| 1. Prefab homes | | | | home. By the time I met this couple they truly hated |
| If a builder ships all the boards to a job site and the | | | | each other. I got a rough idea of what they really |
| home is built board-by-board, it is normally called a | | | | wanted in a home and showed them a set of |
| "stick built home." If parts of the home are | | | | drawings I had on file. They looked at those |
| constructed in a factory, shipped to the job site on a | | | | drawings, threw away the plans they had worked on |
| tractor-trailer, and put it together like a big puzzle at | | | | for over a year, built this home and lived happily ever |
| the job site, it is normally called a "prefab home." | | | | after. |
| For a lot of people, if you say prefab they think | | | | As a builder I can go into some sections of Atlanta |
| "lesser quality," but as a general rule, a prefab home | | | | and I can see a home say, "That's the home I've |
| is one of the finest homes you can build and | | | | wanted all my life." I can look next door at a |
| construct, for several reasons. One of the main | | | | completely different style home and say, "Wait, |
| reasons is that the quality of material found in most | | | | there's the home I've wanted all my life." Even as a |
| prefab homes is far superior to the quality of material | | | | builder, I don't know what I want. I change with the |
| found in most stick built homes. In most cases, | | | | seasons. I understand why very wealthy people own |
| however, you can normally stick build a home | | | | three or four homes. |
| significantly cheaper than you can build a prefab | | | | Make your major decisions, get the master bedroom |
| home. | | | | the way you want it and the master bath with that |
| 2. Log, post-and-beam, and steel homes | | | | garden tub. Get the kitchen laid out just right and the |
| If you are going to build a log home, I cannot imagine | | | | den with that fireplace. Get the home built, sit down |
| you harvesting logs and starting from scratch. You | | | | in your easy chair and start enjoying that home! |
| would normally purchase a log package. | | | | While you're enjoying that home, design your next |
| If you want a post-and-beam design, some of the | | | | one. While you dilly-dally around trying to get |
| finest post-and-beam homes I've seen have been | | | | everything just perfect, you're being priced right out |
| with a package. | | | | of the housing market. |
| If you were going to build a home out of steel, like a | | | | I hate to tell you, but you cannot build a perfect |
| commercial building, then you would probably deal | | | | home and you cannot get everything you want in |
| with a package. I believe steel is where the building | | | | one home. That's like trying to have a Rolls Royce |
| industry will go in the future - "I love it." | | | | and a Ferrari in the same automobile. You just can't |
| Caution: Don't try to get everything you want in one | | | | do it. If you try to do it, it normally looks very tacky. |
| home. I had a couple come to me in the past ready | | | | So make your major decisions and get it built NOW! |
| for divorce court. They'd worked on a set of | | | | Do not wait! Do it now! |
| drawings for over a year trying to get the perfect | | | | |