Responsibility disclosure study / 2026-10-02
We reviewed 69 distinct company source pages to code 13 responsibility fields across the 12 companies in our included Kansas City sample. The matrix separates advertised work, explicit exclusions, variable offers and matters not established by the reviewed material. These are disclosure observations, not workmanship scores or audited contract inclusions.
The earlier study grouped full-home, structural and package offerings. This pass asks what the sources specifically say about each responsibility. General finished-home language does not automatically establish installed utilities, a defined warranty or permit handling.
A company may sell materials, a dry-in package and additional services. An item advertised on one page may belong to an option rather than every proposal. Read the evidence note, not just the colored status.
We use “expressly excluded” only when the source says so. “Not established” means the reviewed pages did not resolve the field. More documentation or direct clarification could change that observation.
Recomputed from the published records
| Responsibility | Advertised | Expressly excluded | Varies / options | Not established |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural system | 5 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 1 / 12 |
| Design and engineering | 11 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 1 / 12 | 0 / 12 |
| Site preparation | 3 / 12 | 2 / 12 | 3 / 12 | 4 / 12 |
| Foundation and concrete | 4 / 12 | 2 / 12 | 3 / 12 | 3 / 12 |
| Shell erection | 8 / 12 | 2 / 12 | 1 / 12 | 1 / 12 |
| Insulation and enclosure | 9 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 3 / 12 | 0 / 12 |
| Mechanical trades | 3 / 12 | 1 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 8 / 12 |
| Interior finishes | 6 / 12 | 3 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 3 / 12 |
| Permit coordination | 5 / 12 | 2 / 12 | 1 / 12 | 4 / 12 |
| Utility connections | 1 / 12 | 2 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 9 / 12 |
| Completion and handoff | 9 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 3 / 12 |
| Warranty terms | 7 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 5 / 12 |
| Geographic fit | 11 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 1 / 12 | 0 / 12 |
Each row totals 12. The denominator is this selected included sample, not all KC companies. “Advertised” can describe only part of a system. Mechanical-trade evidence may name one trade; handoff means the endpoint appropriate to that company, including a shell or document package. These are observed statements, not independently verified contract promises.
Open the supporting record
Hybrid living quarters use stud walls; an attached shop uses post-frame construction.
The specification examples use stud framing; the Richland offer also identifies a post-frame shop. Confirm the selected assembly.
The barndominium discussion mentions post-frame and metal-beam approaches without committing this builder to a defined offered system.
The KC offer specifies EPS structural insulated panels. This identifies the proposed system, not DreamStart as installer.
The FAQ offers wood framing and a customer-selected steel alternative. Specify the actual system in the proposal.
Steel framing is described on the barndominium page; the custom-home overview also names post-frame systems.
The residential service specifies pre-engineered steel homes using Butler systems.
The dedicated residential page specifies stud-frame exterior walls and roof trusses. Other service pages offer post-frame and steel-frame buildings.
The specification page describes post-frame columns, trusses and metal cladding. These are advertised standards, not independently checked engineering.
The custom-home page offers 2×6 exterior walls or SIP panels. The Liberty project's system is not identified.
The FAQ offers all-steel systems and a hybrid using steel trusses with wood secondary framing.
Stud-framed slab homes and post-frame barns are separately advertised. Resolve the slab page’s inconsistent wall dimensions before specification.
Existing floor plans and customer ideas are accepted. Permit-ready engineering and review revisions are not fully specified.
Plan purchases include layouts and framing information. Engineer stamping and local-review revisions are not established for every purchase.
Custom-home design consultations and layout planning are advertised; licensed engineering and sealed documents are not itemized.
Floor plans, renderings and panel documentation are offered; licensed engineering is coordinated when required.
Residential material offers plan/design support. Engineer-stamped plans are a separate condition in the warranty document, not assumed in every purchase.
Site analysis, schematic layouts and construction documents are described. Confirm the named design professionals and stamped deliverables.
Design-build coordinates structural, mechanical and civil drawings; residential application should be confirmed.
The homepage FAQ offers custom design. A 3D design tool is linked; engineering stamps and permit revisions are not specified.
Planning identifies a design team and in-house engineer preparing the building before component delivery.
Detailed blueprints, renderings and selections are described; the custom-home page also names engineering coordination.
The barndominium page includes stamped plans in standard kits; the FAQ describes engineered stamped prints as an additional fee.
Barndominium floor-plan customization is advertised; the reviewed text does not identify engineering deliverables or the sealing professional.
Physical site preparation such as clearing, grading or excavation. Site selection, assessment and discussion alone do not establish execution responsibility.
The reviewed residential and concrete pages do not settle who performs clearing, grading, drainage and the final pad preparation.
Dry-in packages assume a level site; the Clinton County page separately advertises grading. Resolve the proposal’s site boundary.
Clearing, grading and evaluation of drainage/soil conditions are named for barndominiums.
Independent contractors perform site work; DreamStart supplies readiness documentation.
The FAQ limits in-house excavation to smaller work its equipment can handle; larger sites require owner preparation or another excavator.
The stated sequence includes demolition where needed, grading and erosion control.
Site review/planning is advertised; excavation, grading and unsuitable-soil responsibility are not expressly itemized.
The homepage FAQ explicitly offers site preparation without itemized quantities or ground-condition allowances.
Excavation availability depends on location; owner-provided pads and final grading have separate responsibilities.
Excavation, grading and site-access responsibilities are not assigned in the reviewed pages.
Site preparation is separate from the advertised barndominium kit price.
The barndominium page’s broad management promise does not allocate clearing, grading, soil testing or excavation.
The concrete page offers foundations, footings, slabs and retaining-wall work. Confirm the hybrid-specific proposal and site design.
The dry-in examples include foundation and slab; materials and drawing purchases have different deliverables.
The custom-home process names foundation construction; the barndominium foundation assembly and allowance remain unspecified.
The Brooklyn page assigns the separate slab cost to the owner's concrete contractor.
The concrete page offers foundations, slabs, reinforcement and associated preparation, including underslab insulation options.
A poured foundation is part of the advertised sequence; parcel-specific design and allowances need documentation.
Reviewed residential and erection descriptions do not allocate foundation design, concrete placement or anchor-bolt interface responsibility.
The post-frame page discusses foundation options, but does not settle who contracts and installs the complete residential foundation.
The FAQ offers residential footings and slabs after plumbing, but expressly excludes basement pours.
The reviewed service and Liberty material does not assign foundation or concrete work.
The concrete foundation is separately priced, outside the kit figure.
Slab homes specify a concrete slab/perimeter foundation; agricultural barns describe a perimeter foundation as optional.
The residential offering expressly stops at a constructed shell.
Installed dry-in offers include construction labor; a material purchase is a separate offer.
Custom-home construction describes framing and exterior work. Obtain the barndominium-specific system and erection scope.
The company expressly disclaims self-performing construction; the owner contracts and pays the independent assembler.
The FAQ describes construction crews and subcontractor use for framing. Confirm the assigned team and responsibility in the agreement.
Steel erection and exterior skin installation are expressly named.
Steel erection includes framing, connections and pre-engineered building assembly.
The company markets construction of residential buildings; the precise residential shell specification must come from the proposal.
The planning sequence includes company delivery, unloading and construction crews.
Custom-home building is advertised; a distinct barndominium erection package is not itemized.
Hired labor is separate; referrals and assembly guidance are not an erection contract.
Post-frame work is described from design through installation. Confirm the residential structural package separately.
The hybrid page names ZIP sheathing; the accessory material presents insulation/moisture-barrier choices. Exact assembly and inclusion remain project-specific.
The catalog describes enclosure components; the county page separately advertises insulation options. A full thermal specification remains necessary.
Barndominium copy describes insulation, thermal barriers and efficient windows, without an assembly specification.
KC material describes insulated wall/roof panels and exterior cladding, sourced through the GC. Installation remains separate.
Residential services name spray foam; the concrete page separately addresses underslab insulation and vapor barriers.
Insulation follows rough-ins in the stated build sequence; assembly specifications are not supplied.
Residential copy describes insulated homes and Thermawall panels; selected assemblies and acceptance criteria need a schedule.
A dedicated page offers spray-foam installation. Product, thickness, coverage and inclusion in a home quote remain to be confirmed.
FAQ options range from condensation-control material to batt, blown and spray-foam insulation. The selected residential assembly needs specification.
General home standards name ZIP sheathing, attic insulation and insulated garage assemblies; applicability to a new barndominium needs confirmation.
Exterior metal is listed; insulation costs extra and other envelope configurations are optional.
The slab-home options include spray foam at roof and walls. No project-specific envelope design is established.
The company explicitly describes installation or coordination of at least one named HVAC, electrical or plumbing trade. Name the supported trade and stage in the text. Drawings alone or an optional heating feature with no installation responsibility do not establish this field.
No complete installed plumbing, electrical and HVAC responsibility was established. The structural page’s grounding provision is not a full electrical installation.
HVAC is listed as an option, but the page does not identify who installs or coordinates it. Plumbing/electrical drawings establish design content only.
The custom-home page references mechanical systems generally but does not itemize HVAC, plumbing and electrical installation responsibilities.
Brooklyn's listed exclusions assign electrical, plumbing and HVAC work to the owner or separate contractors.
The FAQ describes subcontractor involvement in electrical and plumbing. HVAC and a complete installed-trade agreement remain unestablished.
Mechanical, plumbing and electrical rough-in phases are described; final equipment and trade contracts remain unitemized.
Mechanical drawings and general trade coordination do not establish the full installed HVAC/plumbing/electrical scope.
The reviewed residential, company and FAQ pages do not allocate installed plumbing, electrical and HVAC work.
The barndominium article discusses separate finishing contractors but does not assign QSI a residential mechanical installation contract.
General specifications name HVAC, ventilation and water heating; complete electrical/plumbing responsibility remains unresolved.
Installed plumbing, electrical and HVAC responsibility is not established by these kit pages.
In-floor heating appears as a slab-home option; whole-home HVAC, plumbing and electrical responsibilities are not itemized.
The Hybrid Homes page expressly excludes interior finish work and offers trade recommendations instead.
The county page offers interior finish choices. Their inclusion in any dry-in price is not established.
Custom-home finishing and material selections are described; fixture quantities and allowances need a written schedule.
Drywall, flooring, kitchen and bathroom completion are separate owner/contractor work in the model description.
Interior framing is advertised; responsibility for all subsequent residential finish work is not settled by the reviewed source set.
The homepage describes finished residential interiors and owner-selected flooring, counters, windows and roofing.
Beasley and Lee’s Summit project records expressly include interior finish; specifications differ by project.
General customization language does not establish a contract for cabinetry, drywall, flooring and the completed living space.
The article describes owners generally arranging interior finishing after enclosure; a complete QSI residential finishout offer is not established.
The custom-home standards name countertops and cabinetry; the process includes owner selections before the final estimate.
Interior finishing and appliances are expressly separate from the kit price.
The barndominium page names customized fixtures and cabinetry. Allowances and installation responsibilities need a proposal.
Responsibility for applying, submitting or obtaining permits. Supplying drawings or offering general guidance alone does not establish that responsibility. A stated owner/independent-GC applicant is an express exclusion from this company's application role. An explicit statement that the company handles permitting qualifies; an unnamed legal applicant is then a contract question.
The reviewed current service pages do not define the hybrid-home permit applicant or trade inspection responsibilities.
The Clinton County page says the team handles permitting; confirm fees, submissions and applicability to the selected package.
The new-construction page explicitly says CHS handles construction permits.
DreamStart supplies permit-preparation documents; its KC FAQ assigns pulling permits to the owner's independently contracted general contractor.
The FAQ allows owner-pulled permits or company handling for an added fee.
Building-permit submission, trade permits and HOA coordination are advertised.
The residential offering expressly includes permitting.
The FAQ offers help obtaining permits and coordinating inspections; it does not identify who submits the applications or holds the permits.
Customers determine permit need and apply. QSI supplies specifications and drawings to support the application.
The custom-home preconstruction description expressly includes handling permits. Confirm the parcel and responsible permit applicant.
The KC page offers guidance and document preparation but does not assign Worldwide responsibility for submitting or obtaining the permit.
Claims of code compliance do not identify who obtains and pays for permits.
Physical work on permanent service routes or connections, with the supported portion named. Temporary construction power or water alone does not establish permanent utility responsibility.
Grounding is described, but service extensions, metering, water, sewer or onsite-wastewater connections are not allocated.
Utility installation is named on the county page without a detailed connection scope or allowances.
Preparing utility access is described. Installed service connections, provider fees and outside-building runs are not assigned.
Utilities are separately quoted or owner-arranged under the published process.
Electrical/plumbing subcontractor references do not allocate utility extensions, meters, water, sewer or onsite-wastewater connections.
Septic installation is a separate advertised service. Responsibility for all utility lines, taps and provider charges is not itemized.
Reviewed residential/process pages do not allocate provider fees, meters, taps or off-building service runs.
The reviewed pages do not assign utility extensions, service connections or wastewater work.
The reviewed planning and FAQ material does not assign external utility connections, wells or septic installation.
External utilities, wells and septic installation are not assigned.
Utility connections are expressly separate from the kit price.
Reviewed home/contact material does not allocate outside utility runs, taps, well or septic work.
An explicit delivered endpoint or handover appropriate to this company's business role: documents, supplied materials, constructed shell or finished home. A positive status does not imply occupancy-ready delivery. State the actual endpoint. Generic completion language without a defined deliverable or handover remains unresolved.
The delivered endpoint is a shell; interior finishing and turnkey home delivery are excluded.
The county page describes a final walkthrough and key handoff; the catalog’s dry-in endpoint requires separate clarification.
Custom-home service runs through final walkthrough and move-in preparation; the actual acceptance checklist is not published.
DreamStart hands documentation to the owner's GC; that GC delivers the dried-in shell.
The reviewed pages do not provide a full-home occupancy and acceptance checklist.
The barndominium process ends with inspections and occupancy documentation; this is an advertised endpoint, not a verified project record.
Residential copy promises a final walkthrough; the general process also describes punch-list closeout and documents.
The About page mentions final cleanup but does not establish occupancy documentation or a full-home acceptance process.
A final walkthrough follows building completion; the article separately describes later residential finishing.
The process ends with a walkthrough and handover of documentation, warranties and maintenance information.
The KC process ends with a kit delivered ready for installation, with support available; this is not occupancy handover.
Design-to-construction management is advertised without a residential occupancy, punch-list or acceptance procedure.
An advertised duration and identified covered work or component, with limits retained. A generic assurance or unexplained duration without identifiable coverage does not establish terms; a positive status is not verification of the complete warranty contract.
The current material page describes suppliers but does not establish a project warranty schedule. An older search result is not current written coverage.
The About page advertises a 40-year warranty but does not settle covered components, labor, exclusions or claimant obligations.
A one-year workmanship warranty is advertised. Obtain the written start date, exclusions and claim procedure.
Reviewed material did not establish DreamStart's service warranty or complete EPS terms.
The PDF provides limited structural labor terms, excludes listed components and events, restricts coverage to the original purchaser, and conditions design coverage on purchased stamped plans.
Five years for new construction and two for remodeling are advertised; exclusions, claim procedure and transferability need the actual warranty.
Closeout includes warranties, but the reviewed pages do not establish a residential builder-warranty duration or exclusions.
The FAQ advertises warranty availability but defers specific terms to consultation. No duration or coverage schedule was established.
The specification page lists five-year workmanship and three-year concrete warranties, plus component warranties. Full terms were not reviewed.
General home standards advertise one-year workmanship, two-year systems and ten-year structural coverage. Full contract exclusions were not reviewed.
The limited fifty-year description concerns web steel trusses under normal use, measured from delivery. Obtain the complete warranty.
The slab-home page advertises five-year work coverage; full terms and any separate product warranties require documentation.
General company territory is wider than the hybrid-home county restriction; use the product-specific requirements and confirm the parcel.
A Blue Springs office/service page and Clinton County service page support KC-area inquiry; exact parcel acceptance remains unconfirmed.
Johnson and Douglas counties in Kansas are expressly named as the serving area.
The KC page targets rural Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties and identifies St. Joseph headquarters.
The reviewed project-page footer lists an appointment-only Lee’s Summit office. This supports contact relevance, not proof of a completed KC residence.
Olathe-based company advertising Johnson County and the greater KC metro, including selected Missouri communities.
Kansas City residential service and Lee’s Summit base are explicit; named project records provide additional local context.
The About page explicitly names the KC metro and surrounding rural territory from an eastern Kansas base.
The FAQ expressly names Kansas and western Missouri, with portions of surrounding states subject to confirmation.
The company names the KC metro and Johnson County, with an Oak Grove address and a Liberty portfolio example.
The company identifies its Peculiar sales office serving the KC metro, with a named Pleasant Hill project example.
Johnson and Miami counties are explicitly listed for Kansas pole-building service; residential parcel acceptance still needs confirmation.
Limitations: software-assisted reading and classification; company-controlled sources; uneven source detail and access; no interviews, firsthand inspections or contract audits. A field can change when better evidence arrives. Original classifications and editorial text are CC BY 4.0; third-party source material retains its own rights.
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