Practical notes for each option
| Option | Financing | Zoning & permits | Resale | Typical timeline | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit home (panelized or precut) | Possible with a construction loan if you have a builder or a convincing owner-builder plan. Many lenders balk at kits. | Needs stamped plans for your wind and snow loads. Treated like any site-built home. | Good, if the finished house looks and performs like a normal home. | 6 to 12 months, depending on who assembles it. | Normal homeowner policy once finished. Builder's risk during construction. |
| Modular / prefab | Easiest alternative to finance. Often a construction loan that converts to a mortgage. | Meets the local building code, plus state factory approval. Needs a crane and road access. | Strong. Appraised much like a site-built home on a permanent foundation. | 3 to 8 months from order to move-in. | Standard homeowner coverage once set on a foundation. |
| Tiny house | On wheels: personal or RV loan. On a foundation: harder than a normal home, because many lenders have a minimum size. | Many places set a minimum dwelling size or treat wheeled units as RVs. Check your zoning before buying. | Uncertain. The buyer pool is small, and RV-certified units depreciate. | Weeks to a few months. | RV or specialty policy for wheeled units. A permanent one may need a custom policy. |
| Shipping-container home | Hard. Few lenders finance them, and appraisals are tricky. | Some cities ban or restrict them. Cut openings need engineering. Check wind and energy-code compliance. | Mixed. A well-finished one on a permanent foundation can sell, but expect a smaller market. | 3 to 9 months, depending on modification and finish. | Some carriers decline them or price them as specialty buildings. Shop early. |
| Stick-built (baseline) | Standard. Most lenders understand it. | The normal path with the most predictable review. | Best understood by buyers and appraisers. | 8 to 14 months. | Standard homeowner policy. |
These notes are general. Lenders, insurers and cities vary a lot, so check yours.
How the numbers work
For each option we add up base unit or kit, delivery and crane, foundation, assembly and labor, finish-out and permits. Those add up to the building cost. We then add the same site work and utility costs for every option (and land, if you do not own it).
- Base unit / kit (per sq ft at mid finish): kit $65, modular $85, tiny house $150, container home $95, stick-built $70 (framing and shell).
- Assembly and labor: kit $30, modular $12 (set, crane and hookups), tiny $0, container $30 (cutting, welding, framing), stick-built $55.
- Finish-out: kit $40, modular $12, tiny $10, container $60, stick-built $55. Basic scales this by 0.75 and high by 1.60.
- Delivery and crane: a fixed amount plus a rate per mile (kit $3,000 + $2/mi, modular $5,000 + $8/mi, container $3,500 + $6/mi, tiny $2,000 + $3/mi, or $3/mi on wheels).
- Foundation: your slab or pier rate times square feet (a tiny house on wheels uses a $1,500 gravel pad; containers use 90% of the rate).
- Tiny houses are priced at no more than 400 sq ft, the practical size of one unit.
- Low and high multiply the building cost by 0.85 and 1.35 (kit), 0.90 and 1.30 (modular), 0.85 and 1.50 (tiny), 0.80 and 1.50 (container), 0.85 and 1.40 (stick-built).
These are our judgment, tuned so that each option's building cost per sq ft lands inside the published range below at mid finish. They are planning values, not quotes.
Sources (2025–2026)
- HomeGuide, cheapest type of house to build: about $75 to $275 per sq ft across barn-style, modular, container and tiny homes.
- HomeGuide, modular home prices: $50 to $100 per sq ft for the base unit, $80 to $160 per sq ft installed.
- HomeGuide, shipping container home cost and Angi, container home cost: roughly $150 to $350 per sq ft, prefab $120 to $300, custom $250 to $400+.
- HomeGuide, log cabin kit prices: $50 to $100 per sq ft for the kit alone. Its metal building homes page shows $10 to $25 per sq ft for a steel shell kit.
- Rocket Mortgage, kit homes: what to know about financing and building a kit home.
- Home Run Building Supply, house kit prices: an example of a manufacturer's kit price list.
- Little Houses for Sale, tiny house vs container home and Orchard, container home cost: tiny house roughly $150 to $450 per sq ft, $30,000 to $70,000+ for many units.
- HomeGuide, cost to build a house, citing the National Association of Home Builders' figure of about $162 per sq ft nationally before land, and HomeGuide's Texas guide with about $140 to $280 per sq ft for mid-range stick-built.
Published figures disagree because they include different things: some add site work, some add builder profit, some are for a bare shell. We could not verify every number at its original source. Treat all of this as typical ranges, and replace the defaults with local quotes.