Wondering if a Mandala Custom Home is right for you? Here are 20 of the most important questions we’re asked when it comes to making that decision.
To build a new home is one of the biggest and most important decisions you’ll make in your lifetime. When prospective home buyers find Mandala Custom Homes, they have a lot of questions — after all, we’re not your typical home builder!
As you consider the next home for you and your family, it’s important to be well informed to make the best choice possible, a choice that will potentially impact many years of your life. To help, here are 20 questions that are asked most often by prospective homeowners narrowing their decision-making down to a Mandala Custom round home.
The below 20 questions help to identify the various benefits – both for you and your family as well as the environment – of a Mandala Custom Home. The advantages of our unique and beautiful dwellings are pretty comprehensive to that your experience in a Mandala home is healthy, energy-efficient, and meaningful.
- Is it possible to view a Mandala Custom Home? Absolutely! We invite you to make an appointment to tour one of our Mandala Custom Homes show homes and visit our production facility. Our head office is in Nelson, British Columbia, and you can contact us to arrange a showing. These are private residences and we require advance notice to make viewing arrangements.
- Are the floor plans you have featured on the website and in the Mandala Custom Homes Plan Book the only choices available? Not at all. We are truly a custom homes home builder and the plans you see on the website are available as-is or if you like, an exciting starting point to begin the process of creating the customized home you’ve been dreaming of.
- What does a Mandala Custom Home typically cost? Generally, a Mandala Custom Homes home packages start around $100/sq.ft. How much your home costs is determined by various factors such as your choice of home plan, size, and Eco Package. The final cost of your home is also influenced by upgrades – insulation, windows (vinyl, wood, fibreglass, metal-clad) and any other available options. Take into consideration the cost of your building site and the local market when it comes to assembly and finishing labour. By and large, the Mandala Home Package represents 30-50% of the overall cost to turnkey. One of our representatives can provide you with more details.
- What is included in my Mandala Custom Homes package? Mandala Custom Homes will provide you with the weather-tight shell of your home. This includes the pre-cut floor and roof systems, exterior wall panels, structural interior walls and supports, deck timbers and joists, windows, exterior doors, central skylight, and tongue and groove interior cedar ceiling (for the main round room). Wall panels are assembled with exterior rigid insulation, rain screen, windows, pre-stained siding, and trim.
- Does a Mandala Custom Homes package include insulation? All our home packages include rigid insulation that arrives attached to the outside of the exterior wall panels. If your home is in a warm climate that doesn’t require insulation, it can be removed from your chosen home package during the design phase of the building process. It will be your local General Contractor who will supply all of the interior floor, wall, and roof insulation onsite.
- What is the Client’s responsibility during the home building process? The client works closely with the Mandala Custom Homes sales and design team to develop a design and budget aligned with the homeowner’s needs. The client hires a General Contractor to manage the building project and anything built onsite. Please note that Mandala Custom Homes does not provide for procuring permits, engineering, foundation, unloading package, assembly of the package, interior walls, exterior stairs or railings, roofing, interior finishing (other than the cedar ceiling in the main round room), or trades – electrical/plumbing/heating/mechanical.
- Who puts together my home package once it arrives at the building site? The General Contractor you’ve hired will prepare the building site, coordinate the home package assembly, and hire the required sub-contractors and trades. All interior finishing will also fall to the General Contractor.
- Must I hire a General Contractor or can I manage the build myself? Owner/builders can certainly manage the build as their own GC’s if they have the appropriate construction experience to do so.
- What is the timeline when building a Mandala Custom Home? The Mandala Custom Homes process is organized into four distinct phases:
- The Research Phase takes anywhere from one day to one year – it’s up to you!
- The Design Phase is approximately two weeks to three months, depending on the complexity of the design you’ve chosen.
- The Production Phase takes two to four months, once you have reserved your production time. Please contact us to make this reservation.
- The Finishing Phase, which will take 3 to 8 months depending on size and complexity. Ask us for a Home Owner Roadmap that explains the process in more detail.
- How long does it usually take to assemble the Mandala Custom Homes home package? Generally, you can expect a team of three or four to assemble a 1500-2000 square foot home in approximately 2-3 weeks.
- Will a Mandala Custom Home be reviewed by a professional engineer? Yes. Mandala Custom Homes works closely with Precision Structural Engineering located in Klamath Falls, Oregon. They are a licensed Engineering firm that works throughout all of North America as well as many other countries around the world. Note that the homeowner is responsible for paying the engineering retainer at the beginning of the Production Phase.
- How is a Mandala Custom Homes package delivered? All Mandala Custom Homes packages are shipped via carrier truck or shipping container from the factory, using our preferred carriers. Mandala Custom Homes packages are shipped safely and securely to many places in the world. The cost of shipping will be included in your Production Contract. Our experienced shippers at our production facility will load your home package. You will need to provide for a forklift at the building site for unloading the home package.
- What if the building site is not ready when a Mandala Custom Homes package is ready to ship? In the event the homesite is not ready the home package can be stored and shipped later. Mandala Custom Homes is able to store the home in our warehouse until the building site is ready, though charges may apply.
- What kind of foundation is most appropriate for a Mandala Custom Homes faceted round home? Fortunately, any type of foundation will work. This is due to the facets — the walls are not really curved. The walls are made of short straight sections that are four feet or longer. To promote energy efficiency, we recommend Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF), for stem walls and full basement foundations.
- Is there any support provided by Mandala Custom Homes during the assembly process?
We provide a full set of architectural and engineered drawings as well as a detailed, step-by-step Assembly Manual. Your designer is generally available by phone and email from 8 am to 4 pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday for consultation and support. The designer will send 3D images and drawings as requested. - Does a faceted round home require a special heating or cooling system? No. You can choose any conventional system for a faceted round home. Your choice of system will depend on the requirements of your home, your budget, and, of course, your climate. Passive solar, geothermal, wood, gas furnace, electric baseboards, heat pumps, and in-floor radiant heating are all great options.
- What is an HRV? And, is it required in a Mandala Custom Homes round home?
Yes. An HRV, or Heat Recovery Ventilation System, is an indoor-outdoor air exchange system. The performance home functions (Seal It Tight. Ventilate It Right) of a Mandala Custom Home require an HRV. It will keep your indoor air fresh and free of moisture. - Will I have a choice of exterior cladding material and colours?
Yes. There is a wide range of materials and colours that you can choose from for your exterior siding and trim. Aligned with Mandala Custom Homes commitment to sustainability in home building, all the stains we use are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, water-borne finishes. - What would I need to know about construction financing? It’s important to use the proper terminology in conversations with lenders. Mandala Custom Homes are custom, site-built homes – NOT manufactured or modular homes. We are a high-end supplier of pre-cut, and/or pre-assembled building components. As you make your financial plans for your building project, keep in mind that we require a 50% deposit prior to the start of production with the remainder placed in escrow at that time. Mandala Custom Homes does not provide any type of financing.
- Please explain the Mandala Custom Homes Limited Warranty? Mandala Custom Homes Inc. (MCH) designs and constructs our buildings to strict standards that ensure the long term value of your home. We provide a Limited Warranty against manufacturing defects for a period of 2 years or until the home package is assembled, whichever comes first. We also provide lifetime technical support for each home package we manufacture. See our Limited Warranty for additional details.
- What other structures does Mandala Custom Homes build? In addition to our custom home packages, Mandala Custom Homes offers just about any structure – commercial and public-use. Buildings such as retreat centres, commercial spaces, carports, garages, smaller guest cottages, sheds and outbuildings, greenhouses, gazebos, etc. Talk to us!