Dh and i have been looking at kit homes as well, i am wondering what the costs are compared to a project builder, and who can build it for u?
does whoever build it for u give u a set price for completion or do they charge labour by the hour?
The benefit we can see is not having site costs, getting a bigger home for the $$$.
What are some other pro/cons?
i did a search but nothing came up under 'kit' ?
do you mean modular houses? try this:
http://www.andrewmaynard.com.au/vicurban01.html and
http://www.prebuilt.com.au/i'm interested to know more about this kind of house too.
No, kit homes come in pieces and someone has to build it, a carpenter i think, whereas modular homes come already built.
oh.. is it? Oops, sorry for my mistake..
The benefit we can see is not having site costs, getting a bigger home for the $$$.
What are some other pro/cons?
i did a search but nothing came up under 'kit' ?
This is not necessarily true. You will still have site costs - you just have to employ someone yourself to clear and cut the site as well as ensure all the levels are correct.
Most kit homes are still built on either a slab or piers - so this still has to be factored into the cost of the home. Some companies can include a steel framed flooring system but this still needs to be anchored into the ground.
Kit homes are ideal for someone who has the capability to build their own home or has family / friends in the building game. You order it, it is delivered like a giant lego set and away you go. But you still have to know what you are doing or alternatively pay a builder to build it for you.
Other cons - lending institutes will normally not lend you funds against the value of them. Unless you have equity in the land or other property a Bank will normally not touch them. This is because the components have to be paid for up front - Bank valuers only value on completion of each stage - not beforehand.
If you search on Kitome or Glenbrook (hoping that is the right house name) there is a thread here of someone building a kit home.
Thank u for that, i am getting my cousin who is a builder to look into kit homes further for us, keeping our options open.
Does a "kit home" refer to an off the shelf plan?
I've been given a quote for the steel frame based on our floor plans, and they when they gave us the quote they referred to it as a "kit frame". The quote was significantly cheaper than all other places so I am a bit nervous as to why it would be so much cheaper :S