Can modular homes be customized to fit specific design preferences?
Can I design my own home from scratch and you convert it to a modular plan?
Yes!
Can you design a custom home from scratch based on my wishes & desires?
Yes!
Can you design a custom home from scratch based on my lot/city requirements?
Yes!
Can you modify one of your designs to meet my needs?
Yes!
Can I choose my fixtures & features for a house customized just for me?
Yes!
Can you show me some examples of homes you have customized? Absolutely!
EXAMPLE 1:
CUSTOM MODULAR ADU
For this Accessory Dwelling Unit the original single module plan had the bathroom after the bedroom. The client didn’t want to have her guests go through her bedroom to use the restroom. She asked me to redesign it to put the bathroom in front of bedroom, in the common space. She also asked me to make a few other small changes to windows, etc. and we got the plan exactly how she wanted it.
EXAMPLE 2:
CUSTOM MODULAR TWO-STORY HILLSIDE HOME
This 2 story home in Santa Barbara had been lost in a fire several years before by the previous owner of the property. It was a downslope lot. Based on the footprint and the parking requirements, only a custom designed home made sense so we entered into a design agreement and I designed home from the ground up to meet my client’s needs. Great client, still enjoy talking to him a few years later.
EXAMPLE 3:
CUSTOM MODULAR SINGLE-STORY
Here’s a home drawn up to fit a lot in Redwood City. The process was taking too long for the client’s liking since it was an investment property & the cost was too high, originally drawn as a site-built home. I took their plan and converted it to a viable prefab modular plan and the clients were satisfied with the look and the floor plan. With the modular building system this home was completed much faster!
EXAMPLE 4:
CUSTOM MODULAR TWO-STORY
A really nice general contractor from Santa Barbara wanted to build a spec home with investors of his. I drew this plan up from the ground to fit the lot as well as the Architectural Review Committee. They had me change the roof pitch from how I originally had it and add some eyebrow eaves on the back for aesthetics but we got it approved under the 2007 code and it looks as beautiful today as it did then!
EXAMPLE 5:
CUSTOM MODULAR SINGLE-STORY
A nice couple in Santa Cruz contacted me to build a modular ADU for their property. They had me draft up the Owl with some minor modifications, just a bit of customization. They had room for a second ADU but it had to be 1’ narrower so I completely customized the home and The Quail prefab modular ADU was born!
EXAMPLE 6:
CUSTOM MODULAR SINGLE-STORY
A wonderful guy with a great wife and fantastic children contacted me in the City of San Mateo. I had already designed their own home which we built together. He was able to obtain the property across the street and I designed this home of 2,547 S.F. to meet their needs for resale the city requirements for the neighborhood.
EXAMPLE 7:
CUSTOM MODULAR DUPLEX
I was contacted by a client in San Diego to build a duplex on the back of their property, behind their main house. The first designer didn’t do the research on the zoning requirements so I got called in to save the project. I completely redesigned it from scratch to make it both viable and reasonably priced. You can see how close my design is to the final built version.
EXAMPLE 8:
CUSTOM MODULAR SINGLE-STORY
This home is in Ventura County. The client reached out to us to build a home on a pie shaped lot. It was in the Coastal Commission area, zoning only allowed for a 20’ deep house so we got a variance, got through Coastal, Planning, Building, etc. and I am pleased with how it came out, was great to be there when the modules were delivered. This one I designed from the ground up, completely custom.
This was one of my favorite homes that I designed. I did a Modular Feasibility Study and the road was too narrow to get the model they wanted so I designed them a custom home that I think came out great and is in a wonderful part of the Santa Cruz Mountains with all the wonderful Redwood Trees around.
EXAMPLE 9:
CUSTOM MODULAR TWO-STORY
EXAMPLE 10:
CUSTOM MODULAR CAPE COD
The Mendocino Cape Cod is a floor plan that we had. We were hired to modify the plan and to help it meet the Coastal and Historical requirements of the area. We were able to get that accomplished and the home fits in perfectly with the historical character of the City that people come from all over the world to see.
The Design Process
Typically, going with one of the plans on the web-site costs a little less and is a little faster. There is nothing wrong with saving time and money, when appropriate.
That said, if there is something specific that you want and your budget is a bit more flexible, then you should build what you want and need for as long as you plan on living in your home.
Naturally our homes take on a Craftsman, Ranch, or California Bungalow look. Yet, our homes can take on whatever look you require, though there are cost considerations to be taken into account and that is why most people go with the typical California home type of aesthetic.
If you have a dimensioned, rough sketch of what you want to build, please feel free to email that to us just as you would a mark-up of changes you require to one of our plans and we can discuss that.
Additional design fees will apply but you really should have your house the way that you want and need, within some reason, of course. Maybe not everything on the wish list has to be incorporated at this time to keep your budget within reason. We are happy to help you design whatever is appropriate for you, your property, and your circumstances.
If there are enough changes that require it, once we know the scope of work, you will be issued a Design Agreement to make those changes with the cost and exactly what you will be getting for your money. Perhaps 1/3 of our clients take this path and we are ready and able to take this scope of work for you.
If the changes are minor, insignificant, then we can often take care of them during the Drafting & Factory Built Home plan set. The cost for this is higher than doing design work but since it’s a credit on the price of the home, this method is preferred to both keep your costs down and keep things moving along faster.
HONORABLE MENTION:
CUSTOM MODULAR TWO-STORY
Here is a home that I designed to fit behind an existing home. When we did this project, the zoning allowed for a second home so we were able to build all the way up to 1,600 SF. This currently is our most requested home. It would be higher on the list but I need to go up to Santa Cruz and take some more pictures of it.
Finish & Interior Choices
Typically, going with one of the plans on the web-site costs a little less and is a little faster. There is nothing wrong with saving time and money, when appropriate.
That said, if there is something specific that you want and your budget is a bit more flexible, then you should build what you want and need for as long as you plan on living in your home.
Naturally our homes take on a Craftsman, Ranch, or California Bungalow look. Yet, our homes can take on whatever look you require, though there are cost considerations to be taken into account and that is why most people go with the typical California home type of aesthetic.
If you have a dimensioned, rough sketch of what you want to build, please feel free to email that to us just as you would a mark-up of changes you require to one of our plans and we can discuss that.
Additional design fees will apply but you really should have your house the way that you want and need, within some reason, of course. Maybe not everything on the wish list has to be incorporated at this time to keep your budget within reason. We are happy to help you design whatever is appropriate for you, your property, and your circumstances.
If there are enough changes that require it, once we know the scope of work, you will be issued a Design Agreement to make those changes with the cost and exactly what you will be getting for your money. Perhaps 1/3 of our clients take this path and we are ready and able to take this scope of work for you.
If the changes are minor, insignificant, then we can often take care of them during the Drafting & Factory Built Home plan set. The cost for this is higher than doing design work but since it’s a credit on the price of the home, this method is preferred to both keep your costs down and keep things moving along faster.
Finish & Interior Choices
As far as the interior of the home, that is just part of the process. The factory will tape and mud the drywall and then you can have it finished to whatever level of texture or smoothness you are require and you can paint the house whatever color you fancy, inside and out. Flooring is done on-site, your General Contractor can provide you with options or you can hire a local company to do it, many of our clients even do the flooring themselves.
You’ll have several choices of cabinets and countertops to choose from. You can go with Brushed Nickel fixtures and hardware as is standard or upgrade to Oil Rubbed Bronze or whatever is your preference. Your home will come out being the home that you had built with whatever design enhancements you chose and it will be completely to your taste from the color of the walls, type of flooring, hardware, interior and exterior doors, etc.