Taliesin West Modern Pre-fab

Low Cost Modern House Challenge

Bob Borson —  August 2, 2010 — 65 Comments

The Incredibles House

I am starting a side project  – one I don’t have time for but it has been nagging at me for a long time. I am going to take on a challenge to design a low cost modern home. This is going to be a single family detached home with all the program requirements you would assume to accompany a new home. What this project will not be: 

  • a dressed up mobile home
  • a prefab box
  • it will not be made of shipping containers or reclaimed wooded pallets
  • made of cardboard
  • a do-it-yourself assembly project

This is to be a real world project and if I can pull it off on paper and I can find a piece of land that supports the model, I will escalate it and get the funding to build it. 

Container Homes HyBrid Seattle - not doing this

The main reasons I want to do this is I am starting to wonder if the low cost modern house is Santa Claus – something you believe in until to get old enough and learn enough to know better. I get asked all the time how much does a house cost – the question takes time to answer and I can almost see it the the question-asker’s eyes after I have been answering the question for 10 minutes, they wished they hadn’t asked. Think of it this way – you go to the movies and want to get some popcorn so you go up to the counter manned by the disinterested ADHD teen (played by me because I used to do this to people when I worked at the movie theatre): 

You: “I’d like some popcorn please, what size popcorn do you have?”
Teen Bob: “All our popcorn is the same size” (holding thumb and index finger about an inch apart from one another) 
You: ”No, what sizes of containers can I get the popcorn in?”
Teen Bob: (looking at the 3 different size containers sitting…right…there…in…front…of…you…) “Regular, small and extra small” (otherwise known in the thinking person’s world as regular, medium and large)
You: “Well, I don’t want an extra small and since I’m…..well, okay, I’ll get the regular.”
Teen Bob: “That will be $9.50 please.”

.

Do you see how stupid your popcorn questions were? Back to architecture now – when people ask how much does a house cost, can you see now that the question isn’t a very good one? How big, where is it located, what style, what amenities, landscaping, is there a pool, would you like butter on that…? Get it? I think the question people seem to want to ask is how cheap can a modern home be and not look cheap. That, is a good question and I am glad people don’t ask it very often because I can’t answer it yet. 

Modern design used to be about the mechanization of the process thereby making a thing affordable to all – that isn’t true anymore. In my office, we can’t do a good modern house for less than $200 a square foot, and that’s only  if the clients don’t want a bunch of name brand stainless steel appliances that rhyme with “Viking”. You other designers that read this blog – have you done a kitchen lately for less than $20k? Don’t lie to me…. 25 linear feet of cherry upper and lower cabinets by themselves will cost you $15k to $17k installed. Now add appliances…..things get out of hand really quick don’t they? Plug in $12k for appliances and another $6k for stone counter tops. Don’t forget $1k for sink and faucet. A $35,000 kitchen won’t work in this challenge but I don’t think it has to (thankfully). 

Taliesin West Modern Pre-fab - not doing this either

So, the next few steps should be interesting because I need to flesh out the programming, square footage, amenities, etc. and see what I come up with. I also need to determine what is low cost – and that is a value question. Just like the expression “you get what you pay for” the same can be said “you don’t get what you don’t pay for” and I am interested in the latter. To me, the first phrase is about getting more for less and that means sacrificing value, or at the very least quality and I am not interested in a no quality or no value low cost modern home challenge. The latter is about getting what you pay for but you are setting the expectation level appropriately – that’s a far better and worthwhile challenge. 

This low cost modern home will need to have all the low-hanging fruit that you would expect: 

  • Living Area
  • Bedroom (2) minimum
  • Bathroom (2) minimum
  • Kitchen/ Dining
  • Bonus room (office, library, etc. – a multi-purpose space)
  • Outdoor storage
  • Place to park your vehicles

There should also be a consideration for ecological minded, earth-friendly and sustainable design as part of this challenge. I am sure that I will receive a lot of advice and direction in this area (feel free tree huggers) but I honestly do not expect this house to have exotic sustainable features like; wind turbine, geo-thermal, or a giant solar array. I expect to have some solar, good insulation, efficient footprint and floor plan, passive thermal and the like – but feel free to offer up an opinion – I want it. 

I also think there is going to have to be some study on the square footage and a balance between any exterior built-out space. My initial thoughts are that a 2 bedroom unit will have approx. 1,400sf while a 3 bedroom unit would be over 2,000sf, maybe as much  as 2,200 square feet total. 

I think this  challenge is going to be a lot of fun and I hope you regulars will chime in with an opinion, in fact, I am counting on it.

related posts:

In My Work, Observations ,
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Bob Borson

Posts Google+

Dallas architect who specializes in modern design. I'm AIA, Leed AP, NCARB certified, and previous Dallas AIA Young Architect of the Year (2009).
  • greytstuff44

    The solution is really quite simple, by studying some of the track homes built in the late 50′s and early to mid 60′s. The foot print was on the small side, as well at the rooms. Not all of course, but the bedrooms and bathrooms were minimally sized, leaving the living rooms and kitchens with more space. Frank Loyd Wright showed the way with his Usonian designs of the late 30s, and those houses were considered in their times to be quite comfortable and very livable; but never really affordable. They were also considered to be “too far ahead of their time” style-wise as well to most of the public. Even today, most of the buying public prefer traditional style homes over stark of even ultra contemporary homes. And builders generally put up what appeals to the most buyers in a given market.
    In 1962, my father built our family a 3 bedroom 1 bath house, with living room and eat in kitchen ( washer and dryer were in Kitchen as well. It had electric wall heat, and no Central Air. The house was just 868 square feet total, and it was very efficient for our family of 5. He built that house for $2,600, and at that time his yearly salary was just 4,800 per year. I had cousins who thought we were RICH.
    We lived in that house until my mother had 2 more children, and we ended up moving to an older house in Town that was much larger. The small brick home that Dad had built is still there, and has never been enlarged. And it looks as good now, as I remembered it then.

    • greytstuff44

      Correction. The house my Dad built was 968 sq ft, instead of the 868 sq ft that I miss typed. AND IT WAS BRICK!

  • http://www.facebook.com/ericjroy2003 Eric Jonathan Roy

    Ok, I can be the client. But I need you to find me the perfect lot to build this project on ($100K). I can then afford a 2,500 sf home at lets say… $200 sf.
    Total project cost is $600K.
    Do you think you can locate this perfect lot for me. I’m in The Woodlands, but would be willing to move. Way too many restrictions here.

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      I can find a lot for $100k – perfect?I don’t know. Is “pretty good” good enough?

  • Manny

    i stumbled open your blog while researching for modern homes,
    id like to see this become a reality, good luck with everything!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001242533468 Tree Hugger

    I am very interested in this idea too. I especially like the simplicity of traditional Japanese spaces-I think it could be done, and if not then by all means it SHOULD be possible to make an affordable modern home-with everything you need-perhaps no more but no LESS either. If not, then what has our world come to indeed….

  • Shane S.

    Why won’t you make prefab homes? Just curious as to why? Are they poorly made etc?

  • drake

    i dont know :)

  • Lisa

    Yes, I’m excited to hear. What is the verdict??

  • http://twitter.com/QuarlesVpq Valerie Quarles

    Seen talesin west before, very cool house… But I’m going to say my favorite movie house of all time is the incredibles house. I notice it every time I watch the movie.

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      there is a book on all the art/ design studies that was generated for the movie – it’s worth checking out.

      Cheers

  • Dean

    This blog is 2 years old, but @ $200/sf for modern home. Where do I sign? In Toronto, Canada, we live in closets of 450-600 sf / ranging from $550 – 1000 / sf, depending on the area; non-custom, cookie cutter condos, in cluttered spaces. Wishing our prices and space will improve to allow for better quality homes, and spaces with more character.

  • Greta

    So you wrote this over a year ago….what is the verdict?

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      Greta – no verdict yet. The project stalled with the economy but I am told that it isn’t dead. Hopefully it will kick back up and we can take a look at how a cost effective modern house turns out.

      Cheers,
      Bob

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      no verdict yet – we got busy and I had to focus on actual projects and clients. One day I hope to be able to put some of my low-cost modern construction ideas to work

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001242533468 Tree Hugger

        I hope so too.

  • Mandydl

    We have 3 kids and are home-schooling. We would like to build a low cost family home behind my mum’s house. The land is there, but building is so much more costly than buying an existing house in our location. I would love to know if there is a way to build a home for less, while still including eco-friendly, low-maintenance options!

  • Apexvideo

    Good luck!  My husband and I are very interested in a simple, affordable contemporary home to build.  We’re not builders or architects but it seems doable! I keep imagining concrete floors with radiant heat, exposed block or concrete walls, lots of windows but all standard sizes, ranch with two bedrooms and 1 bath upstairs and able to close off when guests aren’t there. We love industrial but it seems like the exposed metal beam look is more expensive than wood.  Would love to see what or if you can do this.  Exactly what price/ft. do you consider affordable?

  • Manishjain11_011

    I want to make my home as full safety based new modern home building with minimum budget as very low costing home building. Till time from old, many of old materilas are using for developing modern building like : iron, wood, stone, cement, glass, block, tiles, unstained cedar etc. while we want not use this materials for new modern house. Because we want to develop as safety of Earthquake, Earth fire, heavy water flow, cloud electrictiy damage, animal or violance people attacks, accidents, home fire, electricty current, water leakage, and many type of safety issues. Also, it coverages Gree Home generation like solar based, nano based, systematic, full natural lighting and free open wind,  noiseness, peacefully, hardness, easy repairing or non-maintenanceable, colorful, easy assembling, 6ft hight  from bottom road, best parking, tree, vegetable gardens, balcony, room height, bathroom, kitchen, better water storage as rain water system, recyclebin and many type of system may be used in the new very cost effective home in 250 sq.ft area. 3 step building, better people party arrangement in the house area or home office arrangement, godown,.
    All of our means one crore home in just one lacs similarity cost. Todays material costing , material life, labour costing and time and satisfaction is a major issue to me. so if you have any please contact : manishjain11_011@hotmail.com

  • paul

    Bob,

    I currently work for a company that does modular (read: not double-wide trailers or steel framed, but legitimate stick-built homes, just built in a factory) homes and we typically can do projects for about a quarter of what you’re pricing out up there.  Even the heavily customized homes with Corian counters and cherry cabinets are about a third of that budget.  Have you thought about doing your modern home as such?

    -Paul

    • Mporter

      Hi Paul, what is the name of hte company?

    • Mandydl

      I’m guessing all of you are in the USA. Here in NZ, it is not easy to access some of the options you are discussing. Modular sounds like it ought to be cheaper, but I don’t know if it is.

  • Richard

    Bob….How’s this going? Seriously! I have a simular project that I’m working on. I’d like to hear how this is moving along…if at all.

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      I’ve done a few posts since this one but this topic has been put on simmer since the beginning of the year – real work is getting in the way :)

      Every now and then, I have (and will) continue to write some posts covering individual topics within the larger picture but as far as designing the house and implementing those conversations might take a little longer than I planned.

      Thanks for checking in!

      • Richard

        Last night I went reading through more of the blogs, and realized you had indeed wrote other blogs around this subject. The beauty of “Pet Projects” is that there is no timeline and no push to get them done, other than a desire by yourself to see a finished project and get onto the next. I’ve never found a project that could be considered inexpensive to build no matter how much I try. I’m truly interested in seeing what you come up with for a final costing per sq ft.

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      I haven’t – not because I’ve already made up my mind but because it’s a non-traditional building method and that wasn’t part of the equation I was looking to modify. Send me an email and I look at your product – it sounds interesting.

      Cheers

  • john

    Hi Bob,
    I like the idea and I am curious to see if the results of your quest. I personally think it can be done, but it is very dependent upon the material choices made. The structure is the structure; a modern home can have a structure very similar to that of standard housing. Sure the roof- line and construction will be different having a higher cost and sure there will be an increase in the cost of the window package, but it seems that could be held to an extra 5K. But it seems to me the biggest delta in the overall cost has to be in the materials and finishes utilized inside and out.

    I don’t know what a medium quality, standard house can be built for in Dallas. It is $125/sq ft or is it more like $150/sq ft? If you add an additional cost of $30K for the roof and windows and utilize similar finishes inside and out, it only adds an additional $15/sq ft or so. And no, this will not be as slick as most of the truly expensive homes you see in Dwell, but you should be able to achieve a nice modern aesthetic at a reasonable cost. But, this of course is just my opinion, what are your thoughts?

    • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

      To address your first question, no – I haven’t any results to share. I really would like to get back on this but I am starting to realize that when your hobby is the same as your job, it’s hard to find time for these sorts of extra-curricular activities. Particularly when the couch is right over there and you haven’t sat on it in a very long time (I miss my couch).

      To the rest of your comment – I think you are right and the assumptions you make, while slightly different than my own are no so far from one another. I struggle with the idea that a proportionately and appropriately finished out modern house can be made available to people like myself. I have some money but not like the people who hire me – there has to be something for people like me.

      • john

        Bob, I am quite sure it can be done, it just takes a clear understanding of what you want and what it will cost. We built a fairly large modern home (ranch with basement, 1800 sq ft on the main floor and 1600 in the finished basement). Allowing $50/sq ft for the basement, the main floor comes in at around $105/sq ft. We did do hundreds of hours of sweat equity labor to reduce our cost. But we did get what we wanted, a comfortable modern style home we love with clean lines and lots of commercial windows that really bring the outdoors in.

        I think a lot of people get scared and decide against building a modern home when they hear numbers like $300/sq ft. It would be great if magazines would dedicate a small section in every issue to more realistic modern home projects, listing finishes and total cost. I believe this might help motivate more people to pursue their dream.

        • Myra_noyola

          You are soo right, i also believe a modern home can be built for a cheaper price, not too much cheaper, architects go to school for so long they want to make 100,000 a year, they dont care if they crush someones dream in building a modern home, but you probably already know that. Anyway, im glad to hear you built your dream home at a cheaper price, it brought my hopes up. Thanks.

  • Sub_z_0

    Hi Bob,
    I would be interested to find out if you have success in building modern house for less than $200/ sq. ft. I am trying to buy a lot and need to find out if I can afford to build a modern house.

  • SCAD Grad

    I’ve been doing the same research here in Houston. Its funny how one never has the time for side projects yet they always find their way into the forefront of reality. As soon as I find a decent Lot it will evolve into a true time restraint as Im hoping to put some plans into action. A huge lack of inventory down here (and my wife’s constant persistance) has forced my hand. I ran across an interesting article that came out in dwell a few years back. Although I don’t necessarily agree CMU masonry and a 3:12 roof pitch fully encompasses the essence of a mid-century, it was interesting they could build it for $100k. sticks, bricks, and dirt.

    http://www.dwell.com/articles/a-lot-for-a-little.html

    You might also find the agave community in Austin intriguing. They are taking this conundrum to the next level and developing completely modern community and according to a couple of the Builders Ive spoke to, building it for under $100 a square. Only in Austin.

    http://agaveaustin.com/

    • Dave

      You are full of BS regarding Agave.  Looks simple but costs a small fortune.  There’s nothing out there that’s even close to $100/sf.

  • Anonymous

    I’ll send you an email so that we can keep the comments section in control – thanks

  • WI-family

    Bob-
    Thanks for this. That is correct-a contemporary/modern home-simple materials-including glass/stone/cement block and unstained cedar. We had the opportunity to live in New Zealand for a year, and came to be religious readers of ‘Home’ and ‘Houses’ magazines-NZ/Australia publications similar to Dwell. I understand windows get expensive-when you say pick the window package early-is this to utilize standard sizes and not custom design windows? Do you have any opinion about flat roof designs as far as practicality vs aesthetic(I think they create more beautiful lines). One item we keep coming back to in the idea of a DLK space (dining-living-kitchen shared space). Is this something that is wise and somewhat novel, or in your mind trendy?

    Thanks

  • Anonymous

    Wi-Family -

    You should be able to achieve the goals you have set out for your new home – $200/sf would get you a really nice house albeit not large. If you are okay with approx. 2,000sf and have established a $200 budget, your architect should be able to get you there.

    Your architect has an obligation to design to your budget. If someone comes to me with a budget and I take on the project, I am responsible for hittting the budget or keeep redrawing it at my expense until it comes in budget. If along the way you ask for things that will exceed the budget, I have to tell you then.

    Keep the forms simple, which will result in a straighforward roof design, and select your window package early on in the design process and you should be fine. I am assuming that since you left comment on this post that you are interested in a modern or contemporary design?

  • WI-family

    Bob-
    My wife and I and our 2 kids(+dog) are wanting to build modern home in Wisconsin. We are looking at 3bdrm, 2.5bath, garage(tough Winters) and about 2000sq ft max. We came about the $200sq ft before we read your blog, but we also hope it is attainable. Do you have any advice for talking with our potential architects-in regards to materials/ways to ensure this is attainable. I don’t want to be too rigid or inflexible, but I want to know how best to find potential architects that would be willing to take on this project.
    Thanks

  • Pingback: Building smaller – is it the next big thing? | The Homeowner's Resource Center

  • Will

    Hi Bob – I enjoy your blog a great deal. This post got me thinking, and I have a somewhat rhetorical question for you: Who is this house for? By that i mean, do you think that there is a significant market for low-cost modern, or is this a one-off thought experiment?

    I often get the impression that architects (including me) fantasize that if only given the opportunity, if only enlightened, if only shown what was possible, that a huge segment of the US population would choose modern design. Architects have been trying to do this forever – from FLW usonian houses to Fuller, to Dwell prefab and small homes, to the MOMA prefab show, and a mass market for modern design never seems to turn up.

    I applaud that you are leaving behind the other architect cliche fantasies of DIY, shipping container living, and prefab, but I'm just left to wonder why architects return to this issue of low-cost modern again, and again, and again. Is it hubris that we see something that everyone else does not? I don't mean to diminish what you are doing – it is obviously thought provoking and I look forward to seeing more.

  • Cam

    I understand that – hence my comment re designing for Dwell with their tiny “houses”. My point is that in some markets the best way to get to a low cost house is to design something that successfully challenges and changes market perceptions.

    Maybe you can design something smaller but bigger i.e. a four bed house is perceived as being bigger than a 3 bed even if it is the square footage. What about going to 3000sf but building rental space over the top of an external garage that is designed in such a way that it cannot be readily identified as separate from the house. Home and income properties are up to half as cheap as a home alone because you have more people paying it off. In the house I am in now this saves me $2,000 a month in mortgage costs.

    I guess I am trying to encourage you to challenge the model as well as trying to just simply reduce costs. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Have fun with it!

  • bobborson

    Marcelo,

    I want to avoid anything associated with “cheap”, that's why this is a low cost challenge. I will need to build up the concept that there is value associated with the project so I can avoid a quantity or quality issue.

  • bobborson

    Cam,

    The challenge isn't to design the smallest 3 bedroom house. This has to be a viable project in this market with the other residential projects it will be competing with. Everything that I know about residential architecture i this area is telling me that I have to have it exceed 2,000 – at least initially. We will let the challenge play out a little and see what happens.

  • Cam

    Hey Bob. I realize everything is bigger in Texas and you are not designing a shoebox for Dwell. But up to 2200sf for a 3 bed? Seriously? Wow!

    To put this in context I live in a 2464sf house that contains 3 large bedrooms, 2 small bedrooms / offices, 1 lounge, 1 kitchen / dining / living, 2 bathrooms, 2 laundries, 1 single car garage and large hallways. Then add to this a single bedroom flat with 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen and 1 lounge. I know that doesn't sound feasible so I can send you the plan if you like to prove it. The reason this house is “cheap” is because it is home and income. The tenants pay for almost 50% of the mortgage. Food for thought.

  • http://blog.buildllc.com/ Andrew

    Great concept and kudos for taking on the challenge. I think it's a very good idea to punt on the exotic sustainable features, as you mention, and just concentrate on a good, solid cost-effective modern house. We see too many well intentioned ideas for affordable housing get bogged down with all the seemingly “green” <insert rolling of eyes> features. Once a good housing model is established, features like geothermal and solar can always be developed into future schemes.

  • http://www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com Paul Anater

    Bravo for your motives. If you can deliver a real-life version of the house from The Incredibles (complete with original mid century furnishings) for $150K or whatever the magic number is, I'll buy it!

  • ecomod

    I love the creativity spawned by constraint. What a fun project!

    @ecomod eco-modernism.com

  • http://www.seferin.com.br/ Marcelo Seferin

    Great, always a hard job. Adding some aspects like, good ventilation and orientation, should make you spend less to climatize the house, as well as other sustainable solutions. Maybe the initial price it is not that cheep, but i think we have to think about the maintenance cost as well, if we can spend less, maybe after 5 years living in the house, it can be seen as a very cheap result.

  • http://twitter.com/architectmark Mark Stephens

    A great challenge and is also pertinent in Ireland. For the heating (if the house was here) I'd go for a wood burning stove with a backboiler connected to radiators backed up by an evacuated tube solar panel for the hot water; the furl can come from timber construction waste (stacks here at the moment). Run the house through the PHPP passive house software-this should be your benchmark.
    Best of luck
    Mark
    http://markstephensarchitects.com

  • Elizabeth

    Thanks for the link! And while I agree with you that they can be very expensive… I am also an architect who is a big believer in low cost contemporary houses. I'm just cheering you on! I look forward to seeing your solution!

  • bobborson

    Holla!

    I am actually going to see what the size works out to be based on my programming and then work the square footage backwards. Who knows where I will end up but I do believe that there will be some magic trigger numbers that I will need to hit. Based on cost, it is possible that the “large” house needs to be over 2,000 just to help address the perception.

    We may be trying to jump in the deep end but these are baby steps people!

    • Keoni

      Aloha from Hawai’i Bob… Me and my kids are wanting to Build an Awesome Contemporary Low Cost Modern Home probably 1500sft Max with a Garage… We Own land on Waikiki right on Diamond Head Crater, I want to take all the Hawaiian View in… Let me know

      • http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

        Hi Keoni,

        Beautiful location – I sent you an email thinking it would be easier to discuss than on this chat panel.

        Cheers

  • tdatx

    Bob, I support you with your assessment of the size. Part of this process should be meeting the market demand, which is what you are accomplishing with this size. it may be unfortunate, but that is the way it is 'round these parts.

  • bobborson

    Elizabeth –

    It is easier to point you to a post I wrote a while back:

    http://bit.ly/9AMkd7

    It talks about what makes a design modern (or contemporary) and why that costs more money than you might think. Give it a read and let me know if that helped or not.

  • Elizabeth

    You answered Tammy's question, but can you explain a little further. Why are traditional homes cheaper to build than modern (I prefer the word contemporary as to not confuse it with the era of architecture)? I ask this question more rhetorically…I'm kind of asking myself. Here are some ideas:

    Contemporary homes usually have clean lines and far less complicated roof lines, making the framing much cheaper. Unless of course you are doing a house from cast-in place concrete. But I think that's the first place to start, with a simple structure. Therefore making the construction and HVAC, plumbing systems less complicated.

    Contemporary homes typically require less trim and decor, which saves material, but then drives up labor due to impeccable detailing.

    They are generally more energy efficient, however that sometimes does cost a lot initially (High efficient mechanical systems, windows, and Insulation). But I think this is also where the architect can get creative and really use the site to inform the design. But if you look back to ancient architecture they solved many of these problems without the use of technology.

    Material selection is another big one. I know you may be opposed to reclaimed products, but I think you could use cheap materials in innovative ways so that it gives that luxurious feel. I once met a furniture designer that had a bunch of left over flooring (all the same brand but not the same type…some were bamboo, some palmwood, light and dark) and he said he was going to do his floor out of it. I thought he was crazy, but it was the most beautiful floor I have ever seen.

    I myself am interested in creating personalized contemporary homes for people with an average income. Can it be done? I sure hope so. I will be interested in what you come up with.

  • ecomod

    Hi Bob – love the idea! I wanted to chime in & say that we do kitchens all the time for under $20k. Total. Breakdown is thus:
    $10k RTA cabinets, installed with high end Blum hardware;
    $4500 quartz composite countertops w/ undermount stainless sink, installed;
    $1500 under cabinet task lighting & pendants
    $1000 backsplash;
    $2k ish flooring, misc finishes like paint

    We actually done several for under $18k. It *can* be done, if the client is open minded about materials. With warranty, no less.

    Let's put one in the cardboard prototype!

  • http://twitter.com/BrianDDolan Brian Dean Dolan

    Great idea, Bob! I'm actually in the middle of doing a similar exercise, centered around the same ideas of affordability, sustainability & design. As to your sustainability comments, I think the most cost effective approach will be a combination of multiple green building standards. Out of all of the standards, it seems as though the Passive House has had the most success marrying affordability & sustainability. Check out the 100k house blog (http://www.100khouse.com/) and the Passive House Institute (http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PHIUSHo…) if you haven't already

    Good luck!

  • http://funandfit.org Alexandrafunfit

    Can I have the house when you're done with it? Most people with curious minds would read a book or bake something complicated. But YOU have to build a house. What will you do next week?

  • bobborson

    The Cedar Avenue houses were one of the first projects that I thought of actually. KRDB used city subsidies to make those projects work. Most of the their speculative development work is multi-family and not single family detached. Just another reason this is a hard challenge. Since I lived in Austin for 6 years while going to architecture school and I currently live in Dallas, I can with absolute certainty tell you that Austin can get away with projects that Dallas can not. But maybe that's because no one has tried before? Hopefully, I'll find out.

  • bobborson

    Tammy,

    Most of the projects we work on don't have a small, low cost requirement so while budget is always a factor, we don't deal with unrealistic expectations too often. As far as answering your question about less modern homes being less expensive – it easier to say that if I had to design a house with as many bells and whistles as possible AND do it for less than $200/sf, there is little doubt that I would have an easier time executing that with a traditionally designed home.

  • John

    Bob-

    KRDB in Austin came up with a pretty nice solution with their Cedar Ave Houses. Have you seen them? And I agree with Laszlo – that your square footage numbers are probably larger than they have to be. I've lived in a very functional 3 bedroom 1 3/4 bath home that was only 1150SF. In my opinion it is the design and layout of the space (including the volume of space) that has a bigger impact than square footage alone.

    …and David…you got your new DWELL already…why does mine ALWAYS seems to arrive late?!?

    John

  • http://www.wood-and-light.com David Mathias

    Excellent post Bob. I have it on good authority that a house doesn't have to be any bigger than 214 sf. It's in the new issue of Dwell so it must be true. ;-)

    Seriously, I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with.

  • http://www.tamaradalton.net/ tammyjdalton

    Hi Bob: This sounds like a great challenge, and definitely a challenge. And I have a question for you: what is your definition of “low-cost?” What are you aiming for? And have you found that less modern homes are usually less expensive to build than the $200/SF you estimated it takes for your company to design a good modern home?

  • bobborson

    Thanks Laszlo.

    Something to consider is that I don't live in Japan and this isn't an exercise in teaching morality. This needs to be a real world (Dallas, Texas world btw) exercise that is financially viable AND desirable within a marketplace that s full of bloated and over-sized projects. It is one of the things that makes this a “challenge” and not an “exercise”.

  • Laszlo

    I feel that you are on the right track but are oversizing the houses. I feel that you can do a very nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house for way under 1500 sf after all the rest of the world is living in much smaller areas. In Japan a 1500 sf house is considered largish.

    Laszlo Kiss
    http://www.studiokiss.com