We see new kit homes in Australia every day, and for good reason. These homes are affordable, simplistic, and environmentally friendly. Along with tiny houses, modular homes or shipping container houses, the revolution of sustainable living continues to take centerstage in Australia.
If you’ve ever been curious about a kit home and wondered if it was the right option for you, we’re here to help.
To make it easier to see your options, we’ve compiled a list of the best kit home manufacturers to help learn more about this style of home and whether or not it can help you save money on your dream house.
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Best Kit Home Manufacturers in Australia
Kit homes, catalogue homes, mail-order homes; call them what you want, but they’re an affordable low-cost way of getting your dream home. Kit homes in Australia are growing in popularity and that’s why we’ve brought you nine of the best kit home manufacturers in Australia.
1. Imagine Kit Homes
Imagine Kit Homes provides kit home designs for you to choose from and also allows you to upload your own design and they’ll help make it a reality.
All of their designs are made for quality, affordability, simplicity, and weather resistance. They offer a wide variety of options to choose from with 3D models for you to look through as you decide.
If we take the Arborfive Kit as an example, this model is 257m2, 3 beds, and 2.5 bathrooms. It starts at $191,343 and you can completely customise it from there.
You’re able to choose every single detail from ceiling height to window glaze. This type of customisation really puts you in control of your home design and offers a level of involvement that is very difficult to find in any other home building process.
The company is made up of a group of construction professionals that joined together to help provide alternative housing to those who seek it. The goal is for them to help homeowners save money while designing their ideal dream home.
Imagine Kit Homes is based in Brisbane but delivers their kit homes all across the globe.
2. i Build Building Solutions
i Build is a popular brand in Australia. They’ve won a number of awards including the 59th Australian Export and Investment Award, the Governor of Victoria Export Award, and the Hume Business Award.
These accolades are due to their stylish design paired with optimal energy-efficiency. The company believes that the environment is a major cause of the need for alternative housing. They’re one of Australia’s leading providers of kit homes and they offer more than 50 designs for you to choose from.
i Build offers kit homes in one to five bedrooms with complete customisation options and nationwide flat rate shipping so the cost is easy to determine ahead of time.
We like their transparency right away and as soon as you open up to their two bedroom page, they begin breaking down details about their suppliers and how it helps them keep their costs low while passing the savings off to you.
Bunnings is their major material supplier and all of their products are made and sourced in Australia.
Let’s take a look at one of their two bedroom models, the Casa Bianca 42 as pictured above.
This is a two bedroom, one bath model with 75.69m2. It offers a simple floor plan and they break their kits down into separate shipments to make assembly easier. You’ll get the frame first, then insulation, then cladding, then roofing, followed by windows and doors and so on.
These kit homes in Australia are affordable, simple, and easy to assemble making i Build one of the most popular options in Australia.
3. Classic Kit Homes
Here’s another example of a company with a long list of accolades. Classic Kit Homes won Export Excellence, Best Heritage Home, Best Use of Outdoor Living, and more.
Classic Kit Homes prides themselves in being a lot more than just a “kit home supplier” they want to be a front to back, end to end company that helps you through the entire process of building your home.
They’re specialists and they help you design your home by providing flexible options to choose from in terms of location, layout, style, size, and features.
The company then draws up a plan based on your specifications rather than you editing the already predetermined templates. Classic Kit Homes only uses nationally recognised and local suppliers from your building site so you save a lot on freight costs to offset the cost of doing business locally.
Best of all, this is a family owned and operated company with a personal touch. There is no pushy sales process and they’ll work with you every step of the way and always pick up the phone when you dial.
While customisation is the most important upside of this company, they do offer a variety of templated designs to help you get inspired. Let’s look at The Lily.
This is a three bedroom, one bath, raised design to promote airflow and ensure the inside of the house stays cool. It has 181m2 and is designed with parking space underneath for two cars. Practically and customisation are the name of the game with this company and nothing goes into the home design without having a purpose.
4. Prestige Kit Homes
Prestige Kit Homes delivers your kit home all across Australia including some of the following locations:
- Scarborough, Western Australia
- Kununurra, Western Australia
- Mt. Isa, Queensland
- Cooktown, Queensland
- Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Werribee, Victoria
- Jindabyne, NSW
- Tasmania
- New Caledonia
You’ll choose the kit design that meets your intended specifications depending on personal preference and they’ll send you all the cladding, sub floor, and slab design and engineering you need to complete the job.
If you’re in Queensland they can custom design a kit home for you or you can choose from pre-built options depending on your price range.
Of course, choosing from a template design is cheaper but you can also customise and add options onto the existing design.
The motto of Prestige Kit Homes is “Homes Built On Trust” and in the construction business, trust is an important factor. You want to hire a company that you know you can trust, that will pick up the phone when you call, and that will always honour their work. It seems like you’ll get that with Prestige.
If we take a look at their two bedroom designs, they have a number of options ranging in size from 45m2 to almost 200m2. Their homes are incredibly affordable, simple, and functional. Let’s take the Beaufort as an example.
This kit home is two bedrooms, two baths, and 105 square metres. It comes with a simple floor plan designed to make the installation process simpler and keep the cost down. The floor plan is open and the features are spacious.
5. Kit Homes Nationwide
Kithomes.net provides packaged home parts that get delivered direct to your building site. The design is completely up to you and you can choose from existing designs, change up what you don’t like, and build the home of your dreams.
The company delivers to all parts of Australia including WA, QLD, and NSW. They have a number of models ranging dramatically in size and uniqueness. Let’s take the Urban Vista as an example.
This is a three bedroom, two and a half bath house with 288m2 of total living space. The house has a long but narrow design with a garage in the front and a back patio on the side.
It’s a steel frame kit home with plenty of space for a large family including a 5×5 family room for added living area.
The big sales pitch of Kit Homes Nationwide is their steel frame kits. They use all steel materials because they believe they last longer and they’re not at risk for damage during extreme temperature changes. Steel is also better against termites.
Last but not least, the company also believes that steel frames are better for the environment because they didn’t have to chop down any trees to build the frame of the house. The steel is partially recycled which is even better for the planet. 
6. PAAL Kit Homes
PAAL Kit Homes has been in business for over 50 years and they pride themselves in complete home flexibility. They offer a range of designs with customisable plans and features you can add onto whatever design you like.
You’ll sit across the desk from a designer and adjust things to your personal taste. Every design is completely flexible and you’re in total control of your design.
PAAL also offers a list of upgrades you can add onto any design. These include:
- Verandas
- Alfrescos
- Windows/Doors
- Garages
- Carports
- And more
They even have internal changes you can make including ceiling height, kitchens, doors, skirtings, laundry areas, wardrobes, and much more.
Their homes are on the expensive side with most sitting in the $125,000-225,000 range but they’re one of the highest quality and customised options available in Australia. The site is broken down into four sections based on where you live as well.
7. Wide Span Sheds
Wide Span Sheds is a bit more unique of an option for a kit home in Australia because many of their designs are intended as secondary dwellings or holiday homes. You can purchase a smaller kit home than you would like for your primary home and use it as a secondary living space.
They use TRUECORE steel on all their kit homes and they’re a great choice for an Owner Builder because they’re:
- Termite resistant
- Approved class 1a building
- Wide range of colours
- Recyclable material
- Non combustible
The company offers a 20 year warranty honoured by Bluescope Steel so you know the primary structure of your kit home is protected.
Wide Span Sheds offers five different model options which makes the decision process a bit simpler. You also don’t get nearly as many customisation options as you do with some of the other companies on this list but it has its advantages.
It’s cheaper and faster to get the build started because you don’t need to go through all these design steps and sit across from a “design specialist” who is going to try and sell you on all these optional upgrades you don’t need.
8. Valley Kit Homes
Valley Kit Homes started in 1995 and has proudly supplied many kit homes over the years to Owner Builders. Because of this business plan, they’re here to walk you through all the steps involved in getting your house built and help serve as the specialists throughout the building process.
What Valley Kit Homes doesn’t do is just sell you a kit and leave you. They encourage all of their customers to customise all of their plans to meet your needs.
All the company’s internal framing is delivered pre-assembled and ready to stand with each piece clearly marked for its position. All kits are supplied with a clear step-by-step Owner Builder’s manual to guide you through without causing any headaches.
As of right now, Valley Kit Homes offers Granny Flats, three bedroom, and four bedroom options that you can customise to your liking.
9. Mana Kit Homes
Mana Kit Homes offers cost effective options to Owner Builders that want to design their own energy-efficient home. They use all the most premium materials that meet Australian standards and they provide you with the guidance you need every step of the way.
The company is based on the Southeast coast of Queensland and has been internationally supplying steel-framed kit homes for more than 12 years. All their materials are manufactured in Australia with design flexibility in mind.
You can customise all their designs because they believe in finding the right design for the customer, not finding the right customer for the design.
Mana Kit Homes offers a long list of templates to choose from but let’s take a look at the Beach Side offering as an example.
This home has 136sqm of internal living space with an additional 115 of outdoor space. Their homes are all designed with a lot of outdoor space in mind for alfresco dining and lounging.
What Are Kit Homes?
A kit home is a mail-order home that’s delivered in parts from the manufacturer and built on your property. You can choose to build the house yourself or you can hire and supervise a team of builders.
This method of home building is popular amongst Owner Builders who want to build their own home but might not have the budget to design and build an entire house from scratch.
Going with a kit home allows you to still have your hand in the design process but you have a template to work with so you don’t have to have complete build knowledge. The manufacturer will ensure that the house is structurally sound and help you through the process.
How Much Do Kit Homes Cost To Build?
The cost of your kit home will vary based on its size and features of course. They can range in price from as little as $25,000 all the way up to $300,000. Keep in mind this only covers the cost of the house itself, not the building costs.
These manufactured homes have similarities to prefabricated or modular homes as well.
The main difference between a prefab home and a kit home is the amount of pieces it comes in and the labour involved in assembling it.
As you’re shopping around for a kit home in Australia, you might notice that the cost of the house is dramatically cheaper than what you would pay if you bought a house the traditional way. What you might be forgetting is the cost to actually assemble it.
The average cost of the kit is only around 25% of the total cost you’ll incur in materials, appliances, furniture, flooring, paint, and everything else.
Keep in mind the cost of land as well plus anything that needs to be done to that land. You may need to remove trees, level it, and get soil testing to determine if it’s safe to build on.
Why a Kit Home in Australia?
Why choose a kit home over some of the other options in Australia like Rammed Earth, prefab, or even tiny homes? What are the upsides of this construction method? Let’s discuss them.
Cost
They’re clearly more affordable than a traditional home build. If you intend on purchasing land and building a house on it, you’ll save a lot of money with a kit home even if you have to hire someone to do everything.
Control
One of the main reasons people choose kit home construction is because of the customisation options and control you have over the build. If you’re building or managing the build yourself, you can have your hands involved in everything. Some people like this, some people don’t.
If you intend on taking a backseat and not getting involved in the process at all, then maybe a kit home is not the right option for you.
Environmentally Friendly
Kit homes are better for the environment than traditionally built stick homes for a few reasons. First off, there is a lot less waste because you’ll use pretty much everything you get. When building a house the traditional way, there are a lot of wood scraps and waste material that never gets put to use.
A lot of kit homes in Australia are built using recycled steel so the materials being used are also more sustainable.
Many kit homes are also designed with sustainability features like rainwater collection systems and solar panels in mind.
Downsides of Kit Homes
Now let’s take a look at some of the cons of a kit home:
Limitations
No matter how you look at it, you can’t do anything with a kit home. If you have extremely unique ideas or something way out of the ordinary you want, you will likely not be able to get it in a kit home.
These homes are also limited in delivery and manufacturing distance because of the cost of shipping and potential for damage. If you live in Tasmania but want to get your kit home shipped from Queensland, you can expect to pay quite a bit in shipping costs that will quickly raise the cost of the home to an unmanageable level.
Lower Standards
Keep in mind that this is a new industry and as a result, there can be a lack of standards and regulation. This means that no company is required to supply anything and scams can quickly arise.
Make sure you do your research and know exactly what you’re getting for your money so you don’t find yourself in a bad situation.