Pacific Modern Homes, Inc.

Looking at building your own home? Keeping track of design, finance, permits, trades and contractors, inspections, and other information can be an intimidating task. Check out our latest blog post for tips on Getting (and Staying) Organized!

The Top 3 Tips for Building Your Kit Home, Part 1: Set a Realistic Budget As we rapidly approach the end of the 2020 building season, we wanted to give a jump-start to those who are looking to start the process in order to build in 2021. This is the first of three posts addressing the issues of Setting a Realistic Budget, Getting (and Staying) Organized, and Planning for the Future. This post will focus on the foundational aspect of setting a realistic budget. If you go into ...Continue reading

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck worked at PMHI? Let’s face it - you and our friend the woodchuck (a.k.a. groundhog) have a lot in common right now. For one, you both are interested in building your own home. Unfortunately for the woodchuck, PMHI isn’t in the burrow excavation business. But the more important common interest is wood. Our friend the woodchuck may not be that discerning when deciding what is chuck-worthy and what is not. At PMHI, however, we... are very concerned about what we use to build your burrow. That’s why we use only the finest, #2 or better, kiln-dried Douglas Fir, sourced from Southwest Oregon, for our framing material. This means you can be confident that what was assembled straight and true will stay straight and true. It also means that when, like our rodent friend, you poke your head out of your home on Feb. 2, you can be assured that the windows and doors will open and close just like they did when they were installed. I’m sure Phil wishes he had Milgard Tuscany vinyl widows framed with kiln-dried lumber to look through instead of having to brave the cold in Punxsatawney... Since lumber plays a huge part in the building of your house, we also like to keep an eye on the prices (Phil isn’t the only one making predictions). Although our costs have not gone up in July, we are expecting to see some substantial increases in lumber prices in the coming months. While we can neither confirm nor deny that this is due to increased marmot activity, these costs are anticipated to affect the prices of our kits in the near future. In the long run, this means that you are likely to pay more for your house, particularly when it comes to lumber components. But don’t chuck your plans quite yet; there’s still some good news. If you are interested in moving forward with your project but are worried about the rising prices, PMHI will guarantee the current price based on a package deposit. The length of the guarantee depends on the amount of the deposit, but rest assured it will be better than six weeks. Contact your local PMHI dealer for more information. Now let’s just hope that our little rodent friends leave some of that nice lumber for us. So I ask you again: how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck worked at PMHI? *Disclaimer: The author of this newsletter and all associated parties are fully aware of the fact that woodchucks, chucks, groundhogs, marmots, whistle pigs, or groundpigs do not, in fact, eat, chuck, throw, or otherwise interact with wood. Unless they are running from a predator, in which case all bets are off.

Check out our blog for some important information regarding Energy Efficiency, Title 24, and CalGREEN. Dave Morgan is with Red Tape Express, our preferred Title 24 Energy Compliance partner and Certified Energy Analyst. He has some good insights on what an Owner-Builder should consider when planning the energy-efficient aspects of your home.

Factory Tours PostponedFor Now Here at PMHI we are proud of what we do. In fact, we are so proud of our people, process, and product that we love to take our clients on tours of our manufacturing facility. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has changed the way a lot of business operate. The same is true for PMHI. To protect the health and safety of both our staff and our clients, we will not be giving any factory tours for the time being. If you are interested in seeing what we do and ...how we do it, we would encourage you to watch our Virtual Factory Tour. While we look forward to conducting factory tours in the future, we know that this is the right decision for all of us. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us or one of our Licensed Dealers www.pmhi.com/dealers/find-a-dealer.

We Are Still Building! There has been a lot of talk lately about how and when to re-open in the wake of COVID-19. Since Construction was deemed Essential, PMHI has stayed open, working hard for our customers and helping them accomplish their goal of building their own home. We are here for you and ready to do what it takes to make your dream home a reality. There are some key things to remember, not only as the economy re-opens, but also as we consider the effects of COVID-...19 on our economy and the way we do business. 1. Plan Lead Times. Because of the economic instability, there are a handful of projects that have been cancelled by those who no longer see building their own home as a feasible option. Because we have maintained our workforce, this means that lead times for drawing plans have not increased. If you are ready to move forward with your project, now is a great time to get started with the process of drawing plans, especially when re-opening happens and business starts moving again. 2. Plan Check Times and Inspections. While the process of creating plans has remained smooth, the process of getting Plan Checks and Inspections has not. Most counties have sent their employees to work remotely, and some have furloughed part of their workforce. This has meant that the time to get Plan Checks has been extended. Sometimes this effect has been slight, sometimes it is more pronounced. Inspections are a similar story. Because of social distancing guidelines and differing orders in different counties, getting a site inspection has either been drawn out or altogether impossible. Please plan for these delays when you are scheduling out your building timeline. 3. Financing. We have heard from many of our customers that it has become more difficult to get construction loans. A recent Forbes article noted that lenders have tightened up requirements in response to the erratic global market. This has caused two significant effects. First, owner-builder loans (without a General Contractor) have become incredibly difficult to obtain. With the uncertainty in the economy, lenders are not willing to take on the risks of a construction loan, which is traditionally the riskiest type of real estate loan. This means that you are much more likely to be approved for a loan if you have a General Contractor working on your house. This leads us to the second effect of the current economy, which is tighter requirements even for loans involving a General Contractor. In short, with less money to loan, lenders are taking steps to reduce their risk, which means a more difficult process for you to get a loan. If you have any questions or concerns about your project, please reach out to us. We would be more than happy to answer your questions and to help you move forward with building your dream home.

Versatility may not be what you think of when you hear "panelized kit home." However, as the video shows, PMHI Pre-Engineered homes are good for more than the owner-builder. You are undoubtedly aware of the devastation in Paradise, CA in the wake of the Camp Fire in 2018. While the rebuilding process will likely take decades, it has already begun in some small yet significant ways. The historic Honey Run Covered Bridge was caught in the devastation of the fire. This bridge, ...originally built in 1886, is in the process of being rebuilt. One of the first steps is for the caretaker's house to be erected. As the video shows, the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association chose a PMHI pre-engineered panelized package for the residence. The quality, ease, and speed of installation of the PMHI kit was the perfect fit for what the Association needed. For more information on PMHI panelized kit homes, please contact your local dealer or give us a call at (800)395-1011.

https://finance.yahoo.com//house-costs-500000-build-sell-c

https://youtu.be/Iux5tYWC2cY

Timeless Lighting - For Your Home by PMHI & SMUD Are you building a new home and looking for lighting design ideas? This short webinar will shed some light on your path and improve your quality of life. Topics Covered:... Lighting for the Aging Eye Light Layering What Constitutes Good Lighting Effects of Light Life Changing Lighting The webinar is brought to you by Pacific Modern Homes, Inc. (PMHI) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGXIYUlLML4

Looking for to speaking at this event. Our topic is, "Build the Last Home You'll Ever Need to Build".

https://youtu.be/AiZ1EFW0LEc

https://youtu.be/sDI8rdChRW8

https://youtu.be/7AJkxw76cQU