Kodiak Steel Homes – Should You Choose Them For Your Build?
Image courtesy of Kodiak Steel Homes.
Prefabricated steel homes offer fast, precise, cost-effective, and sustainable construction benefits. However, you’ll only enjoy these benefits if you rely on an experienced contractor knowledgeable in federal and state government building codes.
Kodiak Steel Homes is among the options you’ll probably come across, and you might wonder whether this contractor is worth your time and money.
Kodiak Steel Homes builds prefabricated homes using a pre-engineered steel framing system. The frames are customized to match a client’s interior and exterior aesthetics without compromising quality and durability. The company designs its homes to withstand hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes.
Read on as I take you through the Kodiak Steel Homes review. From history and pros and cons to their recycled steel option, I’ll help you decide if this company is ideal for your build.
Kodiak Steel Homes History
Kodiak Steel Homes was born out of the desire to build strong enough structures to withstand Mother Nature’s powerful storms.
At the time of the company’s inception, it was realized that houses built with traditional building methods couldn’t withstand strong storms like hurricanes.
Consequently, Kodiak Steel Homes was established in 1979 under the name Heritage Building Systems to solve this problem.
After its inception, the company began prefabricating and selling steel houses for commercial purposes.
It became a household name in the steel building industry within a year due to its dedication to making and supplying the best houses to help clients achieve their needs.
At first, the company specialized in steel houses for commercial use. However, they realized that most customers were using all or part of their commercial steel buildings for residential purposes.
After research, the firm realized that most people were converting their commercial steel houses into residences to save money. They also did this to reap the benefits of steel buildings over traditional stick-built homes.
All Steel Homes Incorporation
After the 1992 storm Hurricane Hugo destroyed many properties and buildings in Carolina, the company’s customers reported that most of their steel buildings had weathered the storm without damage.
The report reinforced the company’s intention of incorporating residential steel buildings into its designs. Consequently, John House was tasked with creating steel homes using similar principles to withstand natural calamities while staying within budget. That’s how Heritage All Steel Homes came into being.
Heritage All Steel Homes broke away from the parent company in 2003 to streamline its operations.
The family sold its two commercial building companies — Steel Building and Heritage, in 2004 to NCI LP of Houston.
After that, the family was only left with the All Steel Homes company as they believed it was the future of residential construction. They changed its name to Kodiak Steel Homes to distinguish it from competitors and symbolize its virtues.
The Company’s Products
Kodiak Steel Homes designs, builds, and supplies steel buildings that resemble conventional homes. However, its homes are designed to be highly durable to withstand calamities like:
- Earthquakes
- Tornados
- Termites
- Hurricanes
- Molds
- Fires
The company uses its unique steel framing system to craft safe, attractive homes.
The frames offer clients more interior space since you don’t need load-bearing walls in steel building structures.
Kodiak Steel Homes ensures its houses meet smart investment standards in the following ways:
- Energy efficiency
- Green building
- Low maintenance
- Long-lasting
- Durable steel framing
The company boasts an extensive catalog for architects, homeowners, and builders.
Each home is built with top-quality steel frames engineered to transcend the drawbacks of wood-frame houses.
Besides the excellent steel framing package, you can go for the company’s residential steel siding and roofing for a quality, low-maintenance structure.
Finally, Kodiak Steel Homes offers a radiant barrier insulated wrap for extra energy savings. Therefore, this is your go-to option to save energy and, thus, your bills.
The table below shows a few of the company’s models:
| Model Name | Outlook | Square Footage |
| Aspen |  | 2,805 to 4,216 |
| Augusta |  | 3,876 to 4,560 |
| Autumn View |  | 1,485 to 3,000 |
| Chenal |  | 2,715 to 3,517 |
| Crestwood | | 2,589 to 3,891 |
| Georgetown |  | 2,400 |
| Meadowbrook |  | 5,754 |
| Leabrook | | 3,098 |
Pros of Kodiak Steel Homes
Before investing in Kodiak Steel Homes, you want to know what sets it apart from other industry players.
Here are this company’s advantages:
Financing
Home construction is one of the most expensive investments in the U.S. As such, it can be hard to cover the entire cost from your savings.
Luckily, Kodiak Steel Homes offers financing options to qualifying customers to make purchasing easier.
By partnering with New Century Bank, a steel homes specialist for centuries, the company offers a fixed interest rate and fast processing to make purchasing easier for customers.
You’ll only be required to make a down payment as low as 10%.
Strength and Durability
Steel is the most common metal in construction due to its strength and durability.
Moreover, steel components used in construction are lighter than wood, making them easier to lift and install.
Kodiak Steel Homes uses high-quality steel frames that meet the US Building Code standards. Therefore, it builds all homes with safety and quality in mind.
Engineered Steel Framing System
The company custom-engineers its steel frames to withstand natural calamities and offer value for money.
The best part is that all its steel framing systems are certified by a licensed engineer before delivery.
Moreover, all homes are designed to meet local building code standards.
Energy Efficiency
According to the Department of Energy, air conditioners are among the highest energy consumers, using about six percent of the country’s electricity. Consequently, they account for approximately $29 billion of homeowners’ expenditure yearly.
Living in an insulated home like the ones from Kodiak Steel Homes will help reduce your demand for air conditioning. Consequently, you’ll save a lot of money on energy bills.
Eco-Friendliness
Kodiak Steel Homes promotes eco-friendly construction by using recycled steel.
Recycled steel conserves between 60 and 74% of the energy used to produce virgin steel. Moreover, it mitigates the negative environmental impacts of manufacturing new steel. These impacts include:
- Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions
- Land degradation
- Soil erosion
- Air, water, and land pollution
Although wood may be considered a renewable material, trees take a long time to grow after being cut. Therefore, recycled steel is a more environmentally friendly option for conserving trees.
Besides being environmentally friendly, recycled steel used by Kodiak Steel Homes is vital in promoting a family’s health.
Steel is free of toxic and irritating chemicals used in wood treatment. Thus, it decreases exposure to toxic fumes, irritants, and particles, the primary triggers for asthma and respiratory-related conditions.
Cons of Kodiak Steel Homes
As with anything else, Kodiak Steel Homes is not without its drawbacks. Here are the cons you should be aware of:
Mixed Reports of Customer Support Service
While the company does its best to offer high-quality homes, some customers have complained of slow customer service response.
This could be because Kodiak Steel Homes handles multiple projects simultaneously, making it hard to respond promptly.
However, customers have noted that although it may take a little bit longer to get customer support responses, the company eventually responds to all queries. Therefore, your patience is key here.
Building Code Compliance
Customers have complained about the company’s homes not meeting building code requirements in some states like California.
However, Lampert Dias Architects, an experienced architectural firm in California, confirms that the state has some of the strongest building codes in the U.S. Therefore, meeting these stringent regulations can be challenging for any company, including Kodiak Steel Homes.
That said, it’s recommended to collaborate with a certified engineer to ensure your house meets the local building code requirements.
Should You Choose Kodiak Steel Homes for Your Build?
Building a house is not a walk in the park, and your home’s quality and safety are paramount. You need to be confident in these factors before investing your hard-earned money.
Kodiak Steel Homes is an ideal option for those looking to invest in a safe, comfortable, and durable home.
The company’s steel frames are strong; therefore, you won’t have to worry about peeling paint and wood rot.
However, Kodiak Steel Homes might not be your best bet if you have limited time. Some people have reported online that its customer support can sometimes be slow to respond.
