Prefab kits and panelized construction promise to make that possible. I’m testing that promise against my own build in Livingston, Montana. Real quotes, real numbers, and a deep dive into whether it actually delivers.
Building a home involves an enormous scope of work. Every prefab and panel company takes on a different portion of that scope, from big-ticket items like shipping and labor to details like vapor barriers and service cavities. Assembled Home maps what each one actually includes for the quoted price.
Eleven manufacturers and builders, eleven different definitions of “what’s included,” split into two tiers. Tier 1 is based on my design: a 1,850 sqft two-story Scandinavian modern shoe box with a 500 sqft garage. Tier 2 is pre-designed stock kits of comparable size. It’s a start. More companies are in the queue, and the custom panel manufacturers have their own pre-designed units that warrant a tier of their own.
Real conversations with the people behind the panels: B.PUBLIC, Collective Carpentry, Timber Age, Backcountry Hut Co., and more. Past the sales call and into the actual process.
What each number actually covers: walls, roof, shipping, install, finishes. And what’s left for you. The devil is in the details.
Panel companies love to show you their assemblies. Kit companies, not so much. Larsen trusses, CLT, straw, steel-and-foam: the choice affects your mechanical system, your energy costs, and your build for the next hundred years.
Construction loans, OTC loans, DSCR financing, DTI ceilings, and the gap between what a project costs and what a bank will actually lend.
Design isn’t a straight line. It’s a cycle: each price reveals a tradeoff, each tradeoff reveals a priority. Value engineering means figuring out which ones you can live with, and being honest when the answer changes.
Knowing what to ask is half the job. The other half is knowing when the answer is missing. R-values, thermal bridging, air sealing, vapor management: the basics that separate a marketing line from a wall that actually performs.
New issues land on Substack. If you’ve been eyeing the sexy kit renders or dream about seeing your own design come to life with super-efficient panels, get on board.
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