World's cheapest homes

[DavidDvorkin]

Built quickly, too. It will be a very good thing if this really happens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14172605

[gateley]

1. That could be such a help in many parts of the world! Thanks! nt

[bluerum]

2. Yes. Cheap eco-friendly housing for the worker class. Leaves more for the wealthy.

[Posteritatis]

13. Nice, all of two responses before someone looked down on this. (nt)

[DavidDvorkin]

14. Presumably it would be better if the poor didn't have houses at all.

[Original_Redstone]

3. Small

It'sawful small tho! 200 sq feet.
Thats a house that is 14 feet square.

[kentauros]

12. Studio apartment.

Plenty of people offer them and still more live in them. It's smaller than the studio I had fifteen years ago, but not by much.

[rucky]

4. K&R

[Daggoo]

5. sand

There are some great ideas for using sandbags to pile up walls, and then spray them with
simple plaster--a home with insulation, in a day. Built anywhere. Cheap.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. There are a lot of interesting ideas floating around

I hope that together all of these ideas will revolutionize life in poor regions.

I think the significance of this one is that it's being done by a huge corporation with huge resources.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. Solar panels are an option

I didn't see how much that would add to the cost, but if those houses become common, with solar electric panels on the roof, the effect on life in sunny countries could be immense.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. I found Indian article with much more detail, if anyone is interested:

Under the People’s Home project, the low-cost houses will be made available in the form of prefabricated (prefab) kits.

While the basic model in 20 square metre area with flat roof would come for €500, the upgraded model will come in 30 square metres and cost around €700 (Rs44,000), and for a solar panel on rooftop it will cost more.

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_after-nano-tata-plans-rs32000-house_1566154

[DavidDvorkin]

9. Apparently this needs a kick.

[kentauros]

10. I posted to the other thread without knowing this was here,

so I'll post again :)

I love stuff like this!

And want to see it happen here. There are still some big roadblocks to it here, though. Primarily "building codes", and then resistance from the home-builders and contractors, and finally appraisers don't understand anything that's not a cookie-cutter house.

The other thing I see here that prevents prefab is that the designers of that format don't market to the middle-income and lower. Everything they touch is for upper incomes it seems. Marketing for the masses either isn't a money-maker, or the aforementioned problems to building are too much trouble and effort. And thus, too expensive.

If some group like Habitat for Humanity got behind the advent of building prefab homes and making them "common", I think much of the resistance to them here would soon evaporate :D

[Posteritatis]

15. I dunno how many of those roadblocks exist in the area these guys are looking at.

The article isn't exactly talking about these as an American phenomenon.

[kentauros]

18. No, the Article isn't.

But I am. I thought that was apparent in what I wrote. Or have you seen prefab generally accepted in a US municipality somewhere? And I don't mean "mobile homes".

[elocs]

11. I'm afraid that advances which help this Earth & our environment

will come from countries other than the U.S. and be embraced there.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. wish there were more pics with the article

[riderinthestorm]

17. Can anyone ascertain what these are made of?

I can't seem to find what construction materials are being used?

There are straw houses that are as cheap as this.

Would love more info!

[tblue37]

19. It's Tata: The same company that produced the very inexpensive Nano car.

Floor plans here: http://www.shubhgriha.com/pages/plans.php

Longer article:
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_after-nano-tata-plans-rs32000-house_1566154

<snip>

Though being handled by Tata Steel, these homes would have a significant amount of non-steel component. The company is currently talking to various agencies including the Coir Board and the Jute Board for sourcing material for wall cladding and other interiors.

<snip>