Frequently
Asked Questions.

Typically, a panelized home is built from factory-manufactured structural panels that make up the floor, walls and roof of a home. These homes are essentially a stick frame constructed home, where the bulk of framing work occurs off site. At Lumee, the walls and floor panels are assembled using a cold-formed steel frame. The roof is a preassembled truss system also fabricated from cold formed steel. The panels are built to precise dimensions at a factory, then shipped to your lot for final assembly.

No. Lumee homes are panelized, not modular. Panelized means flat structural panels are built at a factory and assembled on your lot. Modular construction ships finished, room-sized boxes that are stacked or joined on site. Both are a version of prefabricated home construction.

Traditional stick-built construction frames and finishes the home entirely on site. Every stud, wire, and pipe measured, cut, and fitted on the lot. Panelized construction moves a lot of that work to a factory: panels arrive pre-built to specification, with structural frame, windows and electrical/plumbing rough-in already integrated. The result is tighter tolerances, less site waste, and a shorter assembly window on your lot.

From the standpoint of a mortgage lender or a home insurance provider, they are treated as the same. A panelized home from Lumee is a traditional stick frame home, vs. a modular or manufactured home.

Currently Lumee Homes offers three home models ranging from 2 bedrooms to 4 bedrooms. There are models that are 30' wide and 40' wide, which are suitable for different lot sizes. Check out the home models where you can explore each model in more detail, including floor plans, renders, and full specifications. Specific area and bedroom/bath counts are listed on each model page.

Don't see one you like today? Send us a note because we are going to be adding more floor plans soon.

Lumee does offer customization options when it comes to interior and exterior finishes, as well as a few floor plan upgrade options like a wet bar or an additional bathroom. The primary value of a panelized home lies in its precision-engineered quality, superior energy efficiency, and rapid construction speed, so changes to the footprint or layout of Lumee's home models is not possible.

Not at all! Lumee is designed from the inside out to feel like a custom coastal home with 9-foot ceilings, 8-foot interior and exterior doors, a full-length covered lanai under one continuous hip roof, and fiber-cement cladding, the same material used on $500K+ custom coastal homes. Nobody driving past sees steel or metal. These are standard on every model. See the design intent for detail.

The home kit will include a steel framed home envelope, including foundation footings, floor and wall panels, roof trusses, windows and doors and all exterior finishes like siding, roofing and decking. The home kit also includes interior finishes like doors and trim, kitchen and bath cabinetry and countertops, sanitary fixtures, flooring and tile and appliances. The home kit also comes with a stamped permit set including architectural, structural and MEP. The wall panels will ship with windows set in the walls and the plumbing and electrical roughed in.

Cold-formed steel is thin-gauge structural steel shaped at room temperature into studs, tracks, joists, and panels. It is used in residential and commercial framing as a precision-oriented alternative to dimensional lumber. Lumee homes are framed with cold-formed steel throughout the floor, walls and roof.

Steel is significantly stronger than wood when it comes to resisting high winds. Steel framing has a much higher tensile and yield strength, allowing it to withstand severe forces like hurricanes without snapping or racking as easily as wood. At a material level, cold-formed steel is dimensionally stable in humid conditions, is not a food source for termites, does not rot, and holds tight factory tolerances, which are all relevant in Southern climates. It is also well-suited to repeatable panelized production, which is central to how Lumee builds.

Yes. Steel is not a food source for termites, unlike wood framing. The primary structural frame of a Lumee home contains no wood for termites to reach.

Cold-formed steel used in framing is galvanized and engineered to resist corrosion, when properly detailed. Steel framing can rust and degrade, but only if exposed to moisture, oxygen, and corrosive elements without protection. Unlike wood, it does not warp, shrink, rot, or attract termites, making it highly durable if properly treated. As with any framing system, performance depends on detailing, installation quality, and ongoing envelope maintenance.

Insulation strategy for cold-formed steel framing accounts for the thermal bridging characteristics of steel studs. Common approaches include continuous exterior insulation and cavity fill. Each Lumee model will include both cavity insulation and continuous insulation on the exterior. The exact continuous insulation requirement is confirmed during the engineering and permitting phase based on location and AHJ requirements.

Lumee models are designed with the Southern U.S. climate environment in mind, where wind loads, high humidity, termite risk, and storm-prone conditions shape material choices, detailing, and the engineering approach. Every project is reviewed against local building code, wind zone, and exposure category for your specific lot. Final performance depends on site-specific engineering, foundation type, exposure classification, and quality of installation.

While it is virtually impossible to build a 100% "hurricane-proof" house, you can build a highly hurricane-resistant one and Lumee has done just that. Our models are designed with a continuous load path for storm-prone Southern regions and reviewed against local wind zone and exposure category. Our material selections and structure design are highly durable, including impact rated windows and doors and a singular hipped roof.

Final performance for any given home depends on local code in effect at the lot, exposure category, foundation design, materials, detailing, and the quality of installation on your site. We always recommend site-specific structural engineering and that is part of every Lumee project.

Every Lumee home is designed with a continuous load path where the roof, walls, floor and foundation are securely tied together, which safely moves the uplift and lateral forces from high winds safely down into the ground.

Lumee's permit set process includes a site-specific structural review against the local building code, wind zone, and exposure category (B / C / D) for your lot. Final structural drawings are sealed by a licensed structural engineer in your state.

Yes, site-specific structural review is part of every Lumee project and is included in the cost of your Lumee Home Kit. Engineering accounts for your state's building code, local wind zone, exposure category, foundation strategy, and soil conditions. Stamped drawings are sealed by a licensed structural engineer in your state.

Yes. Coastal sites involve additional engineering considerations like wind zone, exposure category C or D, flood zone designation, and potentially corrosion-resistant hardware specifications. These are evaluated project-by-project. Foundation type is selected with your engineer based on site soils, slope, water table, and applicable flood zone designation. Elevation requirements come from your jurisdiction's flood maps and code. Reach out via the pricing form with your location details.

Yes. Every opening in a Lumee home is impact-rated, not as an upgrade but as what ships in the kit. The windows and doors are tested to Miami-Dade County's HVHZ protocol, the most stringent in the U.S. Every model also includes a FEMA-rated safe room option and is engineered for 150+ mph wind speeds at Exposure C.

Submit your project details via the Get Pricing form where you can include location, preferred model, lot status, and timeline. A member of the Lumee team reviews each intake and follows up directly. No bots, no auto-quotes.

The main variables are: model selected, state and county (code scope and engineering cost), site access and logistics, foundation type, home elevation requirements, delivery logistics, option selections, and more.

No. The Lumee kit includes the cold-formed steel frame, panelized walls, floor and roof system, helical pile foundation footings, exterior sheathing, engineering drawings, and assembly documentation. Land, site preparation, concrete foundation, utility connections, permit fees, landscaping and finishes beyond selected options are not part of the kit. Your general contractor handles these locally. See the "What's in the Kit" section on any model page.

It is engineered to optimize home insurance deductions. Florida uses a standardised wind-mitigation form (OIR-B1-1802), and a Lumee home is built with credits in mind, like a hip roof, impact-rated openings, and Simpson Strong-Tie roof-to-wall connections. Actual savings vary by insurer, location and policy.

Submit your project details via the Get Pricing form. You don't need land or a contractor yet, all you need is a sense of the model you're interested in and your general location. A member of the Lumee team reviews each intake and follows up directly to discuss next steps.

At the pricing stage: your state and county, land ownership status, preferred model (or a request for a recommendation), project timeline, and budget range. A site plan or land survey if you have one. Incomplete information is fine just share what you know and we'll follow up to fill in the rest.

No. You can reach out via the pricing form while you're still looking for land. We can scope a model and provide preliminary feedback on the kinds of lots and site conditions that fit before you commit to a specific site.

Yes. While Lumee has an ever-growing list of Lumee partner builders, any licensed general contractor in your state can construct a Lumee Home. They will handle permitting, concrete foundation, frame assembly, MEP, finishes, and final close-out. Lumee delivers the kit; your GC builds the home.

You or your licensed general contractor will be responsible for pulling permits and managing the approval process with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) in your county or municipality. Lumee provides the engineering drawings, stamped documents, and product documentation your GC and AHJ will need.

The next step is sharing your site details via the pricing form. From there: the Lumee team reviews your intake, aligns on the right model, and opens a pricing conversation. Once a model and finish details are agreed upon, the project moves into site-specific engineering, documentation, and production planning.

A Lumee Home Kit can be assembled in as little as 8–10 weeks, thanks to the build efficiency of panelized construction, phased product delivery, and pre-specified finish packages. Traditional stick-built homes on the Gulf Coast take 20–26 weeks (or longer!) from permit to move-in.