In response to the current global shortage of affordable, weather-resistant housing, meet the Boxabl Casita: a surprisingly well-equipped little prefab house that costs just under $50k.
Delivered and installed in less than an hour, the Casita arrives with all plumbing and electricity in place, and upon delivery via truck, it unfolds in place like origami. The 20’x20’ floor plan accommodates a full, Shaker-style kitchen with a large fridge and window over the sink, a full bathroom with a decent-sized tub, and sleeping and living areas separated by a partition holding drawers and closet space. Other than daylight from six generously sized windows and two glass doors, the lighting is all dimmable, low-energy LEDs.
The house does require a foundation and utility hookups at the site, and in areas where the building code requires a pitched roof, that must be added. But it’s been designed with modern durability concerns in mind. The walls are factory-built sandwiches of steel, concrete, and foam insulation, using construction units called structural insulated panels (SIPs). This allows them to be made nearly airtight and watertight, meaning the Casita is not only inexpensive to heat and cool via the provided mini-split heating and cooling unit, but also strong.
