I want to add that we DO have financing for this and they look totally convientional on the outside such as brick or hardiplank or what ever you wish to use on the exterior.
If any of you have watched the HGTV show 19 kids and counting (I still don't understand how they can have that many LOL) they built from Kodiak. And just for info there are some amazing stories and video on this sight about Katrina and Andrew and some other storm stories.
Sunny

Here is a link that might be useful: Kodiak Steel homes

Looking at these too. We also live in Texas. Because of the elements we have to tear down our house and rebuild.
Have you had any contacts on your request this past year?

Sandy

I have just finished building a Kodiak steel home (agusta 2475 sqft). I had absolutely no building experience (I am an electronic engineer). I hired the red iron, rough plumbing, roof, and concrete work done. I did everything else all by myself with a little help from my wife. Working after work about 4 hours a day and on weekends, it took two years, but I'm finally done. It went really well. Dealing with Kodiak was great. No problems at all. I did call them a couple of times for help interpreting the plans. Steve and others helped me, and I mean allot. Not only did they answer my questions, they often gave me tips on easier ways to do things and went the extra mile to help me out. They were interested in my experiences and were going to make some changes based on the problems I had. My experience was nothing but good. Of course I don't live in California or even in city limits for that matter. My wife and I love the house.

can someone recommend a builder, we looking to build steel home in Manvel TX

We are in the middle of working with Kodak on our home and we are having the same issue that VIPIN19 is having... Very unimpressed so far and extremely frustrated!

This is a very informative discussion....As an architect in California and soon also in Hawaii, I have been looking at Kodiak Homes as a possible option for building a house more quickly then conventional wood framing......I have been impressed with the idea of an all steel home and prefabricated parts shipped to the site........... Now that I have read the problems that others have had in California, where our codes are very stringent, I realize that Kodiak may not be sophisticated enough for states with stronger codes such as California and Hawaii....

I have also been looking at another steel prefabricated system called Bone Structure. They do custom products and are already building homes in California. I know that they will be more expensive then Kodiak, but they may be worth looking into.......

I put the 10%down as well, but haven't been able to get anyone to answer the phone for a month and I've left messages. Did this company go out of business?

We have talked with Steve at Kodiak periodically over the past year, he has always been helpful and knowledgeable about all the questions we have had. So far so good.

We are in the beginning stages of researching steel homes and were also looking at Kodiak Steel Homes. I am very interested in how this all turned out and what you sunnny think about your house now.

Dealing with them cost us extra money, as well as time, and stress. Biggest mistake we've made!!!!

Lori thank you replying! Would be interested in more information.

I've been researching Kodiak steel homes for well over a year now. After several months of trying to contact someone,..anyone..lol, I was finally contacted by Steve who gave me his personal number to contact him if I had any further questions. Customer service is great when you're able to speak to a human..lol. The only problem I've seen thus far is that Kodiak is too well established not to have more sales people on staff. I live in Montgomery Alabama and to be honest, there are no comparable company's to Kodiak where I live that can give my husband and I the security and low maintenance we want in our forever home. My best advice is to stalk Steve until you get his private number..lol. Btw, my initial question to Steve was " Can we convert the 2 story home that we chose from the website to a single story and leave the rafters exposed? His answer was " Of course, and you can also paint them or cover them with real or faux beams!". It took me a couple months to get that answer, but I was so happy at the answer. My husband and I don't want to climb any stairs as we get older or if any of our parents need to stay with us down the line, we don't want them climbing stairs either.

I have been looking at their web site. I have done several "how much will this cost" scenarios. I do notice that as you are making selections, there is a wide variety of code standards to select from. I wonder if those of you with code issues made a mistake when selecting which codes YOUR plans should adhere to? There are over a dozen selections. I guess a person needs to check local code standards and then see if Kodiak supports that code standard. I am in California, but will be building in Texas. I will check with a local builder regarding code standards, and then check those standards against the list provided by Kodiak.

I also just got done researching Red Iron Steel and its' benefits. I think it is great. Better than Bone Structure. Longer spans, and it seems Bone Structure is more interested in building high end, read expensive, show pieces, than economical homes. Build the frame of the structure with heavy Red Iron Steel, and fill in the rest with galvanized metal studs. Sounds good to me, plus they have a nice selection of homes designed to use their building method.

For those interested. i have decided to use Kodiak for a 2 story SFR in Ca. I've been in contact with Brad and Andy. Sp far the experience has really good. We signed to agreement for them to produce the architectural plans . I've researched other pre-built providers steel and non-steel. After an exhaustive search, Kodiak looks have the best combination of cost/design and value. Gigacrete /Eco steel / LTH Steel and stillwater Prefab are a few I used to compare. I'll post periodic updates,

Would love to hear any updates on any CA builds.

This thread is only 9.5 years old...!

Update on KSH in CA project. We are still in the design reivew phase with the city. So far KSH has been okay to work with, the customer service has been good. You want to be aware they do not provide many services you will need to get project approved in CA, such as ; site plans/ landscaping plans/ vicinty map/ drainage plans/ shadow studies etc. They dont detail the entry doorway that most cities require because the do not build porches/ deck or overhangs etc. The fact that they dont provide those services would not deter me from using them again (Base on my experience so far). Next time I would have a local desinger review their drawings and make reccomendations. most designers will include what the city will need, saving you a lot of time a headache.

I’m glad this thread is recent and you live in California. I too I’m building a home in California. I’m in the southern part of California and have been working with my city. I’m curious to see what obstacles we are going to run into with our build. I look forward To any updates you have.

HU-411589224, how did your home building experience turn out? Have you moved in?

Yalonda Patterson, did you decide to build with Kodiak?

update in KSH in 2020 Ca. Okay my prior passing suggestion about using a local designer, is now a Must. I made, what i thought were minor changes to one of their standard models. KSH had a hard time making minor changes which extended the time it took to get city design approval. This delay was extened even further when I couldn't get KSH to get the engineering done in a timely manner, this all snowballed so badly I ended up hiring an outside engineer to complete the Structural Calc's for THEIR DESIGN!... ridiculous. For those of you who don’t know the new Building codes in CA for 2020 will require solar panels, among other expensive items. I needed to beat that deadline, I did so by hiring an outside engineer. Late Jan of 2020 I received the first set of responses/ correction requests from the city (I expect a total of 2 city requests for correction before getting my Building permit). The outside engineer finished his reply in about 2 1/2 weeks, mid feb. Its now 03-09-2020. I'm still waiting for KSH to answer their part before I can move forward.

Also things to think about that I didn't anticipate. I don’t consider myself a novice but I'm no contractor either. So, when I was asked simple question like "how are you connecting the overhang to the home? How are you waterproofing that connection or "does your window size comply with Ca fire code ( the fire department’s minimum escape requirements). These are just a few questions that KSH was not able to help me effectively answer. As frustrated as I am with this process, I won’t throw KSH under the bus ...yet. But if you're considering using KSH do so with caution.

I'm glad to see there's still activity on this post. I really like their Lakeside A frame. Been on a crusade to find someone to build one for me in SE NC area. After the big storm that went through there not too interested in getting too close to the water for obvious reasons. I have lived in Florida all my life done with worrying about termites. I have not found anyone in North Carolina that has built one of these and I'm told there will have to be cash upfront because builders would fear not being able to sell it if I could not finish the project. I like what I see on Kodiak's web site I don't foresee any need to mess with anything on the 1500 sq Lakeside A. If anyone knows some names in NC I'd appreciate hearing from you! (New Bern, Pollocksville, Maysvill, Richlands, vicinity)

@HU-411589224, um, well... I think I just saw that bus go by. haha.

Were you able to work things out and move forward with your build?

@Lampert Dias Architects, Inc., 5 years later, I'm wondering if you ever pursued Bone Structure.

I'm in southern California now and would like to build "something other-than-stick-frame", so researching various options for builders with CA code experience.

Have been considering straw bale, as well.

Roger in Phoenix

I have never used Bone Structure, but I did see a wonderful project that they built in Laguna Beach with the architect, Anders Lassiter.

We are doing two projects using ICF's (Insulated Concrete Forms) This is very sustainable and fire resistant construction. I highly recommend that you look at it.

Christine

I was very interested in purchasing a steel building. I spoke with Ray even went as far as hiring an engineer for $4000. Throughout the entire process, I felt as I was an inconvenience. I told them my wife was in charge of plans and they said no thanks. This is the only steel company I’ve ever spoken with that won’t give me any pricing unless I have my building plans 100% completed by a professional Architect. I’m assuming their prices are much higher because they made it very hard to find out what it would run before a building. There are a lot of other options and companies that want your business I do not recommend this company as they are rude, disrespectful and ungrateful.

@houzz://user/webuser_411589224 were you ever able to iron out the issues and get your Kodiak project completed?

@Lampert Dias Architects, Inc. We toured an Open House hosted by Bone Structure in Palo Alto CA last week and were very impressed with their product. The team was very knowledgeable, helpful, and really a joy to talk with.

We're in the process of considering them and a few others for our build in Santa Rosa CA. They may turn out to be beyond our budget, but their product and process is impressive and their designs are quite appealing.

Would you care to share the outcomes of your ICF builds?

I also am impressed with Bone Structure, although we haven't used them yet. Our ICF projects tend to be more expensive than conventional framing as well. I do like the ICF construction.

It would be interesting to hear which direction you choose.

@Lampert Dias Architects, Inc. We haven't yet settled on a framing product, but have just decided Bone Structure is out of budget. That's a shame, because the product is very impressive and Architect Sarah Ebner does amazing designs. Having already invested more in our land than we initially intended too, we can't justify the extra cost over other products under consideration.

Currently, we're researching two Structural Insulated Panel products. We're liking what we read about Extreme Panel, but we're in Northern CA, they're quite a distance from us, and they don't seem to have done any projects here. (Not to say we couldn't be a first, but again, need to consider costs).

Is there a specific ICF product you work with?

I was not able to complete the build with Kodiak. I went through 2 years of back and forth with their draftsman for what I considered minor changes (like making the windows equidistant from each other). I don't think they have an architect on staff (as of 2021), They make their renderings in a program called Revit, which you can learn at the local college in less than one year (most architects use AutoCAD). Through my 2-year ordeal with them I got the impression they are just a middleman, which is why they can't give firm prices or firm timelines and why it takes so long for minor changes. I am having my build converted back to a conventional wood frame home. I would not recommend Kodiak UNLESS

1) you don't want any changes to their plans at all.

2) You're building in an area that is not heavily regulated, such as a rural area. If you expect them to get through typical city planning dept. your already screwed.

3) you are prepared for the things they can't help you with (soils report/ engineering/ title 24)

I wanted to give them a fair review. so, I should mention that I requested a modification to what they offered on their website (Which they agreed would not be a problem) but in doing so I had to hire my own engineer and I took a class at the local college to help with the minor changes the city was asking for I.e. windows egress, door width, stair width etc. I hope this helps you make an informed decision.

I built one starting back in 2014. And I still live in it. I am an electrical engineer but I have had significant building design experience working as a draftsman for a commercial fire sprinkler company thru college and later in industrial plant construction. And still later, having rebuilt or remodeled 9 houses and one new other steel frame house back in '85 made by another company called Tri Steel.

So, I agree with some of what the poster above has said. I had a number of problems with delivery. I did build in a county outside the Austin metro area that at that time had absolutely no regulations whatsoever if you had more than 10 acres. I had them make me an adaptation of one of their simple layouts and added my own porch and a 1600 sf lean to addition for a total of 4k sf, using standard metal building rules. I was able to buy just the metal frame and supply all my own other components.

If I had to do it again, I would just design the entire thing myself and then maybe find a structural engineer to review and edit. The frame was built by a company down in Houston and I went down there to pick it up myself. I could have had this fabbed directly for maybe 10K less.

Now, I don't see what issues a county like Travis could complain about as compared to a crappy conventional kiln dried wood and OSB constructed frame as these frames are massive overkill and the wood structures are garbage. But I built the 1st steel home in Fulton Co, GA (of Fani Willis fame) and, yes, the people that work in those depts are ridiculous and asinine. Overall, I pretty pleased with the way it turned out. Except for the raw core frame, I had no plans for this and designed the entire thing in my head as I went and was able to find good deals on materials and so was able to do top shelf quality on a shoestring. I built the entire thing myself (with a few laborers on weekends. I bought my own heavy equipment and dug a basement which is nearly unheard of in TX.

Well, it took me 5 yrs get it livable and I'm still doing some small things inside, but I was simultaneously building a 10-stall horse stable with an upstairs loft. and a house for chickens, iron stairs up the stable loft, iron pipe fences, irrigation systems......

Ok, sorry for the ramble, but the point is, if your up to the type of thing I described then, at least the concept is for you and if you are creative you can find ways to do what they do without them.

I would like to build another (designing the frame myself) as my ultimate dream, but at nearly 70, I'm pretty much done with it all. My place is a mix between traditional TX ranch style and English country style (all stone exterior and a chimney on each end). I'd like to build a large purely English style 2 story with wings, but that's for my next life.......