Over the years we have been delivering homes to families all over the South Island of New Zealand and many have had some great questions during the process. Add to that hundreds of enquiries submitted through our website each month, it would come as no surprise that we receive very similar questions on a regular basis. Therefore, we thought we’d condense a few of them into a simple article and give you an insight into what others have asked over the past year and beyond!
If you have a question that we haven’t covered, please feel free to send it through the contact us page so we can give you an answer and potentially share it so others can see the response.
What is a prefabricated home?
When you hear the term prefabricated, often shortened to prefab, it refers to the type of construction process, rather than a specific style of house. A prefab house is built under controlled conditions, usually in a factory, before being transported to its final location by truck. After a prefab home is delivered to site, additional work will need to be completed. This mainly includes exterior works such as connecting the plumbing, electricity or securing the house to its fixtures.
Prefab homes are also known as several different names depending on what they are intended to be used for and which builder you speak to. They include; modular homes, relocatable homes, manufactured homes or factory-built homes. If you want to learn more about prefabricated homes see our more detailed explanation.
Is a prefab home transportable?
Not to be confused with mobile homes, prefab homes are primarily delivered via truck and are considered permanent dwellings once delivered to site, fixed to foundations and connected to utilities.
Here at Genius Homes, our houses are built within our Timaru based factory and once completed are delivered to site. Once on-site, they become a permanent structure just like any other house. We do not recommend they are removed from the site again. It’s common for prefabricated homes to be confused with transportable and relocatable homes so we’ve compared the two to help you understand the differences.
Do the Genius Homes team do site visits?
Yes, our sales team can arrange a time to come to your site to discuss your options. In fact, we recommend this to all our customers. During a site visit, a member of our team will not only check your location, site access but also the ground conditions. From here we are able to recommend the best house design for your section. We are also able to customise your chosen design slightly to suit your needs.
You can book a free, no-obligation on-site inspection and a member of the team will be in touch as soon as possible.
Does Genius Homes have a showhome?
We frequently update our showhome options and while we don’t always have one available there is always a selection of houses on the production line. With each house in different stages of the construction process, they can be viewed at our Timaru-based factory. This is a great way to understand the process and view the houses in person. If you would like to come and take a look you can book a factory tour.
When we do have a showhome available we’ll notify people via email, so feel free to sign up to our email database using the form below this article. In the meantime, you can check out our virtual show home.
Where does Genius Homes deliver?
We deliver to most towns in the South Island of New Zealand. We do not deliver to the North Island and from Motueka through to Golden Bay and up to the tip of the South Island due to the restriction of the Takaka Hill. We do understand that you may want to know if your town or farm is accessible before you go too far into investigating a home being delivered so have a look at the information regarding our transport restrictions.
My section is tight for entry.
Does Genius Homes sell kitset houses?
Sadly not. We construct our houses for you in our purpose-designed factory, with the kitchen installed, doors hung, electrical works and plumbing fitted, ready to be connected to the services on site. With our processes, there are no hidden expenses (kit homes usually incur a range of additional costs) and you get a completely finished home that is high quality at a great price.
If the access to your section is narrow it may still be worth enquiring and having a free site inspection as you may be surprised at what’s achievable!
Can I get a custom-designed home from Genius Homes?
YES! Genius Homes offer custom design options. We will draw up a new design to meet your specific requirements for your new home, farm accommodation or holiday home. A Genius Homes consultant will go through the details with you to make sure the house is exactly what you want. There is a wide range of interior options that you can also customise your new home with.
However, it’s worth noting that there are a few customisations we cannot do. We cannot transport a house that’s wider than 3 metres, we cannot add concrete floors and we cannot build a house on stilts. If you have any questions at all feel free to book a chat with a salesperson and we can go through your ideas over an online video conference or phone call.
Can I visit the Genius Homes factory?
YES! We have two production lines located in our Timaru based factory with 10 to 12 houses in different stages of the building process that we can show you. Due to the hazardous nature of our manufacturing facility, we must supervise all visitors so require bookings to be made in order to ensure the safety of all on-site.
Is a prefab house cheaper to build than a kitset house?
The short answer is yes. This is due to the nature of the building process and the house being constructed indoors under controlled conditions. However, it’s possible to receive a cheaper quote from a kitset home as many of these do not include essential elements that you may want to see. Things like vinyl, curtains, site works and appliances might not be included in a cheaper quote so ensure you look at their standard inclusions versus what you’d get with us. You can see our range of standard inclusions or find more information regarding the cost of building a prefab home.
What cladding and exterior wall options do you offer?
We offer a range of options for exterior cladding, from basic board and batten to premium hardwood. To make the process less daunting we break the cladding options into three groups; feature, premium and standard. Sadly we cannot offer real stone exteriors due to transport restrictions but with a wide variety of alternatives available we’re sure you’ll find something that suits.
Can we do some of the work to save costs?
There are many areas where you can save costs. All our designs are customisable so it pays to talk to our sales team directly regarding your situation and budget.
How long will it take to build a Genius Home?
Once your plans have entered the production line, on average the building process to site delivery will take around 10 weeks. There will be an additional 4 weeks of on-site work until the keys are handed over.
If you have a question that we haven’t covered in this blog, please contact us and our team will answer it. Alternatively, you can talk to one of our sales team by booking a call at a time that suits you.
