Affordable housing is an issue that has been around for a while, here and on the mainland. However, it’s getting worse. With the huge increase in prices here on the Big Island, many buyers are being priced out of the market. They can’t afford to buy that starter home. With the increase in cost of materials, they can’t afford to build it, either.
That is why, when I heard that Elon Musk was investing in a company called Boxabl that manufactures tiny homes, it caught my attention.
Boxable was started by Paolo Tiramani. He was born in Italy, educated in London, where he earned degrees in mechanical engineering, and industrial design. By 1986, he held 144 patents. In 1986 he formed the company, 500 Group, with the idea of turning some of these patents into cash. One of those patents was the rolling tool storage box, which he licensed to Stanley Black & Decker.
In 2017, he formed the company, Boxabl, with the purpose of building tiny homes on an industrial scale. Instead of building homes individually, on site, they are built in a factory. That is not a new idea. Modular homes, trailer houses, have been built in factories for quite a while. The difference with Boxabl is the scale of manufacturing, the emphasis on quality of construction, and on making it energy efficient.
Right now, their only model is the Casita, a studio unit.
This is just the beginning, though. They are already designing other units, a master bedroom box, a two bedroom box, stackable boxes. Units can be joined together, or stacked to create an infinite variety of building. It is a new way of thinking about building structures. Here is a link to some of those ideas, https://www.boxabl.com/more
These future plans are interesting, but they are not available yet. What is available is the Casita.
The Casita is a 375 sq ft studio unit, quality materials and construction, energy efficient.
It is priced at $50,000. For the single person, or couple, this would be a great starter home. You won’t be able to find this quality anywhere else at this price. That’s the point. They have made getting that first home more affordable. This may also be benefit for government agencies, and non-profits thinking about providing housing for the homeless. That is another pressing issue, here and elsewhere. This may be a solution.