Panelized Home Package Pricing

Next to answering the question of what is a panelized or packaged home, the next most frequently asked question is 'how much does it cost?'  And how is the price generated?

Our new home in Angwin is progressing.  Our general contractor expects us to move in late June or early July.  We hope so.  I told you months ago that using Pacific Modern Homes to do the framing off site (Elk Grove, CA) saved us a substantial amount of money on the project.  The savings were so substantial, it allowed us to go forward with the project this year.  (G.S. Napa County)

As with everything else the pricing of a panelized kit is relative to the size and the complexity of the design.  The packages that we have sold have ranged from $10 a square foot for a simple garage to $40 a square foot for a complex home with a lot of windows and everything in between.  Our package pricing is done with a sophisticated program that measures the quantity and engineering of materials and then factors in the plans and the complexity of the design.

The simplest design is a rectangle with a straight gable roof.  After that our pricing program factors in such things as the number of corners,the number of stories, the number of roof trusses including shape and span (so a hip roof has many more truss types than a straight gable) and then individual elements such as a bay window.

Another element that is a given percentage which is factored into the program is the origin of the plans.  One of our standard pre-engineered plans is the least costly, followed by a modified standard plan then a custom plan drawn by PMHI and finally by a custom plan drawn by your own architect and engineer.  Although many custom plans are cleanly and thoroughly drawn, frequently they are not.  The factor applied is based on 40+ years of experience and they have factored in an average.

Finally one thing which we cannot do with this program is what we call 'boutique pricing'. With the standard plans we have assigned dollar amounts to some standard options such as 2 x 6 exterior wall, changing the exterior material or adding grids to the windows. And with other changes we can give you a rough estimate.  But the program does not itemize and the program is run once.  This is done as a benefit to all as doing a quote or a bid is a very time consuming job.  In order to provide 'boutique pricing' we would have to raise prices which would defeat the purpose of attempting to save money.

With this said we are happy to give you a very good estimate of your package price with the tax and delivery included even before the drawings are fully engineered.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Finding Land for a Panelized Home

Finding the correct lot or piece of land is one of the first and most exciting steps in the building process.  We recommend that you work with a real estate agent who is well versed in your local area, bare land sales and your local building department regulations.  It is also advisable for your agent to provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis of the home you are trying to build in your neighborhood.  Then the simple formula that is recommended to use is:

Land + Cost of Construction <  Resale Value of the House

The tricky part of this is the cost of construction.  We can help you with the costs of the actual construction of the house but there are many other costs associated with construction that your real estate agent should guide you through during your "inspection" or "due diligence" period.  These should minimally include:

• The cost of septic and well or sewer and water.  In some areas it is wise to ask if there is a water moratorium.
• The cost of electricity and any other services needed such as cable.
• Permit costs including school fees, low income housing fees, any other fees required by your building department.
• The cost of accessing the property which can include not only the drive but the type of material and any other special requirements such as perhaps a culvert or paving a steep section.
• Any special soil concerns and any anticipated circumstances with the foundation.  It is impossible to predict all contingencies such as hitting a large rock but the building department should be able to tell you if you are going to need a geologist's report.  Some phone calls to determine the cost of the report and any anticipated problems would be prudent.
• All departments of the building and planning departments should be queried as to any special requirements such as an unusual snow load, seismic zone, FEMA or coastal commission approval.  They should also be able to tell you if you are in any protected wetland areas or areas that might be affected by such things as Native American artifacts.
• Any architectural review or CC&Rs that can affect the development of the property.
• Any other issues with the property such as easements or other rights.

Although many of these items will not apply to most properties - on occasion one or more may be a very large expense.  We had one client who thought that the lot they were purchasing was an excellent deal until they learned that it was going to take a $100,000 bridge to access the property.  This is the additional kind of cost which is difficult to capture in the comparison to other similar houses.

If some extraordinary construction cost is discovered during the inspection phase it gives you as the buyer the opportunity to re-negotiate the price with the seller so that the formula works.

And please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Building on a Sloped Site

One of the most common questions asked is "Can I put one of your panelized homes on a sloped site?"

First, I must clarify that each of our home packages is designed and built custom to you and your site's needs.  For a sloped site we can either help you design a completely custom design or we can modify one of our standard pre-engineered packaged homes.

The custom home in West Sonoma County was designed with the help of North Coast Packaged Homes and was built to take advantage of the down sloped site and the incredible views to the south.  The large covered porch was designed to protect the great room from direct summer sun.

This Napa model was also built on a steep down slope lot.  The driveway gently sloped down to the garage so that the garage and the front of the house appear at grade.  The rear of the house is elevated allowing for a large storage area under one portion of the house and a raised deck facing the view.

This modified New Haven was built on an up slope site.  The slope was adjusted with the use of retaining walls incorporated into the landscape and by slightly dropping the garage.  Usually correctly orienting the home and the driveway is the first step allowing easy access for automobiles.

A more extreme example of a steep up slope lot was in Lake County.  In this modification the hillside was so steep we designed the garage to go underneath the house and made the garage in the plan into a large family/game room.

As you can see by these examples we can design the foundation to fit your site and we can always adapt the pre-cut home kits to fit on that foundation.

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Closed in and the Finishing Begins

Within two weeks all of the sheathing is complete and the rough plumbing is started.

Two more weeks and the roofing is complete and the house wrap applied.

And a month later the exterior siding is applied and the plumbing and electrical are complete.

Three and a half months after the delivery the house is complete and the furniture moved in.

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Assembly of the Framing Package

The owner of this modified Lakeport was a very hands on client.  A canine police officer, he was not only very involved in the design but worked on the project from beginning to end.  We completed the delivery of his package at 11 am on Friday morning.  He had family and friends to help him with the assembly of the package. One of his friends was a skilled framer which is recommended with the complexity of a hip roof.

I had the opportunity to go back on Sunday afternoon and I have to admit.............even I was amazed at how quickly the package was going together.

 

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Beginning the Foundation for your Framing Package

Once all of the drawings are prepared it is time to submit the drawings to your local building department.  Most clients choose to submit the drawings themselves.  The length of time each building department takes to review the plans varies.  Many departments are impacted and are not operating with a full staff.  If any redlines or corrections come back PMHI will correct the drawings they prepared at no charge to the client.

While the plans are in plan check it is a good time to get bids from subcontractors and the begin preparing the site for construction.

The first step is the foundation.  The framing packages can be placed on either a raised foundation or a slab.

Next the subfloor is framed, the rough plumbing is completed and it is insulated.

Once the subfloor is complete it is time for the package to arrive.  

This is the ideal situation but to be honest this only happens in a small majority of cases.  Unless the site is very tight storing the package on site for a few days or weeks is not a problem and we will provide you with proper storage instructions.  And the most common request we hear is "I just need to delay the delivery for a few days."  This is almost never possible as the trucks and trailers are continuously booked and a slight delay can turn into 6 weeks easily.  We will work very closely with you to insure that your delivery is scheduled correctly and goes smoothly.

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Building Department Requirements

The next major step in building your dream home with one of our panelized packages is obtaining the building permit.  Obtaining this permit is exactly the same as for any other custom built home.  There are no special requirements for submission to your local building department as our pre-cut homes are the same as a stick built home.

From the drafting department you will receive fully engineered plans wet stamped and ready to submit to your building department.  These plans will be drawn to include any local codes required including wind and seismic zones, snow loads or wildland fire codes.  You will receive:

• Complete design drawings including a basic electrical plan.
• Cover sheet
• Wet stamped structural drawings and details.
• Wet stamped structural calculations package.
• Wet stamped truss plan and truss calculations.

The base price of the standard pre-engineered plans will cover most of the costs for these drawings.  Slight drafting and engineering charges may be incurred for modifying the plans including for a sloped site or some local code changes such as for the wildland fire code changes.

Other requirements include:

• Site Plan - depending on the site complexity and the requirements of the local building department this can be drawn by the client, our drafting department or in some cases it will involve a surveyor for a topographical map and a civil engineer.
• Title 24/Build it Green - we have a company that works closely with PMHI or you may use a company of your choice but many of the requirements now need to be included on the site plan and/or building plans.  The basic cost for these designs start at
• Sprinkler Plan - this is now a state wide requirement and new plumbing companies in your area are meeting the requirements to provide this plan daily.

Other requirements that may be required by your local building department:

• Septic Design and Environmental Health Clearance - this obviously depends on the property.  This may require a soils report and design by a Civil Engineer.
• Geologist Report - this soils report is done by a licensed geologist and this report is used by the structural engineer to design the foundation.  Some jurisdictions always require a geologist's report, some never and in some cases it depends on each individual site and requires a site visit by the local building inspector to determine if it is required or not.
• Civil Engineer drawings such as a grading plan and/or drainage plan.
• Mechanical Plan
• Build It Green Checklist
• Landscape Plan
• Planning Department and/or Architectural Review

The good news on this last list is that many building departments do not require any of these documents and others only if it is a difficult sloped site.  It is important though that the individual requirements be determined early in the process.  For example, if the drawings are submitted and then a geologist's report is required this can trigger the re-design of the foundation and additional engineering fees.

Please contact us and we will be happy to help you determine what the requirements are for your local building department.

And remember that in addition to our standard pre-engineered plans - we can help you with construction documents for your own custom plan.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com