Many great innovations begin with an idea that others dismiss as absurd. The electric light bulb is one example. When Thomas Edison announced that he was working to invent an electric light bulb, he was mocked as a fool with no understanding of electricity. But he trusted his own judgment, and when he succeeded, he improved the life of everyone, including his detractors.
Many might scoff at the idea of a house in a box, but Boxabl has developed a concept that might be as revolutionary as the light bulb. The company’s first product—the Casita—is a 375 square foot accessory dwelling unit, also called a granny flat or backyard cottage. The house starts at just under $50,000. It is very affordable, albeit small. (Interestingly, it is rumored that Elon Musk—one of the world’s wealthiest individuals—lives in a Casita at the SpaceX facility in Texas.)
The homes are built in a fully automated factory. The design allows the house to fold into itself to the size of a standard shipping container. This allows the home to be delivered without the expensive fees associated with wide loads, which is the case with traditional mobile homes. The combination of automated assembly and dramatically reduced shipping costs allow the company to offer their product for a much lower price than forms of housing.
The house can be set up in two hours, instead of the days required for a mobile home, and months for a site-built home. When the Casita unfolds it has a full-size kitchen with a range and dishwasher, a divided living room/bedroom, a bathroom with tub/shower, and a washer and dryer.
The current factory can produce a house in about 90 minutes. Once it has proven the concept and worked out some of the bugs that will inevitably arise, the company plans to build a much larger factory and expand the product line to include bigger homes.
Company founder Galiano Tiramani aspires to become the Henry Ford of housing. He envisions a future in which housing can be produced efficiently on an assembly line. Whether Tiramani is successful or not, Boxabl shows the type of innovations that are possible when individuals are free to act on their own judgment.