Studio
One room.
About 400 sq ft
A workshop, office or studio. The quickest build.
Kit from $50 / sq ft Final price set with your plan
YHauz Starter · Square or hexagonal · All 50 states
The first step to independence.
Full size. Owner-built. Steel.
An insulated steel shell in the size you need, laser-cut and bolted together on your land. No wood, no cement. No stress, no unnecessary people. For landowners anywhere in the US who want a workshop, studio or casita this year, and a path to a habitable unit later.
See the first build in Waialua, or walk through it on a video call.
The first build · Waialua, Hawaiʻi
- No wood
- No cement
- No slab
- Zero welds
- Custom sizes from $50 / sq ft
- FOB Oakland, CA
What it is
A building you can put up yourself, and keep.
01No wood. No cement.
Laser-cut steel frame, through-bolted, zero welds. Nothing poured, nothing to rot, nothing for termites.
02Insulated metal panels.
Steel skins over insulated cores, R-16 to R-24. Listed panels, with the data sheet your insurer will ask for. The inside skin takes magnets.
03Five steps to a roof.
Set the columns, bolt the frame, clamp the walls, set the roof, flash and seal. Your team or ours.
04Permeable composite floor.
Optional. Elevated composite boards, gapped to drain at every point. Wet zones go where you want them, now or later.
05Finish it your way.
Pre-framed door and window bands: your own glass and doors, or our package. Workshop, studio or casita now; a habitable unit later under local ADU rules.
06Take it with you.
Unbolt, move and reassemble on your next site. No slab: the ground stays as you found it.
How it goes together
Laser-cut slots and tabs.
- 01Set the columns
- 02Bolt the frame
- 03Clamp the walls
- 04Set the roof
- 05Flash and seal
Every member comes off a CNC tube laser with its slots, tabs and bolt holes cut. Where a beam meets a column, a tab on one passes through a slot in the other, and seating it sets the joint’s position, angle and level. Nothing is measured, marked or drilled on site.
Stainless bolts through the pre-cut holes, threaded at the factory where needed, lock each joint. Every connection has its own slot pattern, so a member cannot go in the wrong place or the wrong way round. The same cut file makes every kit, so a replacement member fits first time.
Your team or ours.
Three ways to start
Pick a size. Square or hexagonal.
Any size in between or beyond; kits combine into larger plans. Every order gets its own plan.
Starter
One or two rooms.
650 sq ft
The first build, standing in Waialua. A casita now; a habitable unit later with the conversion package.
Kit from $50 / sq ft Final price set with your plan
Two-room
A separate bedroom.
About 900 sq ft
A casita with a bedroom, or a workshop with an office. One kit or two combined.
Kit from $50 / sq ft Final price set with your plan
What it costs
Everything on one page. Nothing at the counter.
| Item | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Kit | From $50 / sq ft | The frame, with the piles built into the columns; the panels and clamp rails; every bolt, screw and rivet; the flashings and sealants; the assembly manual and drawings. FOB Oakland, CA. |
| Permeable composite floor | Option | Elevated composite boards, gapped to drain at every point. |
| Front deck | Option | With railings and stairs, on the same composite boards. |
| Doors and windows | Option | Our package, or bring your own; the bands come pre-framed either way. |
| Conversion package | Option | Toward a habitable unit, under your county’s ADU rules. |
| Freight from Oakland | Quoted by region | Truck to all 50 states; ocean freight to Hawaiʻi. |
| Assembly | Your team or ours | Your own people at your cost, or our team, quoted with your plan. |
| Permit | If required | The Starter files as a detached accessory structure; we send the submittal package for your county on request. |
Options are quoted with your plan. The final price is set with your plan and confirmed in your written quote.
See the first build
It stands in Waialua, Hawaiʻi. Come and see it.
Visit by appointment, or we walk you through it on a video call: the frame, the panels, the floor, the roof, as built.
You talk to the person who designed it.
Questions
What buyers ask first.
Do I need a permit?
Many counties exempt a detached accessory structure of this kind; where a permit is required, the Starter files as one, and we send the submittal package for your county on request. Converting it to a dwelling later follows your county’s zoning and ADU rules, and HOA rules still apply.
Is it a house?
It ships as a non-habitable dry shell: a workshop, studio or casita. The conversion package and your county’s ADU rules take it to a habitable unit later.
Who assembles it?
You, with your own people, or our team. Set the columns, bolt the frame, clamp the walls, set the roof, flash and seal. Every part is laser-cut to go together one way, and the manual and drawings ship with the kit.
What does my insurer need?
The panels are listed; we send the data sheet. No wood, so nothing to rot and nothing for termites.
What if a part is wrong?
Frame errors are remade at YHauz expense.
What is under it?
Nothing poured. The piles are part of the columns, and the structure stands clear of the ground. Unbolt it and the ground is as you found it.
How does the floor work?
The optional permeable composite floor is elevated boards, gapped to drain at every point, so wet zones go where you want them, now or later.
Where does it ship from, and what does freight cost?
FOB Oakland, CA, to all 50 states. Freight is quoted by region with your plan.
Can I move it later?
Yes. Unbolt, move and reassemble on your next site.