Ben Tossell

Dwellito 2.0 - Browse and buy modular homes shipped within weeks

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Dwellito is an end-to-end service that helps homeowners buy a prefab home for their backyard - to use as a rental, suite, or a studio.
🏠 Over 40 prefabs
πŸ“ Architect-grade design w/o architect fees
πŸ” Fixed price and budget
πŸ“¦ Buy Pre-Assembled or DIY

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Caleb Barclay
Hey PH, and thanks for the hunt @bentossell πŸŽ‰ Dwellito 2.0 is a fully redesigned marketplace that includes over 40 prefabs and an overhaul of the shop experience. We've had great feedback from our MVP and made some major improvements: - Added over 40 new prefabs - Targeted North American Manufacturers - Clearer prices, process, and service offerings for each home - Added DIY for people to buy just parts and/or blueprints - Added financing: Interest-free cash for homeowners Working on: - Permitting by city: outline process and steps to getting a prefab on your property - GC list: Vetted list of modular home General Contractors in your city - Estimated Income Calculator: Determine how much income you could generate as a rental We’re making improvements every day so feedback is super valuable (especially if you already bought a prefab or are considering buying one).
Moe Amaya
@calebarclay Congrats on the launch! From 1.0 to 2.0 what are some of the most interesting learnings you had about the modular home market? I love the interest-free rental concept. How does that work exactly?
Caleb Barclay
Thanks Moe! Some interesting findings from 1.0: - GC shortage: Biggest challenge for projects is finding a general contractor - Online Home Buying: People don't buy in their browsers yet. It's a big purchase that needs more conversation. We've found that we need to offer an end-to-end concierge type service. - Prefab allowance: Cities & communities move slow here. Manufacturers face barriers in every municipality when building fully factory-built homes. There are some solutions but still lots of progress to make. On the interest-free loan concept, it’s called co-investing. It’s a pretty neat alternative. How it works is homeowners can leverage the value from their primary home to pay for the backyard home. If your home is worth $500k, you can pull out $87.5k (up to 17.5%). Similar to an investor, the lender shares in the gains AND loses of only the ADU addition. Here’s more on the topic: https://www.dwellito.com/financing
Steve Benjamins
@calebarclay Hi Calebβ€” what does GC stand for?
Caleb Barclay
@stevebenjamins Sorry about that - it's short for General Contractor.
Paul Shuteyev
@calebarclay Upvoted! Dwellito looks perfect! How about an interview about it at StartupRadius.com? Send me a message to paul_AT_startupradius.com if interested.
HiramFromTheChi
As an aspiring minimalist, this concept has peeked my interest since I first came across it. Can you talk more about the logistics? I understand what modular building is, but how do utilities function, for example? Let's say I bought the land and ordered my house. What do I need to set up electricity, plumbing, etc.? Also, what sorts of weather can it withstand? So when it's -100 mid-winter in Chicago, will I die?
Caleb Barclay
@hiramfromthechi Some companies will do everything for you: permits, site-prep, utility hookup, delivery, completed home. This is called a "Turn-Key" service. But most of the prefab companies will have you doing the site-work, trenching, utility hook ups, and sometimes foundation. We're working hard at getting a more formalized "what's included" on the site. Regarding windy city, modular homes are *often* built stronger than stick frame homes. This is because of several factors: built indoors, quality materials, steel framing. The foundation might need to be bigger for extreme winds. When you start your project, you'll get a site analysis to determine those factors.
Caleb Barclay
@hiramfromthechi @will @mercy_ihecci That gave me a good chuckle...
HiramFromTheChi
@calebarclay Great, thanks for elaborating. I'm familiar with turnkey properties as well, but my mind got to thinking about the supply chain/logistics side of "Ok, bought the house. Now what?" A "What's included" section would be very helpful so we can see what aspects of the real estate development lifecycle we would need to pay attention to.
HiramFromTheChi
@mercy_ihecci @calebarclay It's important to ask, just to be prepared πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ hahah
Taylor Majewski
Kind of crazy that prefab home kits are making a comeback (Sears sold thousands of these in the early 1900s). Would you buy a tiny house on the internet?
Julien Le Coupanec
Nice curation! Did you forgot about Avrame, Q-haus (both are from Estonia) or the Russians from Dubldom?
Caleb Barclay
@lecoupa The Dubldom DD43 is on the site :) And there's more prefabs in the queue. We have to verify each company so we try to update weekly. Definitely didn't know about the Q-haus, thanks for sharing! If you have any others to add, send them over: https://bit.ly/30JfHiD
John Borden
I've been waiting for a concept like this for some time. I think conventional modular homes are a brilliantly democratic solution to home ownership. The downside being that they're usually derided as being shoddy and the residents of such homes having all manner of negative stereotypes slapped on them. For that reason, I've been yearning for a modular home that's nice, but still inexpensive. The Volkswagen Beetle of Modular Home. They appear to have that and more.
Rich Schierloh
Looks like the content is wrapping under the filters sidebar.
Caleb Barclay
@richs can you DM me so I can see what you are seeing?
Rich Schierloh
lifo ed
US only ? Or even Canada?
lifo ed
From the site "Shipping costs are calculator per mile (or km) based on the closest factory to the property that you are placing your modular home. If the closest factory is overseas, you can expect a large shipping cost (~$17,000 USD) due to specialized shipping. If your modular home is flat packed, it is significantly cheaper because it is shipped conventionally". So it feels no limitation, shipping costs add on to wherever.
Caleb Barclay
@lifo_ed That's correct. We're looking at improving that flow to provide an estimate of how much each unit costs, shipped to your door. Panelized systems and kits of parts are an economical alternative for an oversea manufacturer. A fully assembled home requires special transportation so it's much higher.
Tregg
I'm smitten with this site. Love it. Such a cool concept, really strong web design. The whole thing is fascinating to me.
Caleb Barclay
Thank you so much @treggify
Mokhachane Mofolo
Would be great to have this in South AfricaπŸ’―
Joseph Martin
I love it!
Caleb Barclay
So glad you like it @gimartin!
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