(Renderings | Courtesy of SUNSHINE Cottage Home)
A Bend-based businessman is emulating the earlier entrepreneurial ingenuity for delivering attainable and sustainable housing options to the masses — this time in an effort to provide a creative solution to the nation’s widespread affordable housing crisis, in the form of build-it-yourself option — SUNSHINE Cottage Home kits.
In keeping with the philosophy of the original 15c McDonalds hamburger — which offered minimal addition options such as a pickle or pinch of sauce, “a hamburger in 30-seconds not 30-minutes” — or Henry Ford’s no-frills Model T’s, built originally from one every 18-hours to one every 90-seconds, “an automobile for the multitudes” which were the first to have interchangeable parts that offered a cheaper people’s alternative for automobiles that were previously typically the preserve of the wealthy. Bill Sagona has launched SUNSHINE Cottage Homes with the mission of delivering a “truly affordable” housing alternative, “A home for the multitudes.”
Sagona says his Eureka moment was a recollection of the early 1900’s Sears kit homes initiative that was the inspiration for the idea of providing a very modern version of that concept that would delivery truly affordable workforce housing, which has come to fruition with his SUNSHINE Cottage Home. All models ranging in price from around $22,997 to $58,777 and all that can be delivered to any build site in north America fast (Mexico, U.S. and Canada), and assembled by our customer — the end user whom could act as their own builder— or even choose to outsource a portion or the entire build project to a local, licensed general contractor GC whom could completely build the home in two-months, pending building permit inspector schedules.
Between 1908 and 1942, the Sears Roebuck company sold more than 70,000 mail order catalog homes with 370 different designs built in locations all over the country. Sears home kits were shipped via boxcar and came with a 75-page instruction book, with each kit containing 10,000–30,000 pieces and blueprints drawn with the novice homebuilder in mind, listing each numbered framing member and its precise placement.
Compared to conventional construction at that time, homeowners saved about 30 percent by building their own home from a kit. Some 50 percent of the Sears kit homes were built by the homeowner and the balance were professionally built, or outsourced at additional labor cost.
Sagona’s vision is a simplification of that idea and in a bid to minimize costs and increase speed of delivery he offers two floor plans, four-models in total. Model A-600sf, two-bedroom, one full size bathroom. Model B-468sf, one bedroom, one full size bathroom. Model C-468sf Room Kit, which enables our customer to add space as their needs or budgets grow over time. Model D-468sf, for our homeless neighbors.
Sagona’s innovative forward-thinking efficiently designed and engineered homes for the 21st Century and beyond will come delivered with less than 3,500 pieces, 100 percent of everything needed to complete the home, including the kitchen sink.
All SUNSHINE Cottage Homes can also be upgraded with the option to choose an innovative earthquake fire resistant, steel framing, roof truss, floor joist system. A second upgrade option is also available, where one could add a complete 100 percent off-the-grid TESLA Powerwall, solar cells, state of the art system including a wind turbine system and Honda back up power generator.
All SUNSHINE Cottage Homes are shipped to any build site in North America with literally everything needed. (These are not shell homes with just framing). These homes includes all framing-roof truss- floor joist and exterior siding, electrical and plumbing materials, insulation, paint with interior toxic absorbing paint additive, stack washer/dryer, kitchen with full size energy star appliances, stove, refrigerator with granite counter tops and subway tile backsplash, heating system, broom mop and pantry closet, flooring, full size bathroom with tub-shower, bathroom window, vanity sink with granite counter top and subway tile backsplash, 36 inch wide wheel chair walker accessible bathroom door, 11 foot high pitch interior textured ceilings, seven to eight windows, canned ceiling LED lighting throughout with dimmer switches, wall floor and window molding throughout, plantation white blinds throughout, IoT enabled. Certified stamped pre-engineered to higher building codes standard master blueprints, (land, labor, foundation, excavation, permits are all extra).
All SUNSHINE Home Kits are delivered shrink-wrapped on pallets via flat-bed transport directly to the customers build site via the closest The Home Depot store.
Sagona says, “We have also differentiated ourselves from the traditional home builders even further by addressing four very unique and virtually unmet local and national market applications.1) ADU accessory dwelling units otherwise know as a granny flat, both Model A-600, B-468 and C-468 qualify. 2) “Workforce Starter homes” built on their own lot enable the owner to add living space to their property as their needs and budgets grow over time. 3) SUNSHINE Cottage Home Communities that utilize same Models A-600, B-468, C-468 drive the individual home price down even further. 4) SUNSHINE Cottage Home Model D-468 Communities exclusively priced for our homeless neighbors and developed outside the NIMBY roadblock issue. Cites like Seattle currently spend $1,064,327,303 plus every year servicing their regions homeless population with temporary, unsustainable solutions.
“Our pre-engineered homes are great for homeowners seeking to generate additional monthly income. The ADU application in particular will provide the home owner whom qualifies based on available building space in their back yard including their local city “setback” requirements to accomplish three major objectives. 1) potential to generate additional hundreds to thousands of dollars in monthly income profits from renting out the ADU. 2) Increase their overall property value and net worth by adding a new structure. 3) Provide truly affordable new housing solutions to people in need within their community.
“Our SUNSHINE Cottage Homes are deliberately designed and engineered to address multiple applications at once, offered in only two-sizes / floor plans that all utilize the exact same materials, appliances, window, doors and fixture SKUS (Like the Henry Ford Model T). This enables all our orders to be easily and quickly processed repeatedly at the lowest possible price. By designing our “cookie cutter” housing model that engages predictable redundancy and muscle memory will enable faster assembly of orders, a faster delivery, a faster build and a faster permitting process. In addition, the customers building site can be prepared concurrently in advance of their delivery too because the foundations are always the same. (Land, excavation, permits, system hook up etc. not included in model pricing.)
“We also offer our customers an option to customize their home. The customer can choose to personally select ten custom choices that will also affect the price by upgrading or downgrading their selection against the original selection. (The custom option is an all ten or nothing choice, or one would simply accept our stylish modern contemporary selections.) Those ten custom category options are. 1) choose exterior roofing composite shingle type and color. 2) choose exterior siding type and paint colors. 3) choose exterior window shutters style and color. 4) choose exterior man door style and color. 5) choose kitchen great room flooring. 6) choose bathroom flooring. 7) choose interior wall and trim molding paint. 8) choose refrigerator. 9) choose stove oven. 10) Choose kitchen counter tops, cabinets and hardware. Customers does not have option to change the floor plan design or square footage.”
Sagona says he will save his customers a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of headaches and frustration. There is no architect or engineer to locate, interview, hire and design the home. “You also save months and thousands of hours selecting hundreds of parts SKU’s (Stock Keeping Units/product identification code) assembling thousands of pieces for all building materials, windows, doors, electrical and plumbing materials, colors, fixtures and appliances, receiving and deciding on multiple quotes from multiple suppliers, engineering to high IRC, IBC, CBC building codes,” Sagona said. “We have done all this for you in order to provide a truly affordable home fast virtually anyone can truly afford.
“Our high social impact mission is, Deliver Sustainable Superior Homes To The World Faster For Less. We are focused on people who have been priced out of the dream of home ownership.
“The U.S. and the world are suffering from a truly affordable housing crisis. Affordable, decent “workforce housing” and “starter homes” are in high demand, yet that demand is not being met. With average home prices nationally at $362,400.00 and some 40 percent of Americans (131,179,000) can’t afford housing, food and other basic needs, something needs to be done now.”
Sagona said he started thinking about how to tackle this housing challenge partly out of the desire to build his own home himself that he could truly afford, and built his company on what he wanted to see for others too which was not offered elsewhere. “The market has responded overwhelmingly very positively to this new housing concept. Our ability to provide truly affordable lower home mortgage payments is particularly appealing to lower and middle-income wage earners whom are looking for a permanent affordable housing solution and for more money in their bank accounts at the end of each month. In addition, our SUNSHINE Cottage Homes in fact will provide a permanent and truly affordable solution for anyone else whom just wishes to downsize to a smaller home that is easier to maintain and also great for our planet and for future unborn generations.
“Over the last year I did a lot of research on materials costs in great detail and found a tremendous amount of inefficiency and high profit mark-up in the traditional home building space. Even modular factory-built homes are expensive which also take months to produce and deliver just one home. We, however, are not bound by the capital expensive overheads, tradition home construction model and their production bottlenecks. We have the ability to deliver thousands of our pre-engineered ready to go, right off the shelf SUNSHINE Cottage Homes to the entire marketplace per month.
“We sell our SUNSHINE Cottage Home directly to the customer / end user or through a number of vetted, reputable licensed general contractor GC whom act in the capacity of a Licensed SUNSHNE Cottage Home Dealer whom in addition to selling the home directly to the end user within protected territories can also provide the end user a contract to build their home too at GC fees 40 percent less than other non-licensed GC.
“Constructing the SUNSHINE Cottage Home need not be compromised by the current labor challenges — the American family is our new workforce — they can save even more money by providing their own labor. Our homes also provide the customer the option to grow your living space as personal needs or budgets grow over time.
“We want to see these homes built here in Oregon first then expand nationally. People are telling me they are excited about our truly affordable new housing concept and are surprised that it is not being currently offered. Our homes were designed with the fifteen-thousand a year lowest wage earner in mind. We wanted to build a business model that serves the needs of lower wage earners whom have been forgotten and left out of the dream we all share; home ownership.
“Our homes are important to our planet too. We cannot continue to consume our planets resources at the current rate that traditional home builders are doing, and at the same time sustain an ever-growing global population. Our vision is to redefine what the human habitat could be.
“Our homes are permanent housing solutions built on permanent foundations and designed to help families lower their housing cost not their standard of living. Our business model fits nicely with the changing zoning laws in Oregon, California and Minnesota and the nationwide desire by the public, city and state governments whom are searching for a viable truly affordable solution to our housing crises.
“Living a life within one’s means allows a sense of ease that supports mind, body and spirit, all necessary for a joyous life,” Sagona concluded. “Our company was founded on one core principle… Everyone deserves to have a home.”
SUNSHINE Network Homes, Inc will act in capacity of seller of pre-engineered, 100 percent complete SUNSHINE Cottage Home Kits where all their customer orders are processed directly through SUNSHINE Network Homes, Inc whom is acting as one-buyer / one regular “pro desk” customer to LOWE’S and The Home Depot whom will process and schedule hundreds of thousands of their customers individual orders. The funneling of all individual customers orders through one representative buyer will serve as a very unique and hyper efficient order, fulfillment, delivery process that provides the end user / customer a huge benefit in reduced individual home prices. This is made possible because the company will simply forward 100 percent of all volume order discounts received from LOWE’S and The Home Depot stores back to each customer.
