Side by side
| Stick-built | Precut / panelized | Modular | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the parts are cut | On site | Ahead of time, to plan | Ahead of time |
| What arrives on the truck | Raw lumber | Cut, labeled parts in stages | Finished boxes |
| Who assembles it | Carpenters on site | Carpenters on site | Crane crew, then finishers |
| Crane needed | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Fits narrow city lots | Yes | Yes | Often hard: street and crane access |
| Changes to layout | Anytime (slow, costly) | Before cutting | Before production |
| Looks like | A house | A house | A house, often boxy proportions |
Stick-built: the traditional way
Most LA houses are built this way. Lumber arrives in bulk, carpenters measure and cut on site, and materials are ordered as the job goes. It’s flexible, but slow: crews wait for deliveries, offcuts end up in dumpsters, and mistakes are fixed by hand.
Modular: built as boxes
Modules are built in a controlled setting, then trucked and craned onto a foundation. It can be fast once the boxes ship, but narrow streets, power lines and tight properties make delivery hard in much of Los Angeles, and box sizes shape the design.
Precut: traditional building, planned to the last screw
This is how we build. The house is designed in full detail first. Every piece is cut to that plan and labeled with where it goes, then delivered as each stage begins. Carpenters frame it on site, the same trades finish it, and the city inspects it like any other house.
What you get is a traditional home that spends less time waiting. Our partners have built more than 160 homes in Los Angeles this way, many of them 10 to 15 years old now.
Which is right for you?
If you’re buying a finished home, the method matters mostly for time and price, because the result should be a code-built house either way. Ask any builder three questions: how is it built, how long will it take, and can I visit one they finished years ago? We’ll show you ours. Book a visit or read do precut homes last?
Questions people ask
Is a precut home the same as a modular home?
No. A modular home arrives as finished sections. A precut home arrives as labeled parts and is framed on site, like a traditional house.
Do precut homes look different?
No. They use the same foundations, framing lumber and finishes as a custom home. Once built, they can't be told apart.
Are they inspected the same way?
Yes. They're built to the same California building code and inspected by the city at each stage.