to this question.

We can deliver practically anywhere - Australia, Canada, The US, and elsewhere.  

A-frames are flat back, so they are very compact and convenient to transport. In the past, we have delivered houses to South Korea and Azores Islands.

We have a partner for manufacturing in the US. All other parts of the globe receive their kit from our factory here in Estonia, we can deliver to almost any location.

Transportation cost is not included in our kit prices.

We cannot say this exactly as it varies case by case.
There are some import taxes which are not expensive. 

For more accurate information, I recommend to check out our local partner’s website www.avrameusa.com for your taxation queries.
They know better about such details.

We made a video about budgeting a while back to give you some pointers on budgeting for a prefab A-frame house. It shows you the tools you need to create your own budget for your build. 

Today, we discontinued that budget template as we have built a more comprehensive and helpful resource: the Budgeting Guide. 

Yes, we can alter floor plans. The only load-bearing element in an A-frame house is the A-frame itself. It doesn't need additional support or any load-bearing interior walls, so we can play around with the floor plans quite a lot.

It is also possible to make changes to any of our model’s interior design. 
If you want a balcony looking down into the living room, we can do that for you. We can add decks, door mirrors, balconies skylights, and other design elements as well.

Yes, we can change a lot.
Here are a few ideas of what you can customize

• the floor-plan layout (we can move interior walls as you like)
• add dormers
• add terraces
• add skylights
• add balconies
• make the houses longer
• join multiple units together (with galleries between them)
• leave the ceiling open (for double height living rooms)

...pretty much endless variations to play with.

The exact sum of shipping depends on the house size and distance from the factory to your site.

Generally, shipping is up to 10% of the kit cost.

Shipping smaller kits might be more expensive as they do not fill one entire truck and we end up transporting air (expensive and useless exercise).

For more accurate shipping costs feel free to reach out to our team.

Production time is 8...12 weeks (depending on the season).
Shipping in Europe takes 2...6 days.
Shipping to North and South Americas takes about 4...6 weeks.
Shipping to Asia takes up to 8 weeks.

A-Frame is a regular timber frame home, so all heating systems are possible. It really depends on the fuel source you have available.

On our YouTube channel, we have a video covering this topic.

You can install any kind of ventilation system.

We prefer to use natural ventilation (skylights, window ventilation strips, etc.).
In some building regulation, mechanic ventilation is mandatory therefore it is recommended that you check which is the ventilation option you should go for (we cover this in the 100 Questions Guide).

We get a lot of comments asking for more walk-through videos on our finished houses. We understand that photos don't always help put the actual size into perspective, so we are definitely planning to roll out video walk-throughs of each model soon.

Right now we have walk-through videos for four models:

• DUO 100
• TRIO 57
• Trio 75
• Trio 100
• Trio 90 + Duo 67

More videos are uploaded each month. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss them.

No, we don’t.

Avrame houses are meant to be assembled with local labor.
Our drawing sets are so precise that local carpenters can do the job without mistakes, usually at a lower cost too.

A-frame is a very simple construction.
It is more like putting together an IKEA furniture than the traditional house building process.

You will get very detailed drawings with step by step instructions to help you on your every step of the build.

The most economical (and practical) way to go is the stripe foundation (up to 60% cheaper than the slab and has the same kind of durability and functionality). 

You can also do the post foundation.

Please keep in mind that the type of foundation you can actually use depends on the condition of the ground on your location.

Foundations for A-frame Cabins

Yes, a solution with full basement is easily doable. 

A-frames need just 3 support points. They can be supported by a metal beam in the middle and by the stone part on the sides. 

We made a video that explains this in detail.
You can find it here.

In short, several US states have very strict building regulations that require the use of stronger wood material + steel hardware.
These components increase the overall cost of materials in the kit.

Also, still due to the more strict regulations, the step between the frames of the structure is about half compared to the EU version... which results in about twice the material for the framing of the structure. 1250mm for the EU version compared to 600 mm for The US version.

We sell worldwide and each Country has different regulations for technical installations, therefore we focus on supplying the structural part of the house and all the special parts have to be sourced locally.

Here is a list of the parts you will have to source locally:

• heating system
• electric system
• ventilation system
• plumbing
• kitchen furniture
• bathroomware
• tiles and tiling
• interior finishes
• furniture
• ... 

We have a video that covers this topic more in detail:

Kit Home Building: THIS you have to source locally

IMPORTANT: this list is not complete nor exhaustive. For more information on what you shall take into account, you should consult our Self-building Guides.

Wooden structures can last for centuries. We have a wooden church here in Estonia on one of our islands standing there for more than 370 years. 

If the foundation is solid and raised (min. 30 cm) from ground and roof covering is tight, your home will outlast your grandchildren.

The wooden parts we sell have 2 years warranty. 

Ruukki classic C has 50 years of technical warranty and 20 years of aesthetic warranty. 

The Velux skylights have 10 years warranty.

The builder has to give its own final warranty for the final build and product (5-10 years usually).

We use only high-quality materials (see this video).

Maintenance is very low. 

You have to service the gable walls. Depending on the conditions repainting the cladding once in every 5-10 years.
That is pretty much all you have to do from outside. 

From inside it is like any other house - the maintenance depends on your choice of materials and usage. 

If maintained properly then the house will last for many generations.

Compared to a traditional timber frame buildings a-frames are very well insulated. 

The total energy performance of the house depends on the insulation material and heating system.

Avrame houses are designed to perform well in the Nordic climate and it can withstand very harsh winters.

Snow is not an issue: it will simply fall off the roof because of its steep angle. 

The houses can also do very well in hot temperatures (rock wool works in both conditions – keeps the house warm in winter and
cold in summer).

The insulation material has to be sourced locally since there is no point of transporting it (high volume and no cost saving). 

The thickness of insulation material in the different model is: 

• SOLO series: 150 mm / 6 inches
• DUO series: 250 mm / 10 inches
• TRIO series: 300 mm / 12 inches

Yes, you can.
Indrek (Avrame CEO) has been living off the grid for already four years and he obviously has a job.

To live off-grid successfully you need to prioritize your energy needs and cut everything superfluous.
Living off-grid will make your life easier and will less financial burdens. It will grant you more time to enjoy the things you really like to do.

The TRUTH about living off-grid

Click here to see the gallery.

You should start with our initial views and plans and they can be found here - avrame.com/drawings

We don’t offer financing through Avrame and would suggest contacting your local loan provider.

Our payment terms are straight forward. 50% pre-payment when signing a contract and the other 50% on the 6th week of production. Production takes 8-12 weeks. Later deposit might cause delay in delivery.

Yes you can do it and here you can find one helpful video - Before you go off-grid...

Shipping is done either with containers or with truck transportation.

No, it’s not possible with larger houses, but we do have DIY drawings for our smallest models, which are Solo+ - https://shop.avrame.com/collections/diy-tinyhouse-soloplus

Yes they can. The connection of the two models will be thought through in the drawings phase. One example can be found here - avrame.com/series/double-a-frame

Insulation materials are not part of the kit and have to be sourced locally because they are bulky and will take a lot of room in cargo. We recommend using rockwool / mineral wool.

Insulation for A-frame houses

The smaller the difference between inside and outside temperature, the better insulation works.

Here you can find a video about this topic - 

How Insulation Works - in 57 seconds

Due to the low center of mass a-frames are great option for seismic areas. Our houses have been built in Japan, South Korea and California which are prone for earthquakes.

A video about this topic - 

Off-grid with a Battery Bank?

It is mostly used to create the main entrance of the
house or to enlarge the bathroom.

Dormers for A-frame houses