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All the companies doing this seem to be small/unsuccessful/brand new. Maybe there's some fundamental problem with the business or maybe no one has nailed it yet

All the companies doing this seem to be small/unsuccessful/brand new. Maybe there's some fundamental problem with the business or maybe no one has nailed it yet?

stcredzero 7y ago
What if an Amazon company started putting together such kits? Perhaps there would be a way this could be done for small margins, sort of as a no-loss-leader to generate more Amazon customers?
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sjg007 7y ago
Hard to sell and get a mortgage on a homeowner built house. It’s doable with licensed subcontractors in some places. It would take a lot of political lobbying to get something like that approved and standardized.
sburl 7y ago
A couple of people actually do sell kits on Amazon for ~$10-50k (https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-275-119-Sq-Ft-Tiny/dp/B07SPTW3PF/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=tiny+house&qid=1563517430&s=gateway&sr=8-18 https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-275-119-Sq-Ft-Tiny/dp/B07SPTW...) I can't speak to other kits -- some of the shipping container ones actually seem like they might work for some people (https://simpleterra.com/ https://simpleterra.com/) but we looked into working with Amazon kits and it's really tough. The two main issues are on-site work and bringing the kit up to a livable standard. On-site work is expensive -- think $50-80k depending on the site to secure a building permit, level the ground, and pour a foundation. There are some new types of low impact foundations (closer to $15k + $20-30k for permits) we've seen and are exploring but I don't know we could do that with a kit. The main issue is with turning the kit into something livable. Kits are usually difficult (and loud) to assemble, the wood needs to be finished so it doesn't rot, they usually aren't designed to accommodate plumbing, gas, and electrical lines, and unless you want to spend hundreds of hours of your own time to learn those skills, you'll need to manage and hire 5-10 professionals which quickly eliminates the initial cost savings.

All the companies doing this seem to be small/unsuccessful/brand new. Maybe there's some fundamental problem with the business or maybe no one has nailed it yet?

stcredzero 7y ago

What if an Amazon company started putting together such kits? Perhaps there would be a way this could be done for small margins, sort of as a no-loss-leader to generate more Amazon customers?

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

sjg007 7y ago

Hard to sell and get a mortgage on a homeowner built house. It’s doable with licensed subcontractors in some places. It would take a lot of political lobbying to get something like that approved and standardized.

sburl 7y ago

A couple of people actually do sell kits on Amazon for ~$10-50k (https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-275-119-Sq-Ft-Tiny/dp/B07SPTW3PF/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=tiny+house&qid=1563517430&s=gateway&sr=8-18 https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-275-119-Sq-Ft-Tiny/dp/B07SPTW...) I can't speak to other kits -- some of the shipping container ones actually seem like they might work for some people (https://simpleterra.com/ https://simpleterra.com/) but we looked into working with Amazon kits and it's really tough. The two main issues are on-site work and bringing the kit up to a livable standard. On-site work is expensive -- think $50-80k depending on the site to secure a building permit, level the ground, and pour a foundation. There are some new types of low impact foundations (closer to $15k + $20-30k for permits) we've seen and are exploring but I don't know we could do that with a kit. The main issue is with turning the kit into something livable. Kits are usually difficult (and loud) to assemble, the wood needs to be finished so it doesn't rot, they usually aren't designed to accommodate plumbing, gas, and electrical lines, and unless you want to spend hundreds of hours of your own time to learn those skills, you'll need to manage and hire 5-10 professionals which quickly eliminates the initial cost savings.