Your System 01 | 02 Planning Guide: Understanding Timelines

Charting Your Course: Understanding Timelines

Building your dream cabin using a prefabricated system is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it takes a good understanding of timelines to do it well. 

The key to the streamlined BHC Process and experience is in proper planning when it comes to assembling your team, securing permits, and preparing your site.

BHC's timelines are based on planning and fabrication schedules and vary by System. System 01 and System 02 kits are crafted by our team to order and ship directly from one of our three fabrication centres across North America. Each take about nine to twelve months to plan and three months to craft.

Here's some helpful information to acquire that will give a better sense of your project's specific timing in the early stages of your planning: 

• The timelines of the different required consultants to complete their efforts.

  • Quick Tip: Hiring a geotechnical consultant early in the project timeline can be advantageous to avoid drawing out the build. Geotechnical engineers conduct site investigations to assess soil composition, stability, and other geologic factors that could affect construction. This evaluation helps determine the feasibility of building on the site and informs foundation design.

• What interior specifications you may want - it's never too early to get ahead on the interior design process so that it doesn't hold you up later on.

  • Quick Tip: Our Interior Specifications have been designed to support builders of our System 01 and 02 kits, and offers a complete list of the materials and products required to seamlessly complete the interior of each cabin in an efficient, consistent, and integrated manner. The guide will be offered for FREE to clients who sign a contract for a System 01 or 02 cabin in 2024.

• How long it will take to achieve zoning and permitting approvals from your local jurisdictions. 

  • Quick Tip: Look for zoning consultants, permit expeditors, land use planners, and development consultants in your area. There are consultants and firms specialized in navigating the zoning and permitting process for construction projects. These consultants often have expertise in understanding local regulations, liaising with government agencies, and ensuring compliance with zoning laws and building codes. 

• What your General Contractor's availability is and how long they will take to complete the job given the scope.

  • Quick Tip: Look for contractors with a solid track record of completing projects on time and within budget. By doing your due diligence upfront, you can minimize the risk of delays and ensure a smoother construction process.

From Plans to Progress: Developing Project Timelines & Milestones

Later in the process, after you and a member from our team have a detailed discussion to ensure you have a thorough understanding of the what to expect and have confirmed available financial resources, we’ll invite you to sign the BHC Agreement. Once signed, we will introduce you to a BHC Project Manager who will work with you to develop two timelines:

1. BHC Target Feasibility Schedule - Outlines deliverables and targets related to executing the build.

2. BHC Order Contract Schedule - Communicates specifics about fabrication timelines and key deadlines related to shipping and delivery.

These schedules map out your journey all the way to delivery, guiding you through every twist and turn.

We hope that this breakdown of timelines has helped define the "when" that you can expect while working with BHC as you dream and define the vision for your own cabin.

All of this information and more is readily available on our website, we encourage you to read through our Project Handbook and System Catalogs or click the button below to learn more.

Complete your Interior Aesthetically, Efficiently, and Cost-effectively!

In our last journal we shared our perspective on the many benefits of building your dream cabin using a prefabricated system. From sustainability to ease-of-assembly and efficiencies across the board, the pros are clear! One of the additional benefits of building specifically with BHC's prefab systems includes access to the time- and money-saving Interiors Specifications Guide. 

Our Interiors Specifications Guide has been designed to support builders of our System 01 and 02 kits, and offers a complete list of the materials and products required to seamlessly complete the interior of each cabin in an efficient, consistent, and integrated manner.

NEW for 2024: this guide is included with the purchase of every System 01 and System 02 cabin! We're excited to make this valuable resource available free of charge to support our cabin builders in completing their projects with ease and success.

This easy-to-use guide focuses on detailed recommendations for readily available interior finishings, fixtures, and appliances from IKEA and Home Depot, with customized and itemized lists specific to both Canada and the United States. 

In developing this guide, we prioritized a series of defining features:

• Integrated: All materials and finishings have been selected to integrate efficiently with BHC's 10-foot modules, resulting in a conscious use of space that makes the most of your floor plan. We have selected products from reliable, trusted manufacturers. The result is a professionally coordinated total design solution.

• Efficient: Using our recommended materials and finishes streamlines the often time-consuming process of researching, selecting, and purchasing interior finishing elements.

• Customizable: Our range of modular options offer flexibility and a customizable experience, allowing you to choose the products and finishes that best suit your preferences and needs.

• Compliant: The materials in our manual are compliant with common North American building codes, which helps your project succeed when it comes to inspections and permits.

• Easy-to-Use: Our Interior Specification package has been considerately designed to be straightforward, with a user-friendly checklist system to help track selections and estimate costs to keep you on budget.

• Aesthetic: Our recommended interior finishings have been thoughtfully curated with the support of our award-winning architectural partner Leckie Studio, resulting in an interior package designed to seamlessly integrate with the BHC aesthetic.

• Comprehensive: Designed to cover all aspects of your interior fit-out, our manual includes detailed specifications for kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, lighting, wall and flooring finishes, and supplemental features including fireplaces and furniture.

• Accessible: Goods have been sourced from nationwide vendors with distribution and delivery available to virtually every destination in Canada and the United States.

• Cost-Effective: All interior finishings have been selected intentionally to offer high value and enduring performance at an attainable price point, and allow you to avoid adding an additional budget for Interior Design services.

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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.

The Benefits of Building Prefab

BHC's goal is to empower cabin lovers to build recreational structures easily in virtually any remote location, with small hands-on teams and a high degree of fidelity. Our values are rooted in innovation and our cabin prefabricated solutions are designed to help you build easily, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

Comparing the cost of building a cabin using traditional methods versus prefabricated systems involves considering various factors that contribute to the overall expense of construction. While the cost can vary depending on location, materials, labour rates, and specific design requirements, we can provide a general overview of the cost comparison between these two approaches:

Material Costs 
Your prefabricated BHC system is prepared to order, and the exact materials needed to build your cabin will arrive on site, minimizing waste associated with traditional building. This benefits the environment and your budget - your material costs are known up front and remain constant. You also benefit from the economies of scale built into our fabrication process, versus the one-off approach to an individual custom build. The BHC kit-of-parts comes with everything needed to assemble your exterior shell, and our Interior Specifications Guide provides an itemized list of easy-to-obtain goods to finish your cabin cost-effectively. This also minimizes scope creep due to increased material costs accumulated over a longer project arc.

Labour Costs
Labour is typically one of the largest line items in a construction project budget, encompassing skilled labour for on-site fabrication, assembly, and construction aspects. It's also a highly variable cost, depending on labour availability, the variety of skilled trades needed, and your project's duration. Building with a prefabricated system means your cabin is fabricated off-site and arrives ready to be assembled, reducing the need for on-site and specialized labour. Our systems also come with a complete step-by-step guide, meaning your building team will be well-armed with the information needed to seamlessly assemble the kit.

Construction Time
A traditional custom cabin build involves a longer construction timeline due to the nature of on-site fabrication. Delays caused by weather, site conditions, and coordination issues can further prolong the construction process. When you build using a BHC System, your kit-of-parts is manufactured off-site and arrives ready for assembly. The streamlined process and reduced reliance on on-site fabrication can significantly shorten the overall construction timeline, accelerating the project's completion.

Customization and Complexity
Our larger Systems are designed with a high degree of customization in mind, from selecting your number of 185 sq. ft. modules, and choosing a variety of decks, end glazing options, floorplans, flex bays, and more. A traditional build can be customized in innumerable ways - an advantage that comes at a significant cost in the form of time in the planning, design, and construction phases, complexity, and potential for time and budget overruns.

Sustainability
Prefabrication reduces material waste by optimizing the use of resources, and shipping ther kit-of-parts as a total package reduces the environmental impact of getting materials to site. Our Systems are developed with the intentional use of sustainable materials and design principles, in alignment with environmentally conscious practices and our brand values. Overall, prefabricated systems offer a more sustainable approach to building, helping to conserve resources and reduce the ecological footprint of construction projects.

While both traditional and prefabricated methods have their advantages and disadvantages, prefabricated cabin systems offer cost savings due to efficiencies in material usage, labour, and construction time. A specific cost comparison will depend on various factors unique to each project, and it's essential to consider the full scope of requirements and budget constraints when selecting the most suitable construction approach.

We invite you to explore our most recent Case Studies to understand the specific budgets for these individual and varied projects: the San Juan Islands Cabin, the Great Lakes Cabin, the Golden Cabin (shown), and the Catskills Cabin.