3 A-Frame Kit House Companies That Ship in the U.S.

Building a custom A-frame is easier than ever with the rise of these modern kit home companies.

With their rustic appeal and Instagram-worthy looks, A-frame homes have made a major comeback in recent years. And for those who would rather build from scratch than renovate a drafty 1970s model, these next-gen A-frame companies offer flexible, flat-packed kits with precut and predrilled building materials ready for assembly out of the box. 

Read on for three kit home companies that are bringing the architectural icon back to life in a variety of ways—from tiny cabins that can be self-built in less than a week to massive A-frames with integrated two-car garages.

AvrameUSA

Pictured is an Avrame Duo 100 built in Southern Estonia. The Avrame EU kits come with painted exterior pine cladding as the default option, while the US kits come with fiber cement cladding. Customers also have the freedom to source a different exterior finish.

Pictured is an Avrame Duo 100 built in Southern Estonia. The Avrame EU kits come with painted exterior pine cladding as the default option, while the US kits come with fiber cement cladding. Customers also have the freedom to source a different exterior finish.

Avrame

After selling his “ordinary” house to build an off-grid A-frame in Estonia, Indrek Kuldkepp was so impressed with the durability and cost-effectiveness of the homes that he launched his A-frame kit home company Avrame in 2016. Avrame has since shipped over 40 homes around the world—from the Azores Islands to South Korea—and, in 2018, the company launched a U.S. branch in response to American demand.

AvrameUSA manufactures and ships kits from Salt Lake City, Utah. Like its Estonia-based counterpart, AvrameUSA prides itself on its flexible options—not only does the firm offer 12 customizable A-frame building kits, ranging from small storage sheds to multiroom homes, but customers also have the choice of purchasing additional shell elements, exterior finishes, and interior finishes for their base structural kits. Each kit is categorized under one of three series (Solo, Duo, and Trio) that differ depending on truss sizes—from the Solo’s 14-foot triangular truss system to the Trio’s 30-foot triangular truss system.

This Trio 75 was completed in South Korea and is approximately 900 square feet.

This Trio 75 was completed in South Korea and is approximately 900 square feet.

Avrame

Prices range from $8,250 for the 140-square-foot Solo 57 structural kit to nearly $100,000 for the fully kitted-out 1,600-square-foot Trio 150 with structural, shell, exterior, and interior elements included. The smallest Avrame kit homes can be finished in just two weeks, while the larger Trios typically take around three to four months for completion.

All truss components in the AvrameUSA kits use LVL (laminated veneer lumber) to achieve high snow, wind, and seismic ratings. The A-frame structure can hit load requirements in over 94 percent of U.S. jurisdictions.

All truss components in the AvrameUSA kits use laminated veneer lumber to achieve high snow, wind, and seismic ratings. The A-frame structure can hit load requirements in over 94% of U.S. jurisdictions.

Avrame

See the full story on Dwell.com: 3 A-Frame Kit House Companies That Ship in the U.S.

Similar Posts

  • Slatted Beach Retreat

    Thrilled with the beach town location of their summer house, but not with its loud ’90s-era architecture, a family approached Blue Truck Studio with a directive — tone it down. What they had: a house with wild geometry, such as octagon-shaped rooms and triangular spaces. What they wanted: a Sea Ranch aesthetic of simple forms. Blue Truck Studio created an all-new interior of calm, open spaces that flowed easily into one another. For the exterior, the firm reconfigured windows as well as the siding, which wrapped around the house to simplify its form and provide privacy. A pivot door and two large slider doors invite ample light inside while a driveway turned soccer pitch and slatted outdoor shower for hosing off after a trip to the beach reflect the family’s love of recreation and the outdoors.

  • Cascading House

    The site has the typical challenges of many urban lots in Ho Chi Minh city: abutted by tall neighboring houses, small developable area relative to the clients’ program, and compromised access to daylighting and natural ventilation. Due to the height restriction, the house was pushed 1 level below the ground to accommodate the large program. In an effort to solve as many issues as possible, we proposed a concrete column system hidden inside the north and south concrete wall that face the neighbors, acting as the primary structure for the house and freeing up the space in-between. These concrete walls provide privacy to the clients and their family, and open up the east and west facade for views and outdoor-indoor connection. Because the column system extends continuously from the basement to the roof, the concrete beams spanning in-between can be moved vertically without any structural concerns. This flexibility also meant total discretion to determine the elevations of the upper floors–which we intended to take advantage of. By convention, the program is stacked floor-by-floor to maximize the usable area of a small lot which could result in monotonous and isolated spaces. We wanted to do just the opposite: visually and spatially connecting the different parts of the house together by splitting the floor plates, and then cascading them to create a multi-story atrium. In this space, life unfolds naturally; once a family member steps out of the bedroom, he/she will be in an all-connected “room”, and in the company of another member, whether that person is on the other side of the atrium or 2 levels above. In addition to spatial articulation, this atrium brings daylighting down to the basement, and–working with the 2 sunken gardens which are naturally filled with cool air–aids the stack effect by letting the hot air rises to the top. The temperature of the lower floors, as a result, becomes more comfortable. From the outside, Cascading House looks solid as a rock that provides sturdy shelter. The interior, however, feels as porous as a sponge soaking up natural light and air, and brings family members closer together–the qualities that make this house a home.