This Prefab Builder Is Making Homes That Are Designed to Keep You Healthy
Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!
Kurt Goodjohn and his brother Kris were already successful businessmen when they decided to start fresh with their prefab homebuilding company, Dvele. Their former prefab business, Karoleena Homes, had taken off in Canada for its high-quality modular designs, and was acquired in 2016. But they didn’t take too much time to rest.
Soon after they started Dvele, which emphasizes sustainable materials and smart-home features meant to improve all-around quality of life for residents. Here, Kurt and Kris share how their homes put the health of their clients first.
Base models of Dvele homes start at $250 per square foot and come in both large and small footprints.
What qualities make your prefab stand apart from the rest?
Our houses take care of you. All units are built with sustainable materials meant to last a century, and they contain air and water filtration systems, continuous air circulation, and soundproofing. Furthermore, these systems can all be monitored through our proprietary app, which learns your routines and intuitively makes suggestions to improve upon them. Lastly, Dvele homes are self-powered, which means that they can produce their own energy and store it for later use.
What does your base model cost and what does that pricing include?
Our based models start at $250 per square foot.
The company can currently ship throughout North America, and its focus is currently on the West and Southwest.
Dvele builds its homes primarily with sustainable materials meant to "last a century," say company founders Kurt and Kris Goodjohn. The homes are self-powered to produce their own energy, too.
A living area extends to a wide outdoor patio in this prefab, and everything is within view of the surrounding forest.
Where are the prefabs currently available?
We currently ship all over North America, but our focus is on the West and Southwest.
Is your design currently pre-permitted in any U.S. municipalities?
We are currently working through federal certification of all our products.
It takes about four months for the prefab to be built inside a factory, and another four months for it to be assembled on site.
Dvele homes include an air filtration system that continuously circles clean air through the home.
The homes are made with steel framing, which Kris and Kurt say make the manufacturing process more sustainable.
Are there plans to expand to different parts of the country and the world?
We are currently working on opening factories in Nevada and Montana to run alongside our current factory in Mexico. We have plans to expand across the country and into Canada as well.
How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?
It takes 16 weeks to build the housing unit in the factory, and up to 16 weeks to finish on site.
The company claims that its construction times are 80 percent faster than traditional methods, and its homes are healthier for buyers and the environment.
What aspects of the design can a client customize?
Homeowners can choose everything from exterior colors to all the exciting parts of the interior. We have several appliance packages homeowners can select from, as well as lighting fixtures, fireplaces, and kitchen and laundry appliances.
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