Building with a prefabricated system helps your dream cabin project come together efficiently - saving you time, money, and the stress of uncertainty. Once your kit-of-parts arrives on site the exterior shell comes to life in weeks, rather than months. The key to enjoying a streamlined building experience lies in proper planning when it comes to assembling your team, securing permits, and preparing your site.
Planning takes far longer than the build itself, and the earlier you begin the better.
If you're in the dreaming and scheming stage and wish to build in 2024, now is the time to begin the planning process. We are happy to offer a collection of free tools and resources to help guide you through this phase, and our team is always happy to help answer any questions you may have as you begin.
We invite you to begin by exploring:
The BHC Project Handbook: a step-by-step workbook that helps to guide you through all aspects of project planning, and provides you with a detailed understanding of what you'll need and what you can expect along the way.
The BHC Process: a detailed overview of the key phases and different steps required in planning and executing your project successfully.
Our team is happy to answer any questions you have, and to offer guidance along the way. To begin, we invite you to connect with us by completing our Get Started form. You'll receive more information directly in your inbox, and you'll also get a direct booking link to schedule a personal phone consultation where we can help evaluate your needs and budget, your particular site and zoning requirements, and walk you through our process in more detail.
We understand that while you're likely building your first prefabricated cabin, we've become quite familiar with common experiences that our clients encounter along the way. There are certain elements that typically take time, and planning for these can help your project come together with a greater sense of ease.
A few elements that always take longer than expected include:
Feasibility
Making sure that your project is feasible on the whole and also in compliance with the rules and restrictions of your local authorities is key. To proceed, our team will help you assess the feasibility of your project across key dimensions:
Budget - Having your financing in place is key at the outset, whether you're using personal finances or working with a financial institution.
Project Requirements - Having a clearly defined notion of which System and configuration will best suit your site and needs, and any customizations you'd like to factor into the plan.
Regulations and restrictions - Having a clear understanding of the local rules, regulations, and restrictions, as well as any steps you need to plan for.
Consultants
Clearly identifying and engaging the key consultants that will support your project build is a basic step that can take longer than expected, particularly if you're building in a remote area.
Identifying your consultants is a required element in submitting for permits, and without the right team in place you can be hung up on sourcing which then pushes your permit deadlines back. While every project is different, most require a Surveyor, Geotechnical consultant, and various Engineers. Each of these consultants also requires time to prepare any necessary documentation, and many may have seasonal limitations or pre-existing commitments.
Site Services
If your site is relatively ready you're in a good position, but if you're building in a remote location, or if you need to upgrade services on site this may take time. Planning and developing power, sewer, septic, and other services also may require additional consultants and documentation, and in many cases these services should be in place before the kit-of-parts lands on site.
Local Permitting
In certain jurisdictions it can take up to 25 weeks or more to get an approved permit to build. And that's after you've gathered and prepared all relevant materials and submitted your complete application package.
Knowing which aspects typically cause delay helps to reduce stress around timelines and inform the planning process. Our team is here to guide you along the way and support you through the process.
Coming soon - the BHC Interior Specifications Guide
Our team has been hard at work crafting a dedicated interior specifications guide that focuses on recommendations for readily available interior finishings from two major national retailers - everything you need to complete your cabin interior seamlessly while staying true to the BHC aesthetic.
Soon clients building System 01 and 02 cabins will be able to purchase this guide to help build teams easily pull together the finishings and finishing touches.
Stay tuned, coming soon!
Ready to begin?
To begin your journey with The Backcountry Hut Company, please visit complete our Get Started form. You'll receive information to help you begin, answers to frequently asked questions, and a link to book a consultation with our team.