Questions, answered.

DEN is a team of construction experts, designers, and engineers making high design accessible in the United States. We offer 40+ Scandinavian-inspired cabin and house plans that have been built more than 300 times across 48 states — available as customizable plan sets or as pre-engineered, panelized prefab home kits. Through our online platform we provide plan customizations, vetted builder referrals, feasibility and cost analysis, and the industry's only national network of DEN homes you can stay in before you buy.

Three steps. Step 1 — Plan: pick a design and start with a Planning Package to study drawings and real budget numbers. Step 2 — Confirm: the Feasibility Package pressure-tests your land, layout, and budget before you commit real money. Step 3 — Build: choose your lane — the Building Package if you want to run the project yourself, or DEN Prefab if you want our team guiding you the whole way. Every dollar you spend credits forward to the next step. See the full journey here.

Most customers get the most out of DEN once they have land (or a parcel in contract) and financing taking shape. That said, many people buy a Planning Package before buying land to scope what they want to build — that's exactly what Step 1 is for. Once you have a site, the Feasibility Package confirms it works before you spend on full construction documents.

No — we design homes; your local contractor builds them. Most jurisdictions require a licensed local contractor to perform the work, and our designs are made to be priced, permitted, and built by your team. Don't have a builder? We have a vetted network of partners we can refer you to, and for Prefab projects the DEN team helps you interview and train your builder.

Yes. DEN designs have been built more than 300 times around the country, and many owners list their homes for short-term stays. Sleeping in a real DEN is the best way to feel the space, light, and finishes before you buy. Find a DEN available for a stay near you.

The Planning Package is designed to help you assess your project before a larger investment. It includes informational drawings with basic dimensions, a construction budgeting worksheet, a short-term-rental ROI worksheet, and access to DEN's online platform. It doesn't include a build license, CAD files, or structural plans — and the full amount you pay credits forward to the Feasibility Package or a Building Package, so nothing is wasted.

The Feasibility Package ($999) is Step 2 — the go/no-go check on your specific land. We perform a remote site review of your parcel, build a line-by-line cost analysis for up to three DEN designs, draft an illustrative site plan, and walk through all of it with you in a 60-minute working session. It includes a Planning Package for your preferred design, and the full $999 credits toward a Building Package or your Prefab deposit. Learn more about Feasibility.

The Building Package, starting at $1,999, includes everything you need to run your own build: 20+ sheets of construction documentation with complete dimensions and details, CAD files for your local engineer, a 60-minute session with the DEN team, the full license to build, construction budgeting worksheets, materials quantities lists, and a brands-and-products buying guide, plus full access to the DEN platform. Building materials, prefab components, and the engineer's structural stamp are not included — with the Building Package, your local engineer stamps the plans.

Start with a Planning Package. When you're ready, its full price credits toward the $999 Feasibility Package. Your full $999 then credits toward a Building Package ($1,999+) or applies to your manufacturing contract if you go Prefab ($133K+). Move at your own pace — nothing you spend is lost at any stage. Active promotions may supersede credit-forward pricing; the better deal always applies.

Yes — upgrades happen right in the DEN online platform, and your earlier payment is automatically credited toward the next step: Planning credits into Feasibility or Building, and Feasibility credits into Building or your Prefab deposit. If you have any trouble applying a credit, reach out at support@denoutdoors.com and we'll sort it out.

Promotions, discounts, and special offers can't be combined or stacked. If you purchased a Planning Package during a promotion, the discounted amount you actually paid is what credits forward, and during a sale you'll receive the sale price instead of the upgrade credit — whichever is the better deal for you. If you purchased a Feasibility Package at a discounted price, you'll receive a credit toward the Prefab manufacturing agreement equal to the amount you paid.

DEN Building Package house plans include 20+ detailed sheets designed to meet or exceed International Residential Code requirements: thorough floor and foundation plans with precise dimensions for walls, windows, and doors; exterior elevations showing all finishes and materials; building sections and assembly illustrations from foundation to roof; interior elevations of kitchens and bathrooms with cabinet layouts and fixture placements; lighting plans with fixture schedules; complete window, door, plumbing, and room schedules; and annotated 3D diagrams for complex details. We recommend consulting your local permitting authority for region-specific requirements.

All DEN house plans can be customized. Common modifications include adjusting windows and doors, reconfiguring interior layouts, changing exterior finishes, adapting kitchens, and altering structural elements like foundations or roof pitch. Simple changes start at $499; larger modifications like adding rooms or changing square footage are also possible — at a fraction of the cost of custom design from scratch.

The Building Package includes everything you need to get an engineering stamp, interview contractors, and begin permitting — but platform customizations are billed separately, starting at $499 per customization. Prefab customers customize their building with the DEN team during pre-construction instead.

Once you purchase a Building Package, you get access to DEN's integrated online platform, where you can invite collaborators, annotate your house plans, and request customizations from our network of designers with simple, transparent pricing. Try the interactive demo.

It depends on your lane — and this is the key difference between them. Every jurisdiction has unique requirements, so plan stamping must come from an engineer licensed in your area. With the Building Package, your local engineer stamps the plans; DEN plans are built to make that fast. With Prefab, DEN provides engineering for the entire structure and delivers stamped, permit-ready construction drawings as part of the package.

Our plans are tailored toward those collaborating with professionals — general contractors or specialized builders — to ensure the design details of our buildings are executed to the highest standard. Prefab panelized kits are assembled on site by your builder's crew, not shipped as a DIY product.

DEN Prefab (from $133K+) is the guided lane of Step 3: your DEN design delivered as a precision-engineered, panelized kit, engineered specifically to your site and climate. The DEN team supports and guides you through the whole process — design customization, permitting guidance, builder training, and coordination — with stamped, permit-ready plans included. See how Prefab works.

One fully coordinated product: insulated wall and roof panels, a proprietary steel frame engineered to your site's loads, and the complete window and door package — all cross-referenced in a fully specified, stamped set of construction drawings covering mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and foundation. Panels include preformed mechanical chases, and our design team maintains a 3D model of your exact project with collision-checked systems planning.

The weathertight shell typically goes up in 5–15 days. Panels are moved by a two-to-three-person crew with standard equipment — no crane required. The delivery truck stops at your road frontage, which means minimal tree clearing and easier access on wooded or remote sites.

Same designs — the difference is who's beside you. With the Building Package, you run it all yourself: you hire the engineer who stamps the plans, manage permitting, source materials, and direct your builder. Lowest cost, most control. With Prefab, the DEN team supports and guides you the whole way: stamped permit-ready plans included, materials engineered and shipped, and your builder trained by us. Compare the two lanes.

DEN is broadly available in the lower 48 states, with successful builds in almost every state — from the Jersey Shore to 11,200 feet in the Colorado Rockies. We're currently awaiting confirmation of our first projects in Alaska and Hawaii, and many customers in Canada have localized DEN designs to Canadian building code.

DEN started in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Today the DEN team lives throughout the US, with our prefab team based in Rhinebeck, New York.

Yes — chat with a DEN build advisor in real time through our online platform, call us at (845) 347-4987, or email support@denoutdoors.com. We're happy to hop on a call about your project, though email and chat usually get the fastest response.