Octagon Houses & Octagonal Home Designs
by Topsider Homes

Octagon house designs have been around for thousands of years and were very popular in the mid-1800s in the United States with thousands of homes built in an 8-sided geometric configuration. In fact, the headquarters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C. is located in a historical building called "The Octagon" that was built in 1801 - so the eight-sided design is a well-established architectural style.

Since 1968, Topsider Homes has been designing, pre-engineering and prefabricating octagon houses. With thousands of octagonal homes shipped worldwide, no prefab, pre-engineered or kit house company has Topsider's experience or expertise in octagon home building.

Topsider designs, pre-engineers and prefabricates its high quality octagon home and home kits at its modern 15-acre manufacturing and office campus in Clemmons, NC.		Topsider 8-sided homes are prefabricated to the highest quality standards with structural components pre-assembled to assure proper fit and then shipped..

Early-era Topsider Homes were all octagonal shaped and built on pedestal foundations. For this foundation type, the structural characteristics of an 8-sided design were superior and far more efficient to build than square or round house geometry. That same 8-sided geometry was found to have other benefits for building on stilts, pilings and even on traditional foundations. For example, Topsider stilt homes require only 9 stilts or pilings – one in the middle and one on each of the 8 corners. Square houses and round houses typically require many more, particularly the larger the house size gets.

	This two-story octagon house built in the desert southwest has a stucco exterior and tile roof to blend with the local architectural theme. Large floor-to-ceiling windows open up to reveal mountain vistas from every floor.		This is a great example of a Topsider octagon patio home. This home built in the Southeast is a guest and pool house behind a large main residence. Topsider's octagonal designs also include home additions and garages.		This octagon home was built on severely sloping terrain in Hawaii using a Topsider pedestal house foundation. This high quality prefab home was easily erected on its challenging site and provides endless panoramic views.

There are many other advantages to Topsider's octagon house designs and pre-engineered post and beam building system. Topsider's exterior walls are non-loadbearing and as a standard feature come with floor-to-ceiling windows so that clients can enjoy the panoramic views of their natural surroundings. Traditional and "stick built" homes, and many prefab kit homes, square and round in design, have exterior walls that support the roof - that limits the number and size of windows.

	Topsider's multi-sided octagon prefab homes are extremely flexible in design and easier to build that round houses or traditional 'stick built' homes.		This double pedestal post and beam home shows the flexibility of Topsider's building system. Built on Victoria Island in British Columbia, each side of this home enjoys magnificent ocean views.		This multi-octagon home fits snugly into the terrain as if it grew out of the mountainside. Topsider octagon pedestal homes are efficient to build, and don't require massive excavation.

For home buyers who want a multi-sided house design, the octagon shape has many advantages. It is much less radical in appearance than hexagon (6-sided) homes, round and circular house designs, dome homes and yurts – and it is less complex and easier to build. These more extreme geometric shapes and building systems are also more difficult to finance. And they are typically sold by kit house and prefab home companies who offer only limited, if any, assistance in providing credible construction cost guidance, qualified builders, direct involvement in building permits, and logistical and technical coordination throughout the entire building project. Topsider Homes' provides all of these services, plus free custom design, with the purchase of any of our homes.