Need help with pricing a kit home & alternates

[emorata]

Aloha Punatics....

Need your help/input - for anyone thats worked on a kit home and pricing. For this kit home with X Lumber company on slab the price is around 48K....a potential builder tells me that i can get the materials for a total build (not including labor) under that amount, they will source and i will buy. Has anyone actually sourced materials separately from whats quoted and purchased directly or is this a higher risk venture? I'm afraid this builder might have too much control over the project/oversight and go beyond our contractual budget or just say anything to save costs up front but not really have control over costs.

Thanks in advance for any advice in this arena.

[Bob Orts]

I've done pretty much the same thing. I looked at the kit prices; the cost of the material privately purchased; and even the cost of some material on the mainland shipped to BI. This is my personal take on the issue:

One of the main factors with buying the raw material yourself was the ability to go outside the box for something you need. You weren't stuck with what a particular kit packager offered for either standard or optional equipment. You also had the opportunity to buy in stages so if you change your mind on something, you simply purchased what you want and not necessarily what you ordered. The overall cost of the raw material was cheaper if you bought it yourself and not through a kit packager.

Now, I suspect that the time it's taken me so far just comparison shopping for material, would have been all the time spent with a kit home packager. And, I'm still doing research. So, I think it's come to the point where I need to stop trying to nickel and dime myself into a false sense of savings and admit that when the value of my time is added into the raw material cost, I've exceeded the package home price.

I also realize that if I maintain the control over the material, I probably will make changes. After all, if the material hasn't been actually ordered yet, I can change my mind and buy what I want. But, again, am I deluding myself? Make a change, prices are higher, the material isn't in stock, and delays of this leads to delays of that. Delays equals money, money equals cost. So did I save anything?

And finally, I just don't feel that in the grand scheme of things, the cost saving is worth the aggravation. When the time comes, I want that to be people like Catherine and Angela's headaches, not mine.

I do really enjoyed going to Argis, HPM, Home Depot and looking at the siding, cabinets, lights, fixtures, etc. But I don't have the time or understanding to start buying straps and hangers, hinges and underlayment, housewrap and cornerbeads. If my builder wants to purchase everything themselves, that's fine, add it to the cost of the bid but leave me out of the process, cause I will make a mess of it in the end.

[emorata]

aloha bob,

thanks for your response, would you mind if i gave you my email address to ask a few questions about your experience in this....i could not locate your email so here's mine below

noel@pdrnorthbay.com

thanks in advance, look forward to our discussion.

[jm minica]

One thing to keep in mind with package homes is that they are designed to minimize material, and labor cost. This is why most of them are lacking much character. When you start customizing a package design, you will almost always increase the cost both in material and labor, especially when you start adding more hips and valleys to the roof. I've been building a "modified" package home that was pieced out to different suppliers, and there have been alot of problems with design issues that were not picked up by all of the suppliers involved, especially the truss package.
Package homes generally do lack character, and I have yet to find a layout that I like, but they are ideal for those on a budget that want to avoid alot of potential issues. Just my 2 cents...
Aloha,
Mark

[Fishboy]

quote:

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One thing to keep in mind with package homes is that they are designed to minimize material, and labor cost. This is why most of them are lacking much character. When you start customizing a package design, you will almost always increase the cost both in material and labor, especially when you start adding more hips and valleys to the roof.

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Mark,
There's a really nice set of pictures at this address http://www.southpointhawaii.com/guest_images.htm of a modified HPM package home that was built in HOVE last year. Look in the upper left of that web page for the pictures of Charles, Hazel and Jason. They've moved there permanently and looking at their home really impresses me. They don't mention what was modified, but I think it was just moving some non-load-bearing walls around. I really like their curb appeal also, nice color choice.

Mahalo nui loa,
Brian and Mary
Lynnwood, WA\Discovery Harbour

[Kapohocat]

Y'all know what HPM stands for right? And I am not talking about Hawaii Planning Mill.

[Fishboy]

quote:

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Y'all know what HPM stands for right? And I am not talking about Hawaii Planning Mill.

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Hmmm, yeah, I've heard that one. But there've been a bunch of people in this forum who speak highly of HPM. Have you had a bad experience?

Mahalo nui loa,
Brian and Mary
Lynnwood, WA\Discovery Harbour

[jm minica]

I've heard that as well, but I have a good repore with the folks over there, they've always made good on any mistakes on the spot. I've had the least amount of problems with them compared to all of the other suppliers. The folks at Trojan are friendly and helpful as well, but their prices tend to be higher, and their selection smaller.
Aloha,
Mark

[emorata]

thanks everyone for your observations, its helpful for others that are looking at these types of considerations...i'm trying to balance the convenience of a kit home vs. time and money spent on sourcing everything individually. From a basic and convenience viewpoint, then personally i think a kit home is the way to go...the downsides are lack of personality and interesting floor plans and no real savings...one of the bummers i found in considering a kit home is that any minor changes to their plans completely requires news sets of plans to be drawn which negates their incentive for free plans...i don't consider their prices competitive, but as bob says alot of personal time/effort may outway the efforts unless a person is ready to make that effort or hire a 3rd party to ensure those objectives are met, which i'm currently considering as my alternate.

again thanks for everyones sinput.

[John S. Rabi]

I have built both a Trojan and an HPM home. It was a nightmare to deal with Trojan, while HPM was very professional. (Just my experience with them.)

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,RB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"