Explore · Prefab, decoded
The question is how much of the work you want to do. A kit shows up as a stack of lumber — and you supply the nails. A turnkey home shows up finished. How finished it arrives swings the price per square foot more than anything else you choose. Here's what actually arrives on your lot at each rung, and what your town will say about it.
We resolve the parcel, its zone, setbacks and ADU rules — then draw them on your actual land.
or browse the interactive zoning map
What actually arrives
A prefab price only means something once you know its scope. Each level below is a real, named example home — its per-square-foot figure comes straight from the manufacturer’s published pricing.
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Why the price splits
The cost gap isn’t a markup — it’s freight and labor. A kit is cargo. A finished module needs a set crew and a wide-load route, so it can only travel so far from the factory.
Flat-packed lumber and panels ride a standard trailer, so a kit reaches almost anywhere.
A finished module travels on a wide-load trailer and lands with a crane crew. The crew’s radius is the constraint, not the trailer’s.
If you’re outside the radius, the choice is made for you.
What it looks like
Every home in the catalogue is tagged with the styles it fits. These are real models from manufacturers serving New England — tap one to see everything in that style.
Photo on each card is an actual model tagged with that style. Every card links to a filtered search.
What the town charges
Real permit fees and often-missed costs for the 7 Maine towns whose fee schedules we’ve transcribed so far. Fee amounts come from each town’s published fee schedule; rows marked “Approximate” are our best read where that schedule is ambiguous, and rows marked “Typical range” are our researched estimates for costs the town doesn’t publish. Every ledger carries its own read date.
We don’t estimate permit approval times — those depend on your town’s queue and your project.
10 permit forms
Partial — this town publishes 10 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.
30 permit forms
Partial — this town publishes 30 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.
12 permit forms
Partial — this town publishes 12 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.
Permit forms: not published
Partial — the fees we’ve priced so far (this town’s permit-form count isn’t published).
22 permit forms
Partial — this town publishes 22 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.
20 permit forms
Partial — this town publishes 20 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.
19 permit forms
Partial — this town publishes 19 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.
What you’re allowed
New England’s ADU size limits — the outer wall of what’s possible. The number that actually governs your build is your town’s, and many opted out entirely.
Bars span each state’s statutory range, floor to ceiling. The note under each row describes what towns actually do within it.
900 SF or 50% of primary dwelling (whichever smaller). Owner-occupancy prohibited statewide. ADU permitted on nonconforming lots (760 CMR 71.03(3)(b)(9)).
MGL c.40A s.3 (Affordable Homes Act, H.4138)
HB 577 — detached ADUs by right statewide. 750 SF is ordinance floor (towns cannot restrict below). Owner must occupy either principal or ADU (cannot specify which).
NH RSA 674:71-73 (as amended by HB 577, 2025)
varies by town (800-1000 sqft typical)
LD 2003 (2022), amended by LD 1829 (2025) and LD 2173 (2026)
or 30% of primary dwelling
24 V.S.A. 4412
1BR: 900 sqft max, 2BR: 1200 sqft max
RI General Laws 45-24-37
67% of towns opted out of state mandate
PA 21-29
Connecticut’s ceiling is 1,000 sqft — but 67% of towns opted out. A state number can’t tell you what your lot allows. That’s a per-parcel question, and it’s the one that actually gates your project.
Browse the catalogue
Keep exploring
Work backward from what you can afford.
Kit vs Shell vs Turnkey, explained.
Site prep to move-in, step by step.
Certifications, reach and track record.
Work with a custom design studio
Maine's ADU law, explained
Get a full project cost estimate
Your favorited homes
The honest number
Site work, delivery and permits included — a realistic total for your state, not a sticker price.
Estimate your total cost
