Affordable Housing
Check out what can happen when you’re committed to good design on a realistic budget ($51 per square foot!):
As part of my never-ending quest to find affordable housing options, I stumbled across this interesting article in the New York Times. Here’s a brief excerpt:
Mr. Flueckiger chose to build with industrial materials in homage to the region’s history but also to prove that it was possible to create an affordable, durable house that was beautiful and interesting to live in. He began envisioning his design as an alternative to modernist prefabs, many of which sell for about $250 a square foot.
What I find most compelling about this case study is that it’s the first example of seemingly good design on a reasonable budget. While I’ve often admired the modern prefab movement, it’s refreshing to see what can happen when talented individuals apply building cost as part of the equation. The main problem with the modern prefab movement is that it’s still a largely bourgeoisie endeavor. It’s insulting to even think that $250 a square foot falls into the category of “affordable housing.” Hats off to Mr. Flueckiger!
March 12th, 2008 at 6:36 am
That is inspiring… do you have to be an architect to do something like this? (probably so, eh?) I too am dismayed at the limited options for those of us on a budget looking for modern design… and I already own too much stuff from Ikea!
March 13th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I think you could pull it off if you were a builder…or a very “handy” homeowner. It’s tough….my neighbor is a contractor and he only managed to get his costs down to $100/ft, even doing the sub work himself. $50 seems ridiculously cheap, and probably has a lot to do with the level of finishes, lack of “Extras,” so on and so forth.
On the other hand, $250 is out and out insane. We’ve seen an inflation in building costs over the last 10 years that will certainly go down as the economy slows. The one variable, however, is the relatively fixed cost of fuel. This will prohibit materials from coming down in price, especially the stuff we get from China (nails, glue, etc.) And while wood may be sourced locally, we’re competing with China for the supply, so costs may not go down as much there, either.