Building a house from a kit home is currently still a novel idea and many of you are wondering what the experience is like. We want to share some sneak peeks into the process of building with a home kit, along with the benefits that come with it.
What is a kit home?
First of all, a kit home is a package of house building materials that are pre-cut or premade in the factory.
The kit usually includes all the essential components of the build, like the structure or the shell. In most cases, roof covering and fixing materials are also part of the package. Details such as bathroom fixtures, tiling, and wiring are often not included in the kit, although the inventory varies between providers.
Usually, the total price for the kit home does not include shipping and assembly but some providers also offer it for an extra charge.
The benefits of a kit home
1. LESS CUMBERSOME MATERIALS PREPARATION ON SITE
The main benefit of kit homes is that they are factory-made so you spend less time preparing stuff on building site.
The parts will be ready for installation once the package arrives.
This frees up your time to focus on other items you also need to work on, like getting building permission, groundworks, and grid connections.
One of the crucial steps that should not be missed is putting the proper foundation in place. The foundation has to be prepared as scheduled. If the kit arrives on the building site before it is ready, everything will just lay on the site with no use. There’s a high risk of possible damage from exposure to the weather and the outdoors.
For kit homes, you want to have your prep work done properly and on time.
2. CUT DOWN ON UNNECESSARY MATERIAL COSTS
Kit homes are a really good way to save money since you don’t pay for any excess materials.
Often when the houses are built on-site the materials are bought with some reserve. You pay for all of them but leftovers are taken away or left on site. why pay for something that you are not going to actually use in the building?
In kit homes, there is the exact amount of materials needed to build the house. That way you don’t buy something you are not going to use.
3. SAVE FUNDS WITH MORE EFFICIENT PROCUREMENT
Most materials for the building come with the package, so you don’t forget buying things.
One big extra cost in building a home is usually inefficiency. Inefficiency is when resources are not maximized and there is so much waste from the activity. In home construction, it usually stems from simple things like you forgot to buy something, or you bought some materials but they were not enough, so you had to reorder to get some extras.
All these going back and forth, ordering materials again and again, will cost you a considerable amount of time and money. You will end up with a house that is more expensive and time-consuming that it should have been.
4. BUILD PROFESSIONAL-GRADE HOME FAST AND IN ANY SEASON
Kit homes are usually made in a factory environment using precision machinery. You cannot achieve the same precision on a building site.
When the parts arrive on location, the structure goes up really fast. You can close the building in days.
Since there is minimal work to be done, home kits can also be built offseason, even when there’s rain or snow.
Also, one great benefit of kit homes is you need less experienced labor. Kit homes are in essence like Ikea houses.
It is just like an Ikea bed. When you buy one from the store, you are not actually getting a bed. You get a boxful of details. when you assemble those details, then add the necessary components like the mattress, the lining, sheets, and pillows, then you actually have a bed. Same is with a kit home.
5. STREAMLINED BUILDING PROCESS FOR MORE RELIABLE END-RESULT
If you are buying a kit home, you are buying a proven and tested process.
If you are buying a site-built home, the process is only as good as the builder’s crew is. If they do things in the right order, then everything is great. If they are not so good, the result is not so good.
If you buy a kit home, this process is already worked out for you and for your builder.
You only need to follow the steps to come up with the expected results. Most of the difficult tasks have already been taken care of.
Take the first step
As a conclusion, kit homes are a really great alternative for site-built homes.
They offer the possibility to save both in time and money than the traditional builds. You also get optimized architecture and structure for your house without the need to hire so many professionals.
Ordering a kit is just one step in the process. You need to prepare well before ordering one and also be ready for the steps after you receive the shipment.
Do remember that in house kits not all materials are included in the delivery package. So you have some homework to do to figure out exactly what you will receive and what you have to procure extra.
Do your planning seriously and you will surely succeed.