You have 14 browser tabs open. Each one is for a different kit company, and each promises a beautiful barn-style home. By midnight you’ve built a spreadsheet, and by the next day you’ve given up on it. One kit is $95,000. Another is $160,000. A third says “starting at,” and then trails off into indecipherable fine print. Which one is the better deal? What about the best quality, or who can ship the fastest? And most importantly, which one is right for you?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not doing anything wrong! Prefab kits are hard to compare online, and knowing why will save you a lot of time and headache.
THE PRICE RARELY MEANS the same thing across different companies
A number on one site compared to another can represent two very different things. One company’s price might cover only the frame, while another’s might include siding, windows, doors, and engineered plans. Our own barn home kits have starting prices between $120,000 and $180,000, depending on the model, and those are base material package prices that can shift with market conditions, options, upgrades, floorplan changes, and more. Home kit pricing only helps you when you know what sits inside the number.
So before you compare anything else, asking what the price covers and what it leaves out is a great place to start.
MATERIALS SOUND ALIKE Until you look closer
“Solid wood” and “premium timber” show up on nearly every site; however, the differences hide in the details: species, grade, and how the pieces are prepared. Our lumber arrives to you pre-cut, pre-drilled, and individually labeled, with Douglas fir posts and beams at the heart of the frame. Every model also has a complete materials list on its kit page, and we’d encourage you to read it line by line. We also have a great overview of what’s included with every single one of our kits.
Ask every company you’re considering for the same documentation.
FLOOR PLANS CAN HIDE THEIR MATH depending on the company
Two plans can look nearly identical and still be built on different footprints. Does the square footage count the porch? The loft? The garage? Our kits are starting points that you can tailor with your designer, so a plan that resembles another one may still price out differently once you make it yours.
WHAT’S NOT IN THE BOX matters, too
Here’s something that may surprise you: our kits (or kits from other companies, for that matter) don’t include installation or general contracting services, and final roofing, insulation, drywall, paint, cabinetry, flooring, and finishes are separate as well (though our complete design/build services can help with that!)
Plumbing and electrical plans aren’t in the base package, though they can be added. That’s the reality of barn house construction with a kit: the package is your frame, and everything else has its own line items.
It also explains why searches get confusing. Results tend to lump together prefabricated homes, modular home kits, and framing packages, but they aren’t the same thing. Modular homes are built in factory sections. Our kits arrive as a precision-cut package that your builder assembles on site. A rushed online kit comparison can be a tough way to sort that out.
FIVE QUESTIONS TO ASK every company
You’re going to finally get somewhere when your write one list and send it to every company on your shortlist:
- What exactly is included in the starting price?
- And what’s not included?
- Are engineered plans part of the package?
- What does the warranty cover? (Ours is a 10-year limited warranty on materials, which begins after your final payment.)
- Who builds it? (If you don’t have a builder, our nationwide builder network can pair you with one.)
With these questions, those 14 tabs won’t be 14 mysteries anymore; instead, they’ll be 14 sets of answers.
COMPARE with confidence
Prices on this page are starting prices, not quotes, and your final numbers will depend on your model, options, location, and build.
If you’d like to see what’s in and out of our kits in plain terms, visit our What’s Included page, or request a quote here and we’ll walk through your barn home kits options together!
