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Modular Homes for Under $50k

boxabl.com

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Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#81

Post by sumedh »

decebalus1 wrote: post #72
johnnyfived wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I think that he might possibly be doing his homework." I believe you're dead on, this guy's an absolute baller of a CEO (running 3 totally game-changing startups) and completely immerses himself in his work and research.

I admire your admiration of him, it's a sign you haven't reached the level of cynicism required to classify him in the 'snake oil salesman' category yet.

Elon delivered on his promise of using reusable rockets which other govts and billionaires could not do, how is that snake oil?

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#82

Post by prawn »

decebalus1 wrote: post #68
mgolawala wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Land is not scarce. We literally make as much of it as we want. What makes it scarce is legislation and zoning. Look at Manhattan or Hong Kong. You just stack the homes and offices and stores on top of each other.

Allow me to rephrase: space in desirable urban areas. Land is too specific.

Also, land with services connected - water, etc. Loads of cheap blocks of land out in the deserts of Texas.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#83

Post by gangstead »

prawn wrote: post #77
gangstead wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering that myself. I fantasize about plopping a house down out in the desert, but their video shows a crane used to unfold it. By the time you get all the heavy machinery out there to prep the land and assemble the structure you're most of the way to just building something unique.

Thought the same about the crane. Surely there is a way you could adjust these to avoid the crane? As in, have a pulley mechanism that could be built into the frame to lower the floor? And roof panels that slide across rather than fold over? But I guess you need to deliver the thing, and that means truck and crane anyway, unless they're towed to site and the trailer is part of it. Couldn't slide it off a trailer with…

There's a render on the site where a regular looking pickup truck tows it to a site, then it unfolds itself magically. The video of an actual unit had the crane assist. Elon's house aside the product seems to be mostly vaporware so who knows what it actually requires.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#84

Post by prawn »

bstockton wrote: post #55

These have piqued a lot of people's interest around me. My friend recently quit a steady job to go work at Modal https://livemodal.com I have wondered about the necessity of a crane though, seems like a pretty big limiting factor.

I thought about the crane too, but assume you need a truck and crane to get it delivered anyway?

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#85

Post by gangstead »

harmmonica wrote: post #50
gangstead wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering that myself. I fantasize about plopping a house down out in the desert, but their video shows a crane used to unfold it. By the time you get all the heavy machinery out there to prep the land and assemble the structure you're most of the way to just building something unique.

My friend and I were having a similar fantasy of putting places like that all over the western US so we started with a one-off project to build a tiny house so that it can just be “plopped” down (or rather rolled in). How big were you thinking? Something like 400 SF? Or a proper house? As I said in another comment on this thread I think it’s possible to build something totally custom for a similar budget (200-250 psf…

Possibly that small, but I'm a family of five so sleeping that many quickly becomes a problem. Bunk beds and squeezing in are fine but we're +1 over what almost every dwelling considers family-sized.

I hadn't considered a trailer because that usually requires a commitment to owning a huge truck. But are these trailers you are referring to more semi-permanent?

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#87

Post by vincbic »

gangstead wrote: post #38
thesausageking wrote: post #4

This house is 375 sq ft and uses low end materials, and it doesn't include setup, so it's going to cost ~$100k, or $266 / sq ft. Most new home construction is more like $150 / sq ft. And with this system, you're very limited in what you can build. Who's the target customer for this?

I was wondering that myself. I fantasize about plopping a house down out in the desert, but their video shows a crane used to unfold it. By the time you get all the heavy machinery out there to prep the land and assemble the structure you're most of the way to just building something unique.

Fully flat pack would make more sense. U-build have been doing some interesting thing: https://u-build.org

Plus it can be self assembled

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#88

Post by cowsandmilk »

rmason wrote: post #39

Surprised no one here has mentioned that Elon Musk is living in a Boxabl house in Austin, TX. This has totally perplexed the people who follow his every move. https://www.chron.com/news/space/article/elon-musk-texas-hou... I think that he might possibly be doing his homework. Can you imagine a Boxabl house outfitted with a solar roof, a Tesla battery and a Starlink dish? I could see people having a remote cottage not…

My guess is that a man known for sleeping at the office is literally doing just that except with a bed instead of on the floor.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#89

Post by baybal2 »

f6v wrote: post #78
baybal2 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is yet another tech 'solution' in search of a problem. And that problem is political, not technical. And the problem they search for has been solved half a century ago — the modern highrise apartment building.

But that would mean you wouldn’t be able to use cars and a public transportation system would have to be built.

It looks to be such a small, and insignificant detail :)

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#90

Post by Someone »

kumarvvr wrote: post #80
decebalus1 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I admire your admiration of him, it's a sign you haven't reached the level of cynicism required to classify him in the 'snake oil salesman' category yet.

Snake oil salesmen do not send self landing rockets to the ISS. He may have a bit more hype and may be manipulative in some ways, but you have to admit that he has given a good amount of technological progress to the world. Would you think the big car companies would scramble for electric cars if not for Tesla?

“Would you think the big car companies would scramble for electric cars if not for Tesla?”

Yes, I would. Technological progress gives lawgivers room to tighten emission rules, and that’s what drives car makers. Tesla sped up that process, but not by much, IMO.

I also don’t think ‘scramble’ is the right word. Tesla was (maybe even is: they make a profit from selling emission rights, and a big buyer says they don’t need them anymore. See https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-emissions-credits-sale...) wiling to sell at a loss in order to get market share and brand awareness. The big companies need neither, so they stepped in later.

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