Constructing a Kit House – The Five Phases of Home Developing Accomplishment

A enormous challenge awaits you. Maybe the largest adventure of your life. You are preparing to make your personal dwelling and you’ve selected a stick-built residence kit to do it. Congratulations!


I chose the word “adventure” due to the fact that’s what it’s going to be. A lot of twists and turns will dot your journey. You are in for a fantastic ride. Retain your eyes open and be ready for surprises and you are going to love it as the expertise that you constantly hoped home creating would be.

Stick-Built Kit Home Building – The Owner-Builder’s Decision

I like the kit household selection for heavily involved Owner Builders. Irrespective of whether you happen to be physically involved with private labor or limiting your self to significant hands-on management, kit (or packaged) houses supply a lot of added benefits.

So you know what to anticipate, I’ll outline the developing course of action for you.

Let’s break it down into phases. We’ll assume that you have already carried out the preparations to get to the point of creating your dwelling. What now?

PHASE One particular: Site Prep & Foundation Developing

Prior to your kit arrives, you have a lot of work to do. In this initial building phase, you will direct excavators, foundation contractors, plumbers, electricians and perhaps nicely drillers. Make the foundation to very exacting specifications so that the wall sections of your kit house fit completely.

Trenching for energy and sewer lines, or digging for septic tanks and leach lines, and coordination with foundation contractors are all achieved in this early phase.

PHASE TWO: Deliveries, Framing & Mechanical Rough-ins

Throughout phase one, you will have to schedule and coordinate the delivery of your kit household materials package. It’s greatest to take delivery in phase two. Otherwise, the materials will just be in the way and may well will need to be moved. You never want to have to do that.

You and your framing crew will first total the sub-floor technique. Sub-floor perform includes rough-in plumbing, heating-air, and electrical. Then it’s time to erect the home’s framing and roof rafters. Most kit household businesses provide panelized framing walls and roof trusses to make this process go somewhat speedily. You are going to enjoy the visual progress.

PHASE 3: Mechanicals & Finishing the Shell

Once the framing is inspected, your next job is to close in the house. This will involve installing windows and doors, a lot of plumbing and electrical perform, insulating and hanging drywall.

Exterior finish will contain the roof, siding and trim function. From the outdoors, your house will appear to be just about completed but inside you happen to be actually just starting. Losani Homes can now be “locked up” and protected.

PHASE 4: Interior Trim & Finish Perform

Phase 4 is exactly where you genuinely make it your residence. All the doors are hung, cabinets, vanities, countertops and appliances are installed, trim is mounted, tubs, sinks, toilets and tubs are placed. A great deal of the painting happens now.

You’ll seriously really feel like you happen to be generating progress in this phase but it will take time. Floor coverings like carpet, tile, linoleum, and wood will make it feel like residence but you ought to exercising patience. By no means try to move in through this phase … even if your bathroom and kitchen are functional.

PHASE 5: The “Punch Lists”

What is a “punch list”? Effectively, it is all the “little points” that require to be completed prior to the household is 100% full.

It’s time consuming points like the remaining bathroom mirror to hang, the trim and shelving in the closets, the second coat of paint, the shelving in the laundry and pantry, adding the missing doorknobs, replacing a faulty hose-bib, creating stoops and porches, staining trim, fixing leaks, fixing electrical boxes that are shorting out … the list can be lengthy.

My guidance is to full items on these lists ahead of you move in! You normally can get a Certificate of Occupancy ahead of these issues are completed but they will finish up not getting carried out and become a sore spot for you if you do not full them first.

Are You Ready?

Your kit dwelling package has saved you a lot of buying, organizing, selection-creating, and delivery complications. And it has streamlined and reduced the framing labor and charges. However the method of creating remains the exact same.

You ought to expect your home building project to take you 6 to 9 months. You will be directing targeted traffic, getting your hands dirty, solving complications, re-tracing actions, experiencing delays, and replacing workers from time to time.