@calebarclay Congrats on the launch! From 1.0 to 2.0 what are some of the most interesting learnings you had about the modular home market? I love the interest-free rental concept. How does that work exactly?

Thanks Moe! Some interesting findings from 1.0: - GC shortage: Biggest challenge for projects is finding a general contractor - Online Home Buying: People don't buy in their browsers yet. It's a big purchase that needs more conversation. We've found that we need to offer an end-to-end concierge type service. - Prefab allowance: Cities & communities move slow here. Manufacturers face barriers in every municipality when building fully factory-built homes. There are some solutions but still lots of progress to make. On the interest-free loan concept, it’s called co-investing. It’s a pretty neat alternative. How it works is homeowners can leverage the value from their primary home to pay for the backyard home. If your home is worth $500k, you can pull out $87.5k (up to 17.5%). Similar to an investor, the lender shares in the gains AND loses of only the ADU addition. Here’s more on the topic: https://www.dwellito.com/financing

@calebarclay Hi Caleb— what does GC stand for?

@stevebenjamins Sorry about that - it's short for General Contractor.

@calebarclay Upvoted! Dwellito looks perfect! How about an interview about it at StartupRadius.com? Send me a message to paul_AT_startupradius.com if interested.

@hiramfromthechi Some companies will do everything for you: permits, site-prep, utility hookup, delivery, completed home. This is called a "Turn-Key" service. But most of the prefab companies will have you doing the site-work, trenching, utility hook ups, and sometimes foundation. We're working hard at getting a more formalized "what's included" on the site. Regarding windy city, modular homes are *often* built stronger than stick frame homes. This is because of several factors: built indoors, quality materials, steel framing. The foundation might need to be bigger for extreme winds. When you start your project, you'll get a site analysis to determine those factors.

@hiramfromthechi @will @mercy_ihecci That gave me a good chuckle...

@calebarclay Great, thanks for elaborating. I'm familiar with turnkey properties as well, but my mind got to thinking about the supply chain/logistics side of "Ok, bought the house. Now what?" A "What's included" section would be very helpful so we can see what aspects of the real estate development lifecycle we would need to pay attention to.

@lecoupa The Dubldom DD43 is on the site :) And there's more prefabs in the queue. We have to verify each company so we try to update weekly. Definitely didn't know about the Q-haus, thanks for sharing! If you have any others to add, send them over: https://bit.ly/30JfHiD

@richs can you DM me so I can see what you are seeing?

From the site "Shipping costs are calculator per mile (or km) based on the closest factory to the property that you are placing your modular home. If the closest factory is overseas, you can expect a large shipping cost (~$17,000 USD) due to specialized shipping. If your modular home is flat packed, it is significantly cheaper because it is shipped conventionally". So it feels no limitation, shipping costs add on to wherever.

@lifo_ed That's correct. We're looking at improving that flow to provide an estimate of how much each unit costs, shipped to your door. Panelized systems and kits of parts are an economical alternative for an oversea manufacturer. A fully assembled home requires special transportation so it's much higher.

Thank you so much @treggify

So glad you like it @gimartin!

Really appreciate it @ricardo_rodriguez5

@adridder Agreed, great timing as prefabs are making their way back.

@chadwhitaker A getaway cabin sounds so nice. Maybe even build a small prefab community ;)

@olsengrant Great work! I've been looking into calculators all week in fact. Having a calculator would be great on the site. Let's connect. I'd love to interview you about your process building an ADU.

Ahh thanks @tonigemayel! Excited for your next launch! 🚀

@ryanjsod Those are great suggestions. That's one of the limits in Webflow is multi-filters. I am hoping it comes out soon. On the pricing topic, we've explored a number of directions: using icons for services included, a percentage, an all-in estimate. The best solution so far is to have a price breakdown on the product's detail page. But as a site-wide article, that would be a great one.

Great to hear from you @willbuckley!

Thanks @ricolavender1 and great points. Prefabs are a promising alternative to conventional construction. Could be a giant industry if we can solve some of the core problems. Also, Casita 850 is calling your name :)