About this episode
Show Notes: Thinking about building your own house and skipping the general contractor? This episode explains how the owner‑builder approach really works: where you can save 20–40% by acting as your own GC, what responsibilities you actually take on (design decisions, scheduling, hiring subs, dealing with permits), and where a panelized kit company like Landmark steps in with plans, engineering, and ongoing support. Steve breaks down the pros (major cost savings, full control over quality, layout, and features tailored to your lifestyle and land) and the cons (time, stress, and a real learning curve), using real stories of customers who’ve built one home or many — sometimes even involving their kids in budgeting and planning. You’ll also hear how quick guidance can turn confusing building‑department demands into simple action steps, and how to decide if managing your own build is realistic for your skills, budget, and schedule.
Transcript:
Steve Tuma: Well, owner builders can be called self build. There’s a variety of different names for them, but the actual responsibility is to understand and design and build the home that you want.
Interviewer: Hello everyone, and welcome to Episode 73 of the Panelized Prefab Kit Home Building Show.
With me in the studio today, as usual, is the President and Founder of Landmark Home and Land Company, a company which has been helping people build their new homes where they want, exactly as they want, nationwide and around the globe since 1993. And that man would be Mr. Steve Tuma.
Steve, how’s it going, amigo?
Steve Tuma: It’s going great today, as always. It’s a great day. There’s always a new, exciting project, new building site, new code condition that we’re helping our customers get through and get them a cool house.
Interviewer: Cool house is cool. It’s a good thing. That’s what it’s about — not just a house, a cool house, good house for your family.
I thought today we’d broach a subject that
