Microhomes multiply

John Faust, subscriber to the new Google Group and mailing list "Low Cost Community Housing", recently brought two great examples of comfortable low-cost housing to our attention.

First is infill microhomes being built in Reno, Nevada. The homes are created by HabeRae Investments, Inc. The company specializes in urban infill projects in the urban core of Reno.

Here's another example of micro homes in Dwell. Called H.E.L.P. (Help Every Last Person), this mini prefab created by designer Carib Daniel Martin is one of many architectural responses to the housing crisis created by Hurricane Katrina. Known as microHOME, the home is available starting at about $40,000 (delivery and installation included).

Make ‘Modern Prefab’ Malleable to Masses

“... people may be finally recognizing that there might not be such a great future in 10,000-square-foot McMansions.”

-- Allison Arieff, founder, former editor,
Dwell magazine, author of “Prefab”

Gee, shucks, mame .... Ya think? Maybe? This isn’t the formerly “mundane, ugly architecture” of prefabricated homes. Check out this article (and photo gallery) in the L.A. Times that celebrates the revival of ‘modern’ prefabs, even during the slumping housing market.

Arieff leads prefab designers Michelle Kaufmann, Jennifer Siegal and Rocio Romero in a panel discussion titled “The Four Women of Prefab” during the annual CA Boom show in Santa Monica, California, per the southern California publication.

Modern, made-to-order prefab could help make an architectural variety of homes available to people who can’t afford what’s currently on the market, Arieff said.

A few more important points in this interview:

• Made-to-order, modern prefabs rely on natural light and ventilation ... expanses of glass, exposed beams and studs
• Prefabs are made with ‘smarter’, more sustainable building materials ... smaller footprint
• Quicker construction time, more efficient use of materials, less waste, money saved
• Make sure there aren’t stipulations against prefab and manufactured homes on your lot