Within the prefabrication industry, Kit homes have had a long history of success within the twentieth century. Kit homes are houses whose components are manufactured using a panelized or pre-cut prefabrication system, are numbered, packaged and shipped to the building site for erection. Among the different strategies in purchasing a manufactured house, buying a house as a kit has a great potential for self-help assembly. Since about one third of the cost of construction is labor costs, the author has investigated the option of self-help building using Kit homes, to eliminate the labor cost and thus further reduce the construction cost.

In order to study the Kit home potential and costs when bought from, and assembled by the manufacturer, four manufacturers of prefabricated homes who offer Kit homes were visited. In order to study the Kit home potential and costs when assembled by the buyer, the building process of a self-helper was researched and documented. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Subject Prefabricated houses -- Qu¨¦bec (Province) -- Costs -- Case studies.

Self-help housing -- Qu¨¦bec (Province) -- Costs -- Case studies.

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