When Carlin and Erin Guthrie wanted to build their Granville home, they were blown away by the prices companies were quoting. That frustration led the local couple to start Panl, a new housing startup aimed at reframing residential construction.
"We received some quotes approaching $1 million to build a 900-square-foot space, mainly because we wanted something modern and not cookie-cutter,” Carlin Guthrie said. “It was just absolutely ridiculous.”
The Guthries' experience is likely not uncommon as rising inflation, labor shortages and supply chain issues continue to impact the homebuilding industry. With Panl, the couple sees a way to increase efficiency, cut down on manufacturing costs and reduce the need for skilled labor, while still creating unique, custom-built homes.
Panl offers home framing kits the Guthries describe as a "flat-packed house." The kits come with pre-installed foam insulation and water-resistant membranes that are applied prior to shipment, as well as pre-cut door and window openings, pre-routed electrical chases and electrical box locations. Wall and roof panels also are connected.
Once assembled, customers add doors and windows to the building. The couple says that for most spaces, assembly should only take days and require basic tools such as a drill and caulk gun. They also say that minimal labor experience is required.
Units cost between $75,000 and $99,000, though smaller and more affordable plans are available as well.
Panl uses a local manufacturer to provide the structural insulated foam panels for the kits. They would not name the manufacturer, citing ongoing negotiations on terms of the deal. The designs are inspired by by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian architecture, with a blend of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics. All Panl spaces share common characteristics such as broad overhangs, large windows and low-sloping roofs.
Erin Guthrie said Panl products are more unique than most of the housing products seen in Central Ohio.
"They don’t look like the typical house you’re going to find on a late night Zillow search," she said.
Panl's market entry coincides with Intel Corp.'s impending arrival in Central Ohio, which is set to bring thousands of jobs — and housing needs — to the area. Carlin Guthrie said since many of those future employees are likely to come from outside the region and the state, they may have different architectural tastes.
"We think creating something that has a unique feel and style to it is a good selling point," he said. "Introducing something new to the market that people haven't seen a thousand times we think is important for not just local and future prospective homebuyers coming to the region, but also developers looking to build a new type of housing community."
While Panl is currently focused on individual clients looking to build their own homes, vacation properties, accessory dwelling units or Airbnb rentals, the startup plans to expand into the commercial space in the future. That could come in the form of turnkey builds, affordable housing and community design for larger developments through the Panl brand.
For now, the Guthries are focused on quality control and taking orders from clients that will be shipped at the start of next year.
Though the company is new, the Guthries said they want to assure people their product works. They know because they beta tested it for the home they now live in.
"At the end of the day, we want to make it clear we didn't set out just to push a product — that's not why we're here," Carlin Guthrie said. "Panl came out of this level of personal stress and frustration we experienced personally. We created it to solve our own issues, and the fact that we built it ourselves and live in it ourselves we think speaks volumes about how we feel about the product and what we're doing."
