Builder’s View Podcast

EP 23 | Inside the Factory: How We Build Homes With SIP Panels

Most builders don't own their construction process. They coordinate it. There's a difference.
In this episode, Jeff Zimmerman and Fort Homes construction manager Greg Genho walk through the production facility in Grand Junction, Colorado while three homes are actively being built.
The walkthrough covers the full build process from the ground up. SIP panel assembly, foam-core splines, engineered fasteners, bridge crane roof installation, and what a completed unit looks like when it rolls off the floor ready to deliver.
No renderings. No concepts. A live production floor and the people building on it every day.
If you've spent any time in construction or development, some of what you see here will change how you think about what factory-built actually means.
Fort + Home builds workforce housing in Western Colorado. The factory is how we control the process, the quality, and the outcome.
New episodes every week on Builder's View.
Follow along at www.fortandhome.com

EP 22 | What Factory-Built Actually Means | Inside the Fort Homes Production Floor

Most people hear "factory-built home" and picture a trailer park. Jeff Zimmerman walks through the Fort Homes production facility in Grand Junction, Colorado to show what it actually means to build this way.
 
In this episode:
— QC inspection sheets on every home, tracking every stage of production
— LVL floor systems engineered to shop drawings, with state inspection at every nail
— The Colorado Cottage — 2 bed 1 bath attainable home built from the inside out
— Backing pre-installed behind walls for every fixture location
— Elevated floor system for full MEP and insulation access
— Shop drawings vs. field blueprints — why the difference matters
— Labeled pre-built interior panels for precision installation
— LightRock sheetrock — walls fully finished before the home ships
— 12/12 pitch LVL roof framing that looks nothing like a mobile home
— The two-piece volumetric system: floor box + roof assembly, stitched on-site
— Pre-cut bulk materials and the waste reduction math
 
Jeff Zimmerman is the Founder and CEO of Fort + Home Companies, a vertically integrated housing platform headquartered in Grand Junction, Colorado. Fort + Home is building toward helping provide one million homes.
 
Learn more: fortandhome.com

What Is an Accredited Investor?

Most investors have heard the term “accredited investor.” But very few understand:
What the SEC actually requires
How someone qualifies
Why 506(b) and 506(c) offerings exist
Who can participate in each
And how verification works
In this week’s Builder’s View episode, I break down — in clear, simple terms — what it means to be accredited, why the rules exist, and how these structures shape access to private real estate investments.
This is a purely educational explainer — no pitch, no offering terms, and no projected returns. Just clarity and fundamentals.
► Explore educational resources → https://www.fortandhome.com/blog
► Watch more Builder’s View episodes → https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBlRacSbNBuPE5U4vnwyPP5P6oMq8WTYt&si=TjnqHD_NGTwEIPKv
► Subscribe for weekly real estate insights
#BuildersView #FortAndHome #AccreditedInvestor #InvestorEducation #506b #506c #RegD #PrivateMarkets #RealEstateInvesting #CapitalRaising

Private Real Estate Equity Explained — Ownership, Cash Flow & the Capital Stack

Most investors understand the idea of a mortgage or a loan. Fewer have a clear, simple picture of how private real estate equity works — and how owners actually build wealth over time.
In this episode of Builder’s View, Jeff Zimmerman, CEO of Fort + Home, explains:
What private real estate equity is
How it differs from debt and public REITs
How GP/LP structures and waterfalls typically allocate cash flow and upside
Where equity sits in the capital stack — and why it takes first loss
How real housing projects use equity to turn land and plans into communities
This audio is strictly educational and does not describe any specific offerings or projected returns.
 
► Read the Blog to Learn More →
https://www.fortandhome.com/blog/what-is-private-real-estate-equity-a-simple-guide-for-investors
► Watch more Builder’s View episodes → https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBlRacSbNBuPE5U4vnwyPP5P6oMq8WTYt&si=C0k5ruT2C_UjBSXa
► Subscribe for weekly real estate insights
 
#BuildersView #PrivateEquity #RealEstateInvesting #CapitalStack #CashFlow #WealthBuilding #FortAndHome #AttainableHousing #RealEstateEducation #GPEquity #LPEquity

Private Real Estate Debt Explained — Collateral, Capital Stacks & Contractual Income

Private real estate debt is often the “missing middle” between bank loans and equity — but few investors understand how it works.This episode breaks down the basics: collateral, capital stacks, repayment priority, and where private debt fits in modern portfolios.
This audio version is strictly educational and does not describe any specific offerings.
 
Read to learn more:
https://www.fortandhome.com/blog/what-is-private-real-estate-debt-a-simple-guide-for-investors
 
Watch full video:
https://youtu.be/jWrP_wlFyr4
 
Listen, subscribe, and share with anyone learning real estate finance or exploring fixed-income alternatives.
 
#BuildersView #PrivateDebt #RealEstateInvesting #CollateralBacked #CapitalStack #IncomeInvesting #FortAndHome #AttainableHousing #RealEstateEducation

Who We Are — Inside Fort + Home

Every great company starts with a story.
In this week’s Builder’s View, Jeff Zimmerman shares how Fort + Home grew from a family rental business into a vertically integrated housing system with five connected divisions — each designed to deliver quality homes and strong investment outcomes.
 
Watch full episode:
https://youtu.be/qI7zoTteFJY
 
Read to learn more: 
https://www.fortandhome.com/blog/who-we-are-inside-fort-home
 
Listen, subscribe, and share with anyone building the future of housing.
 
#BuildersView #FortAndHome #FortHomes #VerticalIntegration #AttainableHousing #FactoryBuilt #OffsiteConstruction #RealEstateDevelopment #PrecisionBuilt #HousingInnovation #RockyMountainHousing
 

The 1% Rule Reimagined: Rent-to-Cost Ratios That Make Deals Pencil

The old 1% Rule doesn’t work in today’s housing markets — but a new formula does.
In this episode of Builder’s View, Jeff Zimmerman explains how Fort + Home’s factory-built housing model lowers costs by 20–25% per square foot, improving rent-to-cost ratios and restoring project viability across Colorado and the Rockies.
 
Read to learn more:
https://www.fortandhome.com/blog/the-1-rule-rent-to-cost-ratios-how-factory-precision-makes-deals-pencil
Watch full episode:
https://youtu.be/SPi-OVsmIS8
 
Listen, subscribe, and share with anyone shaping the future of attainable housing.
 
#BuildersView #FortAndHome #FortHomes #FactoryBuilt #RentToCost #1PercentRule #ModularConstruction #SIPPanels #PrecisionBuilt #HousingInnovation #RockyMountainHousing #AttainableHousing

How Precision-Built Homes Boost DSCR and Bankability

Traditional construction’s high costs and delays tank financing. Jeff Zimmerman, CEO of Fort + Home, breaks down how precision-built homes cut costs by ~20–25%, improving Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DCR) and making projects financeable from our Grand Junction factory hub.
Learn more:
https://www.fortandhome.com/blog/dscr-and-bankability-how-factory-built-homes-win-financing-in-colorado
Watch full episode:
https://youtu.be/9W3rsUWegBs
#BuildersView #FortAndHome #DCR #FactoryBuilt #ModularConstruction #SIPPanels #PrecisionBuilt #ConstructionFinancing #RockyMountainHousing #AttainableHousing

Cap Rate vs. Cash-on-Cash: How Factory Precision Boosts Returns

Cap rate shows how the property performs. Cash-on-cash shows how your money performs.
In this Builder’s View episode, Jeff Zimmerman, CEO of Fort + Home, explains both metrics using simple, illustrative examples — then reveals how precision-built homes lower costs by 20–25%, increasing both returns and resilience.
Recorded at Fort + Home’s Grand Junction facility, this episode connects real estate finance to factory innovation — helping investors and developers understand how cost control creates stronger deals.
Listen, subscribe, and share with anyone who wants to understand how smarter construction boosts real estate returns.         
Read Full Blog:
https://www.fortandhome.com/blog/cap-rate-vs-cash-on-cash-return-how-factory-precision-improves-real-estate-performance
Watch Full Episode:
https://youtu.be/048rhSIVbos

Building Smarter: How Fort Homes Redefines Cost Per Square Foot

Every home, every community, and every real estate deal starts with one number: cost per square foot. It’s the metric that determines whether a project pencils — or fails. In this episode, Jeff Zimmerman breaks down how Fort Homes’ precision-built system is rewriting that equation. By bringing construction indoors and controlling every variable, Fort Homes is cutting build costs by 20–25%, increasing investor yields, and making attainable housing a reality again.
Key Takeaways:
Why $/sq ft defines project success or failure
How factory precision slashes cost and risk
The link between cost control and investor yield
Real-world data from NAHB + RSMeans on offsite savings
How 100 homes can save $4.5M in project costs
Fort Homes | Building the Future of Attainable Livingwww.forthandhome.com