Client Recommendations

So many of my clients share the same goal in their construction projects - building a high quality, energy efficient, safe home economically. It is normally the research to achieve this goal that has them cross my path in the first place. And it is this quality that also has them finding new and/or innovative products that they use in the construction of their homes.

In order to share some of these products I am going to begin to put some of these referrals under "Useful Links." These products will be different than those referred to under "What's Included" which is specific products that are used in the manufacture of your framing package.

Needless to say I recommend that you do your own research on these products but the fact that one of my clients has already given a thumbs up hopefully gives your a head start!

www.brandguardvents.com

WUI approved flame and ember resistant vents - the only one with overlapping baffle protection.

With so many of my clients being in an area that the special Wildland Fire Codes applies to - this site was recommended as a high quality economical vent.

www.dowpowerhouse.com

Solar shingles - need I say more? Not inexpensive but an attractive alternative to getting off the grid.

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Universal Design

What is Universal Design?

Universal Design is the incorporation of structural and non-structural elements into a residence that are attractive and usable by all persons regardless of age, size and ability.  A home designed using these principles simplifies daily life for residents and guests as needs and physical abilities change.  Incorporating Universal Design features into a residence in the pre-construction stage adds little cost relative to the future cost of retrofitting a residence built with traditional design features.  Done well, Universal design becomes a virtually invisible element that benefits any person occupying or utilizing a residence.

Objective - Insure accessibility to the residence for any person including those with different physical abilities.

• Provide an accessible route of travel from the public sidewalk or street to the primary entrance in the form of a graded path, ramp or driveway to graded path.
• Provide at least one step free entrance into the home.
• Provide a 60' x 60' (5' diameter) clearance at the primary entrance to the home

Objective - Improve overall circulation and allow people, furniture and appliances to move with ease in and out of the home.

• Provide flush thresholds exterior maximum of 1/2 inch beveled, interior maximum 1/4 inch
• Provide 42" wide hallways with 32" clearance doorways on an accessible route

Objective - Reduce bending, straining and twisting when turning on lights, faucets or when reaching for items on shelves.

• Include variable height (28" - 42") work surfaces such as counter tops, sinks and/or cook tops in the kitchen
• 50% of all storage within the home should be less than 54' high
• Provide structural reinforcement within bathroom walls adjacent to toilet, shower and bathtub for future installation of grab bars
• Full bathroom on an accessible route including a minimum 60' x 60' turning area, walk in shower and a clear space for use of the sink
• Include adjustable (36" - 60") rods and shelves within closets
• Install lever style door handles and faucet handles and rocker panel light switches throughout the home
• Install electrical panel with top more than 54" above floor and include a minimum 30" x 48" clear floor space in front of panel
• Install light switches 42" - 48" above the floor, electrical outlets 18" - 24" above the floor and thermostats no more than 48" above the floor.

Objective - Create easy recognition of the junction of floor surfaces and walls to reduce the likelihood of injury.

• Include color contrasts between the following areas: floor surfaces and trims, stair treads and risers, and counter tops and front edges or cabinet faces
• Provide smooth, slip resistant flooring.  if carpeted use low density (less than 1/2 inch high pile) with a firm pad

Objective - Allow residents and visitors complete access to home when changing needs or physical abilities occur.

• Complete single floor living spaces.  Provide entry, kitchen, laundry area, full bath and flex room on primary level of home
• Flex room should be usable as family room, nursery, playroom, home office or bedroom depending on the needs of the residents
• Avoid steps between rooms or areas on the primary floor of the residence

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

The Difference Between Stick Built and Panelization

To your local building department or your lender, there is no difference between a panelized home and a conventional on site stick built home.


To you the owner, the differences are tremendous.

Higher Quality - Your custom framing package will be factory built with all of the wall panels constructed from dry lumber on a gig so that every corner is 90 degrees.  This  results in a better product than can be built on the ground on the site.

Cost Savings - Typically your framing package will be 10 to 25% less on site framing depending on the location and design.

Pre-Engineered Home Plans - We offer 36 home plans that can be modified to meet your site, needs and local building department requirements.  Fully engineered these drawings are ready to submit for your permit to California standards and the all code corrections are done at no additional charge.  With the current 100% rebate on these plans this can be a savings of many thousands of dollars.

 

Custom Drafting and Engineering - If one of the Pre-Engineered plans does not meet your needs we can assist you will custom drafting and engineering.  Completing hundreds of construction documents each year we not only offer engineering solutions that can save money but also a very high quality product.  It is not unusual for our drawings to go through plan check without a single redline correction.  And documents that our prepared by us receive an additional discount built into the package pricing.

Guaranteed Pricing - Depending on the size of the deposit given pricing can be guaranteed up to six months from the time of the contract to the date of delivery.  This is unparalleled in an industry where price increases occur on a regular basis and bids are only good for 30 days.

Speed of Construction - This photograph was taken 48 hours after the delivery of the framing package.  The framing of a typical home is done in days rather than months.

Guaranteed Materials - You are guaranteed the materials required to assemble your framing package are delivered to your site.  Years of experience insures that all of the materials are shipped with the wall panels and roof trusses to insure assembly.  This saves multiple trips to the store to purchase additional materials.

Local Representation - From advice on land purchase and choosing of the design through the delivery and assembly of your framing package we are there to assist you.  Rain or shine.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Very Busy Spring

Well spring is fully upon us and we have been very busy helping clients get new projects begun, drawn and through their local building departments.

The residence up in Angwin is almost done and I did have a chance to get up there about a month ago and here are some afternoon pictures (which are unfortunately a little dark!)

 

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

A True Story

True story - the client on this house saw one of our Craigslist ads and showed her Dad the website - and it turned out he had built his house decades before with a package from Pacific Modern Homes.  I had the chance to visit after the house was completed and Whitney gave me a disc with almost 200 photos and here are just a few!

Unloading wall panels at the building site 

Sub-framed next to garage started

Garage framing

Raising a pre-engineered wall panel

The window is protected during transport and panel installation

Pre-cut wall almost in place

A final adjustment of the wall panel

The interior framed walls 

The engineered roof trusses lifted by a crane (or can be done by a gradeall or by hand)

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

Guaranteed Packaged Home Pricing

Unlike a typical contractor we are in a position to offer a price guarantee for longer than the conventional 30 days due to our buying power and ability to store materials.

Once the quote is generated and the contract for the package is signed the price is guaranteed until the end of the month that the original contract is signed.  The price guarantee is then extended with deposit increases as follows:

15% Deposit                     2 months to deliver
30% Deposit                     3 months to deliver
45% Deposit                     4 months to deliver
70% Deposit                     5 months to deliver
100% Deposit                   6 months to deliver

The deposit must include the tax and freight and the delivery must occur within the proscribed time period.  If the delivery date is not extended the price is subject to being raised if the overall prices have increased.  For example, prices have not been raised in the last year but we are anticipating a slight increase in the next few months due to increases in prices from suppliers.  If a contract was signed today and a 100% deposit was made the contract would not change for 6 months if delivered within that time period.  If prices go up during that time period, the package price is guaranteed to not change.

This price guarantee is offered to all of our clients.

For more information go to www.northcoastpackagedhomes.com

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