If you’re searching for build your own house kits with prices, you’ve probably noticed that most sellers want your email before they’ll show you a single number. So here’s the honest answer up front: Kit Culture’s three kits are $99,500, $115,000, and $145,000. That’s the kit. It isn’t the finished house.
Below is what each kit costs, what the optional builder labor adds, and what stays on your list either way. No sales pitch, just the numbers.
Build Your Own House Kits With Prices: The Three Models
Every Kit Culture kit is a precut, engineered package, designed for Idaho and Washington codes and delivered labeled and packaged. Here’s what each one costs.
| Model | Size and layout | Kit price | Optional builder labor | Total installed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage | 799 sq ft, 2 bed, 1 bath | $99,500 | $100,000 | $199,500 |
| Modern | 994 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath | $115,000 | $110,000 | $225,000 |
| Family | 1,360 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath | $145,000 | $120,000 | $265,000 |
The builder labor column is optional. It’s what our preferred builder partner, Directional Homes, charges for assembly labor and site coordination. Add it to the kit price and you’ve got the installed total on a prepared lot.
What that works out to per square foot
Divide it out and the kit alone runs about $125 per square foot for the Cottage, $116 for the Modern, and $107 for the Family. The smallest kit costs the most per square foot, and that’s normal. A kitchen and a bathroom cost about the same whether the house around them is 800 square feet or 1,400. If you’re lining these numbers up against another seller’s, our guide to reading kit homes prices and comparing two quotes shows why price per square foot can mislead you at small footprints.
What the Kit Price Doesn’t Cover
Neither the kit price nor the builder labor price includes these:
- Land
- Lot preparation (grading, clearing, drainage)
- The foundation, which varies with your soil and frost depth
- Utilities run from the property line to the house (electric, water, sewer or septic)
- Upgrades beyond the standard kit specification
- Difficult site conditions like rock or steep terrain
These get quoted separately because they depend on your property, not on the house. Two people buying the same Cottage can end up with very different site bills. Our walkthrough of kit home foundation and site prep covers what has to be done before the kit shows up.
If You Build It Yourself, What Changes?
The kit price doesn’t. A Cottage kit is $99,500 whether you swing the hammer or a crew does.
What changes is the labor line. Instead of paying the $100,000 to $120,000 builder package, you’re supplying part of that labor yourself and hiring out the rest. And there will be a rest. Professional trades still handle the electrical, plumbing, and structural work, so that line never drops to zero.
We won’t put a dollar figure on what you’d save, because we’d be guessing. It depends on your skills, your free time, and what trades charge where you live. What we can do is show you where the line sits. Our guide on what you can and can’t do when you build your own house kit sorts the work an owner can take on from the work that has to go to licensed trades, and the article on DIY home kits breaks down how the savings split.
Owner-builder rules also differ between the two states. Before you plan around doing your own work, check with the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses or Washington State Labor and Industries for what a homeowner is allowed to do on a permit.
FAQ: House Kit Prices
What’s the cheapest house kit Kit Culture sells?
The Cottage, at $99,500. It’s 799 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. With the optional builder labor it’s $199,500 installed, before your land and site costs.
Does the kit price include the foundation?
No. The foundation is part of your site work, along with lot prep and utilities. It’s priced for your lot because soil and frost depth change what it needs to be.
Can you finance a house kit?
Yes. Kit homes are built on a permanent foundation, and lenders treat them like site-built homes, so construction-to-permanent and conventional loans are both on the table. Our guide to kit home financing covers how the loan and the draws work.
Is the installed total the full cost of the house?
It’s the full cost of the house itself on a prepared lot. It isn’t the full cost of the project, because land, foundation, and utilities sit outside it. Our page on prefab homes with prices lists what’s inside the kit and builder numbers.
The Bottom Line
A Kit Culture kit costs $99,500 to $145,000 depending on the model. Having it built adds $100,000 to $120,000. Your site costs come on top of that, and how much of the labor you take on yourself is up to you. If you’d like current pricing or a site-specific number for your lot, give us a call.
