Six benefits of building an RTM

An RTM from Zak’s Building

We have a handful of soon-to-be new neighbours who will be building their homes at Sarilia this spring. Many of them have chosen to go with ready-to-move (RTM) houses, for a variety of reasons, which we’ll outline below. But first, what exactly is an RTM? There are some misconceptions about their definition. RTMs are not mobile homes (other than the one move to your property, they’re not actually mobile at all). Nor are they built with modular or pre-fabricated construction techniques. They are stick-built homes erected on a permanent foundation.

Now that we know what they are, here are six reasons you may want to consider an RTM for your new home…

1. Budget & cost control – Have you ever met someone who built a custom home on site who didn’t go over budget? We didn’t think so. With an RTM, there’s less room for budget-busting, because there are (usually) no surprises. Whether you go with a pre-designed or custom RTM, you collaborate with the RTM builder with a clear budget in mind and work together to stay within it. As RTMs are built in a controlled environment, there are cost savings due to the absence of theft, time travel costs and material delays.
2. Time savings – An RTM takes a lot less time to build than your typical site-built home. If you manage your timeline effectively, your new home could be ready as soon as the foundation is in. Wyatt Zacharias, operations manager with Zak’s Building says usually it’s just six months from start to finish. “Within six months of signing a contract, we can have it on your lot if your foundation is in place.” Sometimes, he adds, it can be even less than that.
3. Financial control – Question: What’s one of the biggest stressors for someone selling their current home and buying a new one at the same time? Answer: The possibility that your current home might take a long time to sell, leaving you with not one, but two mortgage payments. With an RTM, you can put your deposit down and then hold off on the final purchase until your first home is sold. The peace of mind this provides is priceless.
4. Convenience – Depending on the builder, you’ll likely only be in contact with one employee who manages and oversees your build. This saves you from having to correspond with and organize a variety of tradespeople and enables more seamless communication. “Our competitors will hire a moving crew outside of their own company whereas we have our own moving crew so from start to finish, you work exclusively with us,” says Wyatt. The RTM builder is essentially the general contractor but without the contractor fees — which equates to big savings for you.
5. Quality control – “We have a project manager on the yard at all times with all of our trades,” says Wyatt. This means any oversights aren’t missed, and any issues can be addressed before they become a problem. “Quality controls is a big asset because if you’re doing a site build out at Sarilia and your project manager is in Saskatoon, he might stop by there once a week — every two weeks if he’s not a good project manager. Things might get overlooked. Construction might be on another stage where you don’t see an issue, for example, if it’s a plumbing issue and they’ve put the drywall on.”
6. Visualization – Many of us are visual people. Sure, you can pour over blueprints, but it’s a whole other ballgame to be able to see a potential layout in person. If you go with a pre-designed home, some RTM builders will have models on site for you to wander though. You may end up preferring a certain kitchen design or floor plan once you’ve seen it in living colour.