Prefab Home Kits 2026: Kit Price vs Finished Price
On the makers' own numbers, a home kit is 20% to 40% of the finished build. Mighty Small Homes prices its 1,200-square-foot Contemporary kit at $68,263 and its finished estimate at $170,658 if you build it yourself, or $273,052 to $341,315 with a builder. Deltec lists its 1,016-square-foot Retreat shell at $73,932 and estimates the total cost to build from $325,214.
Those are the only 2 makers of the 5 below that publish a finished figure. The other 3 publish a kit price and stop there. Every figure comes from the maker's own page. Where a maker does not publish a figure, the cell says so. Ask the maker for that figure before you pay a deposit.
The Comparison Table
Deltec has advertised discounted shell prices of $59,146 for the Retreat and $89,349 for the Escape. We used the regular prices. The Backcountry Hut price is in Canadian dollars, and the US figure is the maker's own conversion of $429,692 CAD. Its exclusions are listed on a separate page from its prices.
What "Kit" Means at Each Maker
The 5 makers sell 3 different things under the same word.
- Panels only. The Mighty Small Homes included list names wall panels, roof panels, house wrap, and roofing underlayment. It does not name windows, doors, siding, or finished roofing. Ask for those as line items.
- A shell without windows or doors. Shelter-Kit says its kits include the materials for a weathertight shell on your foundation, with siding and roofing. It also says its kits do not include windows and doors.
- A closed shell. Deltec, DEN, and Backcountry Hut include windows. Deltec installs windows and siding at the factory. Backcountry Hut includes cladding. DEN's kit page lists panels, windows, and exterior doors, and does not list roofing or insulation.
No kit in the table lists interior finishes, plumbing, electrical, or a foundation. Backcountry Hut is the only maker that states the interior exclusion in writing.
Kit Price Against Finished Price
As an example only, using the 2 makers' own finished estimates. Neither includes land.
The arithmetic for the first column: $170,658 minus $68,263 is $102,395, and $170,658 divided by 1,200 is $142. Deltec calls its figure an estimated minimum. It assumes a general contractor and a $35,000 allowance for site preparation, and it leaves out land and landscaping. Freight and sales tax are added to the shell price.
A third maker confirms the range without publishing kit prices on its site. Pacific Modern Homes says its kits are about 25% to 35% of the total building cost, before land, utilities, site work, landscaping, and building fees. For the costs between the kit and the finished home, see what a prefab home costs, layer by layer.
What the Table Says
Budget 2.5 to 5 times the kit price. The Contemporary 1,200 is $68,263 as a kit and $170,658 to $341,315 finished. The Deltec Retreat is $73,932 as a shell and $325,214 finished, which is 4.4 times the shell.
Compare what each kit includes before you compare price per square foot. The Contemporary 1,500 is the lowest at $54, and its included list names no windows or doors. The Barnhouse 2.2 is $143 with windows, exterior doors, and shipping included.
Doing the work yourself is the largest saving a maker publishes. Mighty Small Homes puts the self-built Contemporary 1,200 at $170,658 and the builder-built one at $273,052 or more. The difference is at least $102,394.
A larger kit costs less per square foot from the same maker. Deltec's shell falls from $73 at 1,016 square feet to $67 at 1,678. Its finished estimate falls from $320 to $273.
Before You Order
3 checks before a deposit, in order.
- Get the exclusions in writing. DEN publishes no exclusion list, and 3 of the 5 makers publish no finished estimate. Ask each maker for both, and ask who supplies windows, doors, roofing, and insulation.
- Price the ground. Run the lot through the site-prep cost estimator. No kit above includes a foundation.
- Confirm the loan. Start with the lender locator. A lender needs the finished figure, and the kit price is 20% to 40% of it.
For related comparisons, see prefab cabin kits and A-frame kits. For makers that deliver a finished unit, see the 8 best prefab cabins, rated. For a small operator's numbers, read the playbook on a 24-year-old who built 4 Airbnbs.
Host Camp is not a licensed tax, legal, or financial adviser. Confirm figures for your situation with a professional.
