Zook Cabins Review: Prices, Models and Full Lineup

Zook Cabins builds small. They also build big. A family company out of Gap, Pennsylvania, selling Amish built park models, log cabins, modern cabins, ADUs and mobile homes since 2006, with a catalog that starts at a 204 square foot studio and runs to a 2,979 square foot house.

Very few builders do both RVIA park models and homes built to your local building code, so one company can handle a summer cabin or a house you live in. Which of those two you are buying is the first thing to settle.

What stands out

• More than forty models, 204 sq ft to 2,979
• Both RVIA park models and cabins built to local code
• Delivery, set up and crane included on the modular cabins
• Amish built, by hand, in Pennsylvania
• 5.0 out of 5 from 485 Google reviews, and an A+ BBB rating with no complaints filed in three years

Good to know before you call

• Zook quotes rather than publishes, so a price means a configuration and an address
• Several models come in more than one size, so ask which one a number reflects
• Some lines are regional: the Cozy collection is Northeast only, and the modern cabins are not sold in California
• Plan on 7 to 10 months from order to delivery, less if you take something in stock
• Payment runs 20 percent at order, 70 percent when your site is ready, 10 percent at completion

Zook Cabins at a glance

• Founded: 2006, in Gap, Pennsylvania
• Built by: Amish crews, in their own climate controlled facility
• Catalog: more than forty models across park models, modern cabins, log cabins, ADUs and mobile homes
• Certifications: RVIA to ANSI A119.5 on the park models, local building code on the cabins and ADUs
• Standing: A+ with the Better Business Bureau, accredited, no complaints in three years
• Ships: the United States except Alaska and Hawaii

How much does a Zook cabin cost?

Zook quotes rather than publishing prices, which is how most of this category works. The three Zook homes in our listings carry firm starting numbers.

• Nook Studio  ·  from 204 sq ft  ·  park model  ·  from $80,000
• A-Frame Lodge  ·  from 1,195 sq ft  ·  certified modular  ·  from $330,000
• The Walden Stack  ·  from 1,290 sq ft  ·  certified modular  ·  from $400,000

Those are base builds. Finish level, layout and your site all move them, and several Zook models are offered in more than one size, so a quote only means something once a configuration is attached to it.

Here is the published catalog with sizes.

Park models  ·  204 to 400 sq ft

RVIA sealed to ANSI A119.5. Built for seasonal use, campgrounds, guest space and rentals, and they sit on a gravel pad or a concrete slab rather than a foundation.

• Nook Studio  ·  204 sq ft
• The Atlas  ·  233 sq ft
• Nook Family  ·  255 sq ft
• Yukon  ·  296 sq ft
• Denali  ·  384 sq ft
• Kodiak  ·  384 sq ft
• Sonoma  ·  395 sq ft
• Skye  ·  399 sq ft
• A-Frame Studio  ·  400 sq ft
• A-Frame Bunkhouse  ·  400 sq ft
• A-Frame Classic  ·  400 sq ft
• Aspen  ·  400 sq ft
• Cascade  ·  400 sq ft
• Luna  ·  400 sq ft
• Outpost  ·  400 sq ft
• Pinecrest  ·  400 sq ft
• Winslow  ·  400 sq ft

Modern cabins  ·  470 to 2,979 sq ft

Contemporary shapes with wood interiors, built to your local building code on a permanent foundation. The two largest homes in our listings come from this line.

• A-Frame Retreat  ·  470 sq ft
• The Spruce  ·  656 sq ft
• The Juniper  ·  768 sq ft
• The Two Pines  ·  935 to 1,269 sq ft
• The Woodland  ·  738 to 1,442 sq ft
• The Walden Stack  ·  1,290 sq ft
• The A-Frame Lodge  ·  1,195 to 2,135 sq ft
• The Soren  ·  1,316 to 1,822 sq ft
• The Homestead  ·  936 to 2,979 sq ft

Log cabins  ·  656 to 2,926 sq ft

Traditional log construction, sorted into the Cattleman, Cozy Cabins and Mountain Home collections as they get larger.

• The Wrangler  ·  656 sq ft
• The Frontier  ·  660 to 1,548 sq ft
• The Settler  ·  660 to 1,680 sq ft
• The Pioneer  ·  660 to 1,680 sq ft
• The Musketeer  ·  720 to 1,680 sq ft
• The Lariat  ·  768 to 1,648 sq ft
• The Chalet  ·  866 to 1,901 sq ft
• The Mountaineer  ·  936 to 1,680 sq ft
• The Mountaineer Deluxe  ·  1,031 to 1,946 sq ft
• The Glacier  ·  1,039 to 1,971 sq ft
• The Sunset Ridge  ·  1,040 to 1,680 sq ft
• The Alpine  ·  1,144 to 1,680 sq ft
• The Timberline  ·  1,451 to 1,780 sq ft
• The Canyon Lodge  ·  1,790 to 2,926 sq ft

ADUs  ·  564 to 1,648 sq ft

Sized to fit what most jurisdictions will permit as an accessory dwelling, and built to local code on a permanent foundation.

• The A-Frame Dwelling  ·  564 to 846 sq ft
• The Monterey ADU  ·  639 to 749 sq ft
• The Anders ADU  ·  648 to 710 sq ft
• The Sonoma ADU  ·  678 sq ft
• The Rivara ADU  ·  728 sq ft
• The Grove ADU  ·  795 sq ft
• The Marietta ADU  ·  768 to 1,648 sq ft

There is a Luxury Mobile Homes line as well, and anything outside our listings starts with a quote request.

Which Zook model should you buy?

If you asked us over coffee, we would say the A-Frame Lodge. At $276 a square foot in its smallest plan it is the best rate of the Zook homes we carry, it is built to your local code so it finances like a house, and delivery, set up and crane are already in the number. It also comes in four lengths on a thirty foot width, so the same house scales from 1,195 to 2,135 square feet without starting the conversation over.

The Walden Stack is the one if you need three bedrooms and three bathrooms more than you need floor area. The Nook Studio is the right answer for a seasonal place, an RV park or a guest room at the bottom of the garden.

Park model or built to code?

This decides your permits, your financing and your property tax, and it matters more than the floor plan does.

Park models are recreational vehicles, legally speaking. ANSI A119.5, RVIA seal. They go on a compact gravel pad or a concrete slab, which in most places means no building permit and no property tax on the structure, so placement is quick and cheap. Financing runs through an RV or chattel lender rather than a mortgage, and many counties cap how long you can live in one.

Cabins and ADUs are houses. Zook says the modern cabin lineup is built to meet your local building code and the ADUs to applicable codes, and both go on a permanent foundation. That makes them real property: conventional and construction financing both work, nobody caps your occupancy, and the building holds value with the land instead of depreciating like a vehicle.

Summer place, rental cabin, guest house, something going in an RV park? Park model. Somewhere you intend to live and borrow against? The cabin lines. Call your county planning office before you fall for a floor plan, because their answer tells you which half of the catalog you are shopping. Our guide on park models versus tiny homes on wheels goes further into how the classifications work.

A closer look at a few of them

Park model

Nook Studio

204 sq ft  ·  24' by 8.5'  ·  1 bed, 1 bath  ·  sleeps 2  ·  from $80,000

The smallest thing Zook publishes, and a tidy piece of design. One open room with a king bed on a raised platform, custom birch cabinets, pine tongue and groove over the walls and ceiling, wrapped in black stained pine under a textured black metal roof.

The mechanicals are right for a park model: R14 to R21 insulation, a 9,000 BTU mini split, a 28 gallon water heater and a 50 amp panel with an exterior RV inlet, all on a three axle trailer frame with a removable hitch. Zook delivers it to your site; levelling and skirting are yours to arrange.

See full specifications for the Nook Studio

Certified modular

A-Frame Lodge

1,195 to 2,135 sq ft  ·  2 to 3 bed, 2 to 3 bath  ·  from $330,000

The showpiece, and our pick. A steep A frame with a wall of glass filling the gable, cathedral ceilings throughout, and Nordic Spruce Lunawood shiplap set against black trim and black windows. This is the one people fall for.

Four plans on a thirty foot width, at 1,195, 1,665, 1,960 and 2,135 square feet, the largest of which takes it to three bedrooms. Built to your local code, and delivery, set up, crane and the permits and escorts the delivery needs are all included.

See full specifications for the A-Frame Lodge

Certified modular

The Walden Stack

1,290 sq ft  ·  3 bed, 3 bath  ·  sleeps 8  ·  from $400,000

The family one. Three bedrooms and three bathrooms arriving as two fifteen by fifty two foot modules that set in a day. Glass walls in the primary suite and the living room, incense cedar siding, a 40 year black metal roof and a double seven foot composite deck.

Inside there are vinyl plank floors, painted nickel gap walls, shaker cabinetry and spray foam insulation above local code. Three separate exterior doors, one off the living room and one from each of two bedrooms, which suits a multigenerational household or renting out half of it.

See full specifications for The Walden Stack

How they compare to other builders we like

Zook is a lovely fit for a lot of buyers, and there are a couple of others worth putting next to them depending on what you care about most.

Zook and Lancaster Log Cabins

Lancaster Log Cabins works out of the same town and concentrates on park model RVs. They are an approved KOA vendor, so they merit a look if you are outfitting a campground or building a rental fleet. Zook is the one to price if you want the option of a permanent, mortgageable house from the same builder.

Zook and the tiny home on wheels builders

A tiny home on wheels is a third classification again, with its own permitting and financing. Tiny Mountain Houses and Mint Tiny House both build in that space, and that is the part of the market to look at if mobility matters more to you than permanence. Zook has the edge once the building is staying put. Our Mint guide covers that lineup the same way this one does.

How buying one works

Zook sets the process out plainly, which makes it easy to plan around.

• The schedule. 20 percent at order, 70 percent when your site is ready, 10 percent at completion
• The timeline. About 7 to 10 months: 5 to 8 weeks of engineering, four to six months or more in the build queue, then 3 to 8 weeks of construction
• What is included. On the cabins, shipping, crane and set up, plus the permits and escorts the delivery itself needs
• What is yours. The building permit, foundation, well, septic and utility hookups, and the finishing items: floor insulation, steps, gutters, heating, appliances and furniture
• Where they go. The United States except Alaska and Hawaii, with the park model package excluding Alabama as well

The one to pin down early is that 70 percent payment, which lands when your site is ready rather than on a date. Permits and site work set that clock, so ask what happens if yours runs long.

What sits alongside the price

A cabin price covers the building. A cabin project covers more, and none of this is particular to Zook. It is true of every factory built home from every builder, and giving it a real line early is what keeps a budget intact.

• Site work. Clearing, grading, the pad or foundation, and a driveway a semi truck and a crane can actually use
• Utilities. Water, septic or sewer, and power to the building. On raw land this is often the biggest number after the home
• Permits, driven by the classification, which is why that one comes first
• The finishing items Zook leaves to you, from steps and gutters to appliances
• Land, if you do not already own it

Our guide on how to evaluate land before you buy covers what to check, and what really matters when comparing home models walks through holding two quotes side by side.

Where to start

Have a look through the Zook Cabins listings for specifications and photography, or widen out across cabins and off grid homes, park models and modular homes. In Colorado you can also see what is around Denver and Fort Collins, where we are planning a show lot.

Related reading

• Park model vs tiny home on wheels  ·  how the classifications work
• How to evaluate land before you buy  ·  zoning, utilities, soil and site prep
• Tiny home vs ADU  ·  if it is going in a backyard
• Mint Tiny House prices and models  ·  the same guide for a tiny home builder

Frequently asked questions

Are Zook Cabins a good buy?

We think so, and the modular cabins are where it shows most. The A-Frame Lodge lands near $276 a square foot with delivery, set up and crane already in the number, and the catalog is broad enough that one builder can cover a campground cabin and a house you live in.

• More than forty models, 204 sq ft up to 2,979
• Both RVIA park models and cabins built to local code
• 5.0 out of 5 from 485 Google reviews
• A+ with the Better Business Bureau, accredited, no complaints in three years

Plan on asking for a quote, since Zook does not publish prices.

How much do Zook Cabins cost?

The Zook homes in our listings start at $80,000 for the 204 sq ft Nook Studio, $330,000 for the A-Frame Lodge and $400,000 for the Walden Stack.

• Nook Studio, a 204 sq ft park model, from $80,000
• A-Frame Lodge, built to local code from 1,195 sq ft, from $330,000
• The Walden Stack, 1,290 sq ft with three bedrooms, from $400,000

Zook publishes more than forty models and quotes rather than listing prices, so anything else starts with a quote request.

Who builds Zook Cabins, and where?

Amish crews, by hand, in Zook's own climate controlled facility in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 2006 and works out of Gap.

• Building since 2006
• Park models, modern cabins, log cabins, ADUs and mobile homes
• Delivered across the United States except Alaska and Hawaii

Some lines are regional, so confirm that your model is sold in your state.

Are Zook Cabins RVs or real houses?

Both, depending on the line, and that one distinction drives your permits, your loan and your property tax.

• Park models such as the Nook Studio are RVIA sealed to ANSI A119.5 and count as RVs
• The modern cabins and ADUs are built to your local building code on a permanent foundation
• The cabin lines are the ones that work as a primary residence and for a mortgage

Get the classification in writing early, because your county cares about it more than anything else on the spec sheet.

Can you finance a Zook Cabin?

Yes, and the loan follows the classification rather than the price.

• A cabin built to local code qualifies for conventional and construction financing
• Park models go through RV or chattel lenders, usually shorter terms at higher rates
• Zook does not lend, so you bring your own lender

Settle park model versus built to code first and the financing conversation gets much simpler.

How long does a Zook Cabin take?

About 7 to 10 months from order to delivery, and less if you take something already in stock.

• 5 to 8 weeks of engineering
• Four to six months or more in the build queue
• 3 to 8 weeks of construction once it starts

Your own permits and site work run alongside that, and the 70 percent payment is due when the site is ready.

What is the smallest Zook Cabin?

The Nook Studio, at 204 square feet. Nothing in the park model line is smaller.

• 204 sq ft, 24 by 8.5 feet, one bed, one bath, sleeps two
• Next up are the Atlas at 233 and the Nook Family at 255
• Most of the park model range sits between 384 and 400

In the modern cabin line the 470 square foot A-Frame Retreat is the smallest, and in the ADU line it is the A-Frame Dwelling from 564.