How it works
Two ways to build with Interhabs.
Choose the level of service that fits your project. Order a Roof Tight Kit and bring your own contractor — or let our Turnkey team run the full build, foundation to handover.
Three ways to start
Catalogue, custom, or your own drawings.
You don't have to pick a plan from our catalogue to build with Interhabs. Our in-house drafting team designs custom homes from scratch every week — and we regularly panelize plans clients bring to us from outside architects and designers.
Start with a catalogue plan
Pick from 50+ proven Interhabs designs. Build it as-is or have our drafting team tailor it to your land and lifestyle.
Fully custom, drafted in-house
Work directly with our drafting team to design a one-of-a-kind home from a blank sheet — your layout, your materials, your budget.
Bring your own plans
Already have drawings from an architect or designer? Send them to us — we'll engineer the panel package and build your weather-tight shell in our Hubbards shop.
What's in the kit
Roof Tight Kit, in detail.
Our Roof Tight Kit gets your home weather-tight fast. Here's exactly what ships from our shop — and what your builder handles from there.
Included in the kit
- Engineered, panelized exterior wall system (studs, sheathing, house wrap pre-applied)
- Interior load-bearing wall panels
- Engineered floor systems
- Engineered roof trusses or panelized roof system, with roof sheathing
- Roofing materials (shingles, underlayment, and accessories)
- Exterior windows and doors
- Exterior siding and weatherproofing materials
- Beams, headers, and structural hardware
- Stamped engineering drawings & assembly manual
- Delivery to your site (within service area)
Handled by you or your builder
- Foundation and site preparation
- On-site panel assembly and labour
- Plumbing, electrical, HVAC
- Insulation, drywall, and interior paint
- Cabinetry, flooring, trim, and fixtures
Want all of this handled for you? Choose the Turnkey option and we'll manage the entire build, end to end.
Typical timeline
- 01
Order
Confirm plan & customisations
- 02
Shop drawings
2–3 weeks
- 03
Production
4–6 weeks in shop
- 04
Delivery
Flat-deck to your site
- 05
Assembly
5–10 days to weather-tight
The build process
From first sketch to move-in day.
Every Interhabs project follows the same nine-step path. Whether you're ordering just the kit or a full Turnkey build, you'll know exactly where things stand at every stage.
- Step 01
Research
Browse our gallery and plan library, gather inspiration from your favourite neighbourhoods, and make notes on what works (and doesn't) about your current space.
- Step 02
Book an appointment
Meet our design team in person, by phone, or on a video call. We'll talk through your land, your budget, and the way you want to live in the space.
- Step 03
Review the design
Receive your first draft, send back changes, and start collecting installation quotes from contractors if you're going the kit-only route.
- Step 04
Select your package
Confirm specs with your Interhabs rep — siding, roofing, windows, doors, insulation. You'll receive a quote with a detailed bill of materials.
- Step 05
Start your project
Accept the quote, place your 10% deposit, and we'll slot your home into the production schedule. You'll receive final drawings for your permit application.
- Step 06
Manufacturing
Your panels are hand-crafted inside our climate-controlled Hubbards facility using the best lumber available — square, plumb, and built to spec every time.
- Step 07
Delivery & assembly
Panels are numbered to your drawings and delivered by flat-deck. With a zoom-boom, your shell goes from foundation to weather-tight in 5–10 days.
- Step 08
Interior finishing
Cabinetry, flooring, walls — finished by your contractor or by our Turnkey team, with materials sourced through our partners at Castle Building Supplies.
- Step 09
Move in
Bring in your furniture, hang your pictures, and settle into a home built to meet or exceed current code — and built to last.
Typical payment schedule
Predictable, milestone-based payments.
Deposit
On accepting the quote — locks your slot in the production schedule
Pre-production
Due before panel construction begins in the shop
Windows & doors
Due when windows and doors are delivered
Final delivery
Balance owing on final delivery of Interhabs materials to site
Why panelized
A smarter way
to build a home.
Panelization moves the most weather-sensitive, precision-critical work indoors — so what arrives on your land is straighter, tighter, and faster to assemble than anything framed in the rain.
Faster build
Walls and roof panels arrive ready to lift — most homes are weather-tight in 5–10 days on site.
Factory precision
Components are built indoors in a controlled shop, so every stud is straight and every cut is square.
Tighter envelope
Cleaner framing means fewer thermal gaps — better insulation, quieter rooms, lower energy bills.
Less waste
Optimised cutting in the shop reduces site waste by 30–50% compared to traditional stick framing.
Lower site labour
Smaller crew, shorter site exposure, fewer weather delays — predictable from delivery to lock-up.
Engineered & stamped
Every package ships with stamped engineering drawings and a step-by-step assembly manual.
Ships anywhere
Panel kits travel well — we deliver across the Maritimes and beyond on flat-deck trailers.
Turnkey home building
Hand us the keys to your project. We'll hand you the keys to your home.
Not every owner wants to coordinate excavators, framers, plumbers, electricians, drywallers, painters, and trim carpenters. Our Turnkey service rolls the entire build into a single contract — Interhabs runs the project from site prep through final walkthrough, and you move into a finished home.
What's included
- Site prep, excavation, and foundation
- Panel assembly and weather-tight shell
- Windows, doors, roofing, and exterior cladding
- Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-ins and finish
- Insulation, drywall, and interior paint
- Cabinetry, flooring, trim, and fixtures
- Project management and trade coordination
- Final cleanup, occupancy, and walkthrough
Where we offer Turnkey
Our Turnkey service is available across most of the Halifax Regional Municipality and along the South Shore as far as Bridgewater. Outside the area? We still ship Roof Tight Kits anywhere we can deliver.
- Halifax & Dartmouth
- Bedford & Sackville
- Tantallon & St. Margaret's Bay
- Hubbards & Chester
- Mahone Bay & Lunenburg
- Bridgewater
Roof Tight vs Turnkey
| Scope | Kit | Turnkey |
|---|---|---|
| Panelized shell | ✓ | ✓ |
| Engineered drawings | ✓ | ✓ |
| Site prep & foundation | — | ✓ |
| Panel assembly | — | ✓ |
| Mechanical & finishes | — | ✓ |
| Single contract & PM | — | ✓ |
FAQ
Panelized homes — the questions we hear most
- What is the difference between panelized, modular, and stick-built homes?
- Panelized homes are framed in flat wall sections in a controlled shop, then shipped flat-packed and assembled on site — typically roof-tight in days. Modular homes arrive as fully finished volumetric boxes craned onto a foundation. Stick-built homes are framed board-by-board on site. Panelization combines the precision of factory building with the design flexibility and shipping economy of stick framing.
- How long does a panelized home take to build in Nova Scotia?
- From signed contract to move-in, most Interhabs Turnkey panelized homes complete in roughly 90 days of on-site work after foundation is ready. The panelized shell itself goes from delivery to roof-tight in a matter of days, with mechanical, finishing and inspections following over the remaining weeks.
- How much does a panelized home cost in Nova Scotia?
- Roof Tight Kit pricing runs roughly $50–$70 per square foot for the panelized shell, with full Turnkey builds typically landing between $250–$350 per square foot depending on size, finish level, site conditions, and location. Use our pricing estimator for a project-specific range.
- Are panelized homes good in cold Atlantic Canada winters?
- Yes — shop-built panels are framed level, square and plumb in a climate-controlled environment, which produces a tighter thermal envelope than typical site framing. That means fewer air leaks, better insulation performance, and lower heating bills across the Maritimes' long heating season.
- Where does Interhabs deliver and build?
- We ship Roof Tight Kits across the Maritimes and beyond. Full Turnkey building service is offered across the Halifax Regional Municipality and along the South Shore, from Halifax through Tantallon, Hubbards, Chester, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg and Bridgewater.
- Can I bring my own home plans to Interhabs?
- Yes. We regularly panelize plans from outside architects and designers, and our in-house drafting team can adapt your sketches or fully drawn plans into a panelized build package.
- Do you build backyard suites and garden suites?
- Yes — Interhabs offers a dedicated lineup of backyard suites and bunkies (the Basin Bunkie, Mini Apex, Apex, and more), all built using the same panelized system as our larger homes.
Ready to price your project?
Use our interactive estimator to see what your build could cost, or browse our plan library to find the right starting point.