Yes, the 6 months includes all that for flat lots in Los Angeles City. Hillside lots are a totally different ball game because of the regulatory and additional engineering complexity associated with them.
Harmmonica, Because we build in a factory, we do almost all the inspections and building safety checks with the State, which is a custom process we've developed with the state specific to our building system. This means that our process is faster and more certain than building traditionally. If you're interested in learning more, email us at hello@cover.build - our team would be happy to see how we can help!
While $117/sq.ft. is the average cost nationwide, the average in Los Angeles City – where Cover operates – is a lot higher. In addition to that, Cover offers backyard homes, which means they're smaller than a full size home. They're typically between 300-900sq.ft. A lot of the costs of a home are the mechanical systems, kitchens, bathrooms – which you still need in a small space. So the smaller you go, the higher the cost/sq.ft. When you look at the numbers – you can build a 900sq.ft. Cover backyard home in Los Angeles for $300K. It's hard to even find a good apartment at that price in LA. Full disclosure - I'm the cofounder & CEO of Cover.
Thing with prefab is it's been tried many times before, and hasn't succeeded. Why? Most companies take traditional construction methods, and simply move them into a factory where there's cheaper labor. But then the assembly process and on-site finish work is laborious and expensive (in this case, 70%+ of costs). For prefab to succeed, there needs to be a ground up redesign of the entire building process, from design and engineering to manufacturing and assembly, with software at the core to enable a system that's scalable and allows for different designs across numerous projects, and with the actual building to be made of parts that truly click together like legos. YC F3 company Cover (i'm a founder) is doing this.
4 days of box stacking. 8 years of permitting. Multi-unit projects like this which require discretionary permits and approvals are too slow of a response for the housing crisis. California state senators enacted laws in 2017 (SB 1069 and AB 2299) which allow Accessory Dwelling Units to be built in backyards of single family homes. They're full living units with kitchens and bathrooms, and the state law requires that cities approve them strictly based on zoning within 120 days of an application being submitted.