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Show Notes: Learn the essentials and intricacies of kit home building as the podcast dispels myths and highlights the adaptability and customization possibilities of kit homes. Discover how to design homes that accommodate future growth and integrate aging-in-place features, while also selecting low-maintenance materials for long-term ease. The discussion emphasizes the importance of thorough planning and the comprehensive support offered by Landmark Home and Land Company, ensuring each home is tailored to meet individual needs and preferences. This episode provides a well-rounded understanding of how kit homes can be personalized to enhance lifestyle and maximize investment value.
Transcript:
Steve Tuma: It’s not always clear to people what a kit home is but what we do as our one stop shop is make it cheaper, easier, and more controlled for our customer to get their home.
Interviewer: Greetings everyone and welcome to episode 63 of the Panelized Prefab Kit Home Building Show. I’m here today, as usual, with Steve Tuma, the president and founder of Landmark Home and Land Company, a company which has been helping people build their new homes where they want, exactly as they want, nationwide and around the globe since 1993. Steve, how’s it going my friend?
Steve Tuma: It’s a great day. Great day to build a kit home, a panelized home, yeah.
Interviewer: Just looking at the numbers since 1993, that makes this your 31st year of being in existence. Congrats!
Steve Tuma: And still having fun and a lot of customers coming back building another home or retirement home or home for their kids. We’re still having fun. Yeah, keeping ahead of the wave.
Interviewer: I think for today we’re going to, I don’t know, sort of backtrack a little bit and go over a few of the things we may have missed or we may not have hit upon enough. That’s just the basics of kit home building and ownership. And you know, like I said, even though we might cover a couple of points here we’ve already talked about in this podcast, I think especially for some of our newer listeners it’s never a bad idea to offer a refresher course from time to time. But we’ll also be going over some things we haven’t talked about before now, which is always good. So if you’re good to go, Mr. Tuma, let’s chat about some of the basics of kit homes and the process of designing and building a kit home. Shall we do it?
Steve Tuma: Yeah, you know, this is an interesting concept because, you know, a lot of words are used or a couple words in this case that people understand it. But if you were to ask them what is a kit home, they may not know or what’s included in the kit. And what I’m finding is it’s not universal.
Interviewer: Yeah.
Steve Tuma: It’s not like saying hey, I’m going to go get a gallon of milk and it’s in this plastic jug and it’s a gallon and it comes from a cow and it’s been pasteurized, you know. So the concept of kit homes, panelized homes, owner builder homes, self build homes, manufactured homes, those are different. It needs clarity.
Interviewer: They’re confused by the terminology and the verbiage. But a lot of people, and I’ve talked about this podcast and panelized kit homes, they say is that like a mini house or is that a tiny home? And it’s like no, no, no. You have to kind of go into it a little bit and then they go oh, okay. And they start to realize, you know, exactly what it is that we’re talking about.
Steve Tuma: Exactly. And that I think we can add some clarity to what it is and how it works.
Interviewer: Let’s start with cost, shall we? Is it actually cheaper to build a kit home?
Steve Tuma: Well, this is what’s interesting about it. Like I just mentioned, it’s not always clear to people what a kit home is but what we do as our one stop shop is make it cheaper, easier, and more controlled for our customer to get their home. And I’ll tell you the reason why as a one stop shop we’re able to combine the architectural fees, the structural engineering, the energy codes, the site planning, and then get you the plan set for a building permits and then also supply the panelized home package that matches the approved plans. So that kind of A to Z help and those processes makes it way more affordable for people to get involved with the design. And it’s not just is it cheaper. It’s also a situation where it takes less of their time. They don’t have to talk to 10 people and hope they all get the job done right.
Interviewer: That’s nice.
Steve Tuma: Yeah, so they work with us. We work through the plans, make sure everything works. If they have questions, we can answer in a kind of a holistic over the whole project instead of one certain discipline. So it’s been shown that our panelized home systems are very affordable for people whether they’re building a less expensive home or a very complex home. And a lot of it is it gives the customers the chance to be involved with their own home, do some of the work themselves, understand the quality, know what’s going into the home, touch the home themselves or hire someone to do it and still kind of have control of it. So they’re able to go through and cut the general contractor fees out of it. And that’s basically the element. And also go through and get the home that they want. You know, they can pick the cabinets, they can pick the windows that they want, the flooring, the siding, the roofing. So the understanding of the house and by them being the general contractor they don’t have to pay for it. And if they choose to do some home and some of the work themselves there’s a savings. But also I believe in the process of us bundling the package together, getting it taken care of, we have kind of a streamlined process where us as one unit are taking care of the complete design, engineering, energy codes compared to hiring different people and hoping they communicate and hoping everything comes out uniform. So I think it’ll help them in the overall budget, the scheduling, and stress control.
Interviewer: Yeah, that’s important.
Steve Tuma: Yeah, just make it easier and more enjoyable.
Interviewer: Yeah, you know since we’re talking about the basics of all basics here’s one. Are there any restrictions to where you can build a kit home? Are you pretty much free to build them anywhere in the United States?
Steve Tuma: Now our kit home which is basically we do the plans and then supply a panelized stick built framing system we’ve never run into a place anywhere in the country in 31 years where it’s been restricted where we haven’t been able to. There are other systems, modulars, HUD homes, that they’ll try to keep them out either just by directly saying it or talking about certain delivery or certain manufacturing or certain design elements. But no, we’ve never seen it. And it’s also a situation it’s not just where you can and can’t build. It’s the financing. You get into some of these HUD homes or modular homes the financing is different. And then a lot of places when you sell it you have to disclose it and it doesn’t always carry through the appreciation that our panelized homes and our kit will do which is more like a conventional custom stick built home. So no, we haven’t run into a situation where we haven’t been able to help a customer where they want to build. And we’ve worked all over the country, worked through historic districts, worked through homeowner association requirements, worked through banking guidelines, worked through zoning, working through just building department situations. So it’s worked and we’ve done some amazing projects, worked with great customers to build some amazing homes. So the concept of the kit home being restrictive it’s actually an enhancement to people. And I think that’s because people don’t always understand the word kit home in itself is kind of generic.
It’s not specified. There might be other people that do similar types of processes. None of them are like Landmark. But what’s involved in their kit may be different where we take care of the design and sending the panelized home package to an owner builder or contractor for the custom home that they want.
Interviewer: Well, you hit upon something about you have to disclose what the house is. And so people might be concerned whether or not a kit home would retain its value, especially in the resale market if for some reason they want to sell their house later on.
Steve Tuma: They’re classified just like a custom stick-built home. It is a stick-built panelized home. The process is the same. And if you put what someone might see as a conventional stick-built next to our panelized stick-built, most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They might say, hey, yours is beefier. The beams are stronger. We engineered it. We added a lot of structural components that someone else may not have. But there is a significant difference. And when you talk about the financing, I believe it has to be disclosed if a home is a modular or a HUD home. And there are some banks that won’t finance those, or you pay more. So the perception of lower cost doesn’t end up working out in the long run. So with the Landmark’s kit home process, the plans and the kit home, I think we supply the best of what’s there. We don’t supply windows and doors and cabinets because those are personal items where people might want different colors, different textures, different materials, different parts of the country. There’s just things that are better use. So we basically take care of the skeleton which, once the home is built, you can’t see. And then the customer can design and personalize the home to be exactly the way it is, the way they want it, the colors, the look, the feel, the ambience of the home.
Way back in the late 90s we used to supply the complete package, windows, siding. And what we found is our customer base really enjoys the process of figuring out which siding is better for them, figuring out, you know, do they want stone on a house? Do they want brick? You know, do they want to put stone on the foundation? Do they want a crawl space? Do they want hardwood floors? Or hey, maybe they have to do this now for the budget but in the future they will do it. And they really enjoy it. And it’s kind of getting more for the house. If you’re going to spend the money, you may as well choose the types of windows. If you want more expensive windows for a reason, put them there. If you’re not concerned, you still want an energy efficient window but you can do a window that’s less expensive and works in your budget. And that’s the situation that comes through is it allows customers to on their own specify the quality of the home and the finishes that they want. And that’s the real key thing to it is get the house that you want instead of a house that someone’s giving you because of, you know, some perceived benefit when in the long run it really isn’t a benefit. We don’t believe it’s a benefit in the long run. Our customers want to know that they’re spending the money for certain things or getting the house they want. And you know the type of siding is important. The type of metal roof that they choose or the asphalt roof is important to them. The type of garage door, the type of garage door opener, it’s very important. And you know what? It’s not really a burden to them. They enjoy it. They enjoy going through the kitchen design, envisioning how the family’s going to work.
Interviewer: It’s half the fun.
Steve Tuma: Yeah. And that’s the cool thing about it. And it’s a benefit to me when someone’s building a house, whether it’s a more affordably priced house or it’s a very expensive intricate house, that the people get a choice in what it is. And that’s why people are owner builders and that’s why they work with us at Landmark to build the home themselves, be their own general contractor. And by use of our kit, it just streamlines it for them. It’s just easier and I believe more enjoyable.
Interviewer: Yeah. Well here’s one of those things I was talking about which is, you know, things that we’ve gone over a little bit in the past and we may go over again. But I think it’s important, especially in this episode, that we talk about the difference. Everyone talks about modular homes. Let’s talk about the difference between kit homes and modulars. I mean kit homes are not modular homes.
Steve Tuma: They definitely aren’t modular and they definitely aren’t the HUD homes. The HUD homes being the ones with the metal frame underneath them. They’re not different. And I think where that comes through is the generic terms. People say hey, kit homes, prefab. They say it but if you were to ask them what is a prefab, they probably couldn’t really come out with a concise definition. So it’s just kind of used so that’s where we help them. And what’s interesting about it is someone could go through and have a prefab HUD home, a prefabricated modular, but you could also have a custom stick-built home with a prefabricated roof truss. So in a sense, the word prefab is so generic it’s kind of like saying hey, I want dinner compared to hey, I want chicken and macaroni and cheese with a little jalapeno in there. You know, that type of thing. So that I think what we’re trying to clarify is that our kit homes are basically the complete planning service, architectural design, structural engineering, energy codes, site plans, whatever details they may need for permitting. And then we supply a panelized package that matches. Modulars, you can’t change. I mean they might even have options of switching to master suite or better, but you can’t really go in there and say hey, I want to do my custom design. You can’t go through and do big, big changes because just the way they’re made, the production line may not allow for it. So that’s why there needs to be a distinction on what kit homes are. Our kit home is more of the process where we get some of the hardest parts, the design, the engineering, and the structure. So then the customer can finish out the home that they want. I believe it provides a better bang for the buck just in the pride of ownership knowing what you’re spending the money on and also getting the custom home that you want. And when I say custom, it doesn’t mean it costs more. The features cost more. If you have a 20-foot ceiling, it’s going to cost more than an eight-foot ceiling. But because it’s custom, we don’t charge more. It’s what we do every day. We’ve been doing this 31 years, and I think about 22 or 24 years ago someone actually did a house plan without changes. Everyone changes whether it’s dictated by the land, their choice, the way they live. Hey, I want a five-car garage. I need an airplane hanger in my house. I need a greenhouse. I need a craft room. I need a game room, whatever it may be. Home theaters are coming in.
So we’re able to get the people a house they want. That’s the cool part. And that’s why Landmark’s kit homes I think are a better fit and a better size for someone that really wants to be involved and spend their money wisely and get the house they want.
Interviewer: We talk about kit homes as though it’s almost like an inflatable home, but it’s really an intricate process what Landmark does. What all is included in a kit home?
Steve Tuma: Well, in ours I’ll start with customer service and a helpful attitude.
Interviewer: And I should have started there. What’s included in a Landmark Home and Land Company kit home?
Steve Tuma: That’s what I’m trying to differentiate because I don’t want people to think that everyone’s a gallon of milk and everything’s the same or a pound of sugar. It definitely isn’t that. So what we do is we have a caring attitude. We care about your project. We founded the company. All of us are still here. We work with every single customer personally and individually to find out exactly what they want in a home. So that’s the key thing. I’m also going to end with that because what’s interesting is customers hear that upfront but until they’re in the process, they don’t realize it’s real. It’s not just a claim. In today’s world everyone, you know, there’s companies out here with awards from who knows where, an award for this, an award for this. And then you call for customer service and you get a generic email back four days. That’s not customer service. That’s someone brushing you off. So that’s, you know, I will work with every customer to make sure everything’s taken care of. We will understand their project and help them through it.
But as far as the other parts like we’ve mentioned, architectural designs, changes for whatever they need in their home, make the bedroom bigger, add windows, make the porch bigger, make the garage bigger, make it a steeper pitch roof, make it a flat roof. Whatever it is that you want, the structural design, the energy calculations if they needed a site plan, green codes, different energy codes for different parts of the country, sometimes details for historic review or homeowners associations. And then we get the plan set so that a customer could submit to the building department. Now that’s the key. A lot of people think oh I submitted to the building department, I get a permit. A lot of places that’s true. A lot of places it’s just normal to get a checklist. Just the way they are. They’ll come back with a checklist. So we’ll work with the customer through the checklist items to get all the questions answered so that then we could submit it up until they get a permit. Generally, it’s first time through, sometimes second. Occasionally on very extreme projects or in some building departments around the country where they just like going around three times because of just the way their process is. But most it’s first and second time through. So it’s that customer service and helpful attitude and knowledge base to get through that process. Then once permits are approved, it’s the actual panelized framing system, the quote kit, which is in our case it’s the rough wood framing, floor systems, panelized walls, two by six walls, 16 on center with the sheathing applied, rough openings installed, interior panelized walls. If it’s a second story home, a second floor floor system which can be dimensional wood like two by tens, two by twelves, I-joists or open web trusses and then roof systems which some are stick built roofs depending on the designs, cathedral ceilings. A lot of times, most times it’s also roof trusses. Then we supply the roof sheathing, sub fascia and any metal, any of the connectors that our designers dictate that are wood to wood connectors. So that’s the key thing. Basically, the wood structure is what we supply. And again, it’s the customer service. It’s the answering the phone. It’s if you need help, we are there. I got a call last night at 9:30. A family wanted to talk about something in their fireplace. They didn’t quite understand. They went to the store and I was still working. I talked to them. We got them taken care of. They’re excited now that now they’re getting into it. So it’s the customer service and not just in a generic answer. It’s in a tailored answer to your specific question about your project. And that I think is the key thing because you know all of us can, you know, go, you know, pick some certain situation going to a doctor and the doctor could say hey you should lose weight. Who’s ever heard that? Like almost everyone. But how many doctors have said let me help you through it to explain how you do it and then follow through to help you along the process to achieve the goal. Well, we’re that group of people that help you through the process. We’re not just here giving you quick little answers that are kind of senseless. We’re here giving you answers for what you need so that you understand what’s going on. So it just makes it more enjoyable.
Steve Tuma: A lot of people work with us to build their home just because it’s a dream. They want to do it. They’ve seen a show when they were a kid. They said I want to build my own home, whatever it is. It’s just like a personal life goal. Other people do it for the money savings. Other people do it to control the quality so that they can see it themselves. They’ve heard stories and they want to know it’s done right. They want to know why a window is picked and they want to pick the window. You know, they want to pick the cabinets. They want to know why a tankless hot water heater might be better. What types of fuels might be better for them? What types of fuels are available? And then how does it apply to their house on their land under their building department’s requirements? And I think that that’s where it is. So that’s one of the things that I say is if you someone were to have a discussion with our customers they didn’t even think about, hey the support and stuff because people aren’t used to it. They’re not used to help at the end. A lot of them will say Steve it’s the help that mattered. The kit home is great. It went together well, but it’s the help and the guidance and the navigating things that people find. They understand why we spend so much time doing our custom home plans for our kit homes because they then see that a well-designed home with the right details makes it easier to budget, stand schedule, avoid issues on site and those moments. And that’s really what it’s about. So in our case, the kit home is the product they’re buying. It’s the service around it that I think is what they really, really like. And in the long run, when they’re sitting back at their house, sending me that text saying Steve thanks for the help and then you get a picture of the house, the family with their dog up there, the new puppy they got or moving in for the first holiday season or their first big summer party. It’s kind of an amazing field to see that it’s really the guidance and help and support that we supply. That people are there along with a top-notch very well-built panelized home package.
Interviewer: The one-stop shop man.
Steve Tuma: Right, right. It is. It’s kind of one of these things, the one-stop shop but also with knowledgeable people that care and have been doing it for a long time. Right.
Interviewer: Yeah, you know we just hit a little earlier on preconceived notions of exactly what a kit home is, but I think a lot of people probably think, oh, it’s probably just a box, four walls, and it, you know. But you had mentioned on an earlier podcast, maybe it was the last podcast, about a Victorian home you’re doing. And then I go on the website and I’ve seen like Southwest Adobe looking ranch houses. And there’s…
Steve Tuma: Oh yeah, Mid-century moderns.
Interviewer: Yeah. So that’s gotta be the fun part, is to get a customer on the phone and they look at the designs and go, holy moly, there’s a lot of stuff we could do here. And I just, I imagine that’s gotta be the fun part, is when you really are able to walk somebody through exactly what a kit home is.
Steve Tuma: Right. Well, that’s also the custom, the customization and a custom kit home plan set. So people might see this and, you know, there’s a lot of people doing these modern designs, kind of boxy homes with single pitch roofs, taller ceilings on one side, and they look at it and they’ll be like, oh yeah, but I want this but I got to do this. And I want this. And then I got a view here and how do we put a garage on it or, hey, I’m building it on a flat piece of land, you know, say in the desert areas or, hey, they’re building it on the side of a hill and there’s a particular view they want to take care of. Or a lot of our younger customers, hey our family’s two people now, a couple of years it’s going to be four. How do we design this so that we don’t have to put an addition on in the future? What do we do to make it kind of a, kind of grow with us type house? Also, aging in place, kind of a new little buzzword which has shown up where people are like, hey what, well it’s kind of interesting because with our customization capabilities for our panelized home plans we can put details in there. So it’s easier for people to navigate their home as they age. Little things like grab bars in the bathrooms, hallways that are the right width that are easier for people to go to, easier for people to go from the house into the garage, easier for people to go from outside to the inside. There’s a lot of different details and sometimes it’s a design element. I also say it’s a maintenance-free part of it. Getting the right types of materials, getting the right, you know, the right roof system, the right siding. So that if someone lives in their home and they’re 90, they’re not out there every year painting the house. So we can really work through.
And what’s interesting about our customer base is we have a lot of people that are professional builders. We have a lot of people that want to build to flip or sell. I don’t like the word flip, but they’re building to sell a quality home to their customer and they have a business, but there’s a lot of people that are looking at these homes as I’m going to live in this for 10 years, 20 years, my forever home. And we’ll take the time to go through and make sure the details that are necessary are there. And what’s interesting about this is a lot of people say, Steve, we’re only going to do two sets of changes, three sets of changes. I said, hey, we’re here to help. If you need a little more just to tweak it, let’s do it now. Well, it’s on paper actually a PDF, you know, make sure that it’s put together. Cause if you’re going to live in a house five, 10, 20 years, you know, let’s put the right design so that you’re able to live in it and enjoy it and not have to have the expense of changing it later or rebuilding parts. You won’t have to rebuild our framing system, but sometimes people want to, they’re like, hey wait a second, I should have had a three-car garage or hey, I should do this or I should put an exercise room in or, or hey, you know, telecommuting is inevitable, people working at home, let’s do a convertible room, a home office type setup. So that’s where we can take the time. The key to this is taking the time upfront to know our customers, understand our customers, and see what it is that they need. Every customer needs a different level of help. Some people are very skilled. A lot of people have never built a home, so we’re able to guide them through and give them the details and the plans, the panelized package to control their project, understand it, understand the budget, understand the schedule, and understand why certain things are done in their home. It’s kind of cool. It’s kind of like a life step for a lot of people. We’re right now currently working on a lot of houses. We’re in one case, the man said he had a vision when he was 15 that he needed 300 acres and a big Chalet style home. Well, he’s retired, he found 330 acres undisturbed with a couple of little paths and he’s putting his house up and we’re detailing everything out which we’ll do. Hey, if someone wants to do a simple little house in the city, it’s just as worthy to go through and take the time to make sure that it’s put together, whether it’s a basic, you know, 500 square foot ADU or it’s a five or 10,000 square foot mega mansion and, you know, the super high rent districts, we believe it’s important to take care of because, you know, each person’s home is their castle. And that’s the cool thing about it. Our job’s done when someone sends a picture when the house is done or even five and 10 years later saying, Steve, check this out, we had a kid, or hey, we got a new dog, or hey the parents moved in, or hey, I finally got my hot rod and I’m building it in my garage, or hey, look at it, the family’s baking dinner, making dinner, whatever it may be. So it’s pretty interesting to see this in the relationships we’re able to develop with people and help them out. So that’s the key. You know, we have great quality product, we have a great set of plans, but caring, getting it done, and actually being proactive and making things happen and pushing things along at the speed that the customer needs so that it’s the best home possible at the budget they want, schedule they want, and then with a big enjoyment factor.
Interviewer: Well, this has been one of the most fun episodes we’ve done in a while. Just to go back sometimes and just talk about the basics is always good. And I really enjoyed this. So we’re going to wrap it up for today, but before I let you go, Steve, as always, please let our listeners know how to find out more about Landmark Home and Land Company and how to get ahold of you guys over there.
Steve Tuma: Well, they can find us on our panelized home kits at LHL C dot com. Kind of the initials of Landmark Home Land Company, LHL C dot com. And on our website we’ve got videos, we have these podcasts, we have thousands of designs, we have general discussions on how we can help, what’s included in the kit. People can email us from the website, they can find a plan they like, send us an email, or they can give a call. The phone will be answered by Mike at 800-830-9788. Again, that’s 800-830-9788. And they can talk to Mike about the processes. And then once they get to the point of wanting to start, I’ll get involved and I’ll work directly with the customer on every single detail to make sure they’re taken care of properly, building department concerns are taken care of, and they get the right panelized home package. So it’s pretty cool. Yeah, hey, if someone wants to call just to talk to me about their project or they’re running into a particular challenge or something that’s just weird, or they’re like, hey, how do we navigate this? Chances are we’ve seen it more than once. My direct cell phone is 708-205-2043. And you know, we’ll do everything we can to help a customer or future customer. It’s all part of what we do.
Interviewer: This really is your passion, isn’t it?
Steve Tuma: It’s a great time. I mean, you look at it and you look at how a new home helps a family. It’s an environment. It’s the way you live. If you like where you live, if you designed it, you know it’s a well-built home, your money’s being spent right. There’s just a pride, there’s an enjoyment. It makes the birthdays better, the holidays better, you know, and that’s the cool thing. Makes the energy bills better too, you know, just the pride. And then when you sell it, you’ve got a quality home and you know it’s a quality home. But while you’re living there, it’s the home that you want. It’s not a home that someone said there it is, take it or leave it. It’s a home that you want. And they’ll find once they look at this that I believe the dollars are very, very competitive and advantageous for the owner builders.
Interviewer: Well, another great episode with Landmark Home and Land Company President Steve Tuma. And I want to thank all of you for taking the time to listen in to the Panelized Prefab Kit Home Building Show. And we hope we’ve been able to enlighten you a bit more today and to, you know, just feel more confident about becoming a kit home owner builder. It’s important that you go into something as big as building your next home and have all the information and the emotional and mental ammunition you can use. And so I hope this podcast does provide some of that. So for Steve Tuma and myself, have a great week ahead and we will see you next time.
Steve Tuma: Thanks, have a great day!
