In a time when real estate prices are going through the roof, Italian Renato Vidal has created a brilliant alternative to traditional housing. The M.A.Di. is a flat pack folding home that costs only $33K and three people can assemble it in any flat location in about 6 hours.
The building is certified as seismically safe and created with high-quality material. It comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from a 290-square-foot home for $33K to a 904-square-foot design for $73K. All basic models include a bathroom with sanitary facilities, kitchen connections, one stage staircase and technical installations.
Once on site, M.A.Di. can even be constructed without a concrete foundation. The structures can be assembled to go completely off-grid with the addition of solar panels, grey water systems, and LED lighting. “It creates cosy and safe places highly customizable according to your needs,” its website writes. Delivery time takes up to 60 days after the acceptance of the final drawings.
More info: madihome.com
M.A.Di. looks like an ordinary house, but everything underneath the exterior is the complete opposite of “simple”
It is a flat pack folding home that costs only $33K and three people can assemble it in any flat location in about 6 hours
The home doesn’t have to be built on a concrete foundation, allowing the structure to have zero impact on the environment
Here’s a time-lapse of its assembly
And this is how the structure looks when completed
The interior has a sleek and modern open-plan style
And the 290-square-foot home can be customized to grow to a 904-square-foot design
I can build an entire conventional house from the dirt hole to the painted and trimmed finished product and my thought after seeing this was: Neat! Seems like everyone else is shitting all over this idea. I think it's novel and awesome, and I can that most of the comments were made by people who have no idea what they're talking about because the answers to their questions are simple. Lighten up, people. Of all things to get cranky about. Sheesh.
I agree. I also see all these comments about how trailers etc are cheaper. Well, not the last time I looked at prefabricated tiny homes, at least not in Europe! And it's actually not that tiny. I checked out the designs on the website. I'm still not so sure about how stormresitant these are, but the flexiblilty of the design is awesome. And I have to admit, I alway liked this shape. In the 70s they were super popular holiday homes and you can still see a few them, today.
How does the plumbing work? If it's directed then you have to add all of that in? Or is it self-sufficient I'm sorry I don't know anything about it. Thank you
In fact, a standard bumper pull camper with a couple of slide outs is three times the size of those "tiny houses" and about ¼ the cost.
Took us months to build ours. This sounds great!
I love it when engineers and architects build something that abandons so many conventions. It's refreshing. Like the Sondor Electic car :)
Well, people are criticizing it because there is a lot to criticize. The idea is definitely not novel (camping houses and bungalow are 19th century idea) and many vacation resorts use the houses just like this one. Sure, it is a good product for a very small niche market (people who need to relocate often, especially to remote areas), but other than that it is inferior to basically any other kind of house.
At that price it is of course inferior to a normal house. I'm fairly sure it won't last as long as a normal house. The idea behind is that you can assemble it and then dismantle it when no longer needed and that you have endless variations. I think they had refugee camps in mind rather than family homes.
Notice there are no shots of a kitchen or bathrooms.....Why are there no photos of the plumbing?
Because the blogger on Boardpanda.com forgot to post them...? Maybe they were available to them. Not everything is some grand conspiracy. They're just trying to show you something cool. No need to go all angry grampa on them...
On their website are floorplans that show where the bathrooms and kitchens go. According to the specs most buildings come with some sort of bathroom and connections for water etc. I would want to see the houses in real life, though, before getting one.
Katinka Min Might want to check local zoning, too. In many places there is a minimum number of square feet to meet code and, no matter what the lovely story says, very few places will give you a building permit, much less an occupancy permit, with no foundation.
33K for a very fancy tent.
When I am going camping, I always bring with me a piece of heavy machinery. This is just perfect.
.... it's a small A-frame house....
David Milgate No shit? Really thought it was a tent.
Yes, three people and heavy machinery. And it doesn't have to be erected on concrete foundations, yet it is clearly shown in the pictures that it is? This looks more like a concept than finished product.
It doesn't HAVE to be erected on a concrete foundation but it CAN be. Sheesh.
Legally, in most places it has to be on a concrete foundation or it won't qualify for an occupancy permit. I have served on 2 PZ and ZBAs....
There are alternatives to concrete.... How do you think they built houses before concrete...?
Yes, a good part of that 33k is probably for the renting all that machinery. And what a huge waist of vertical space.
I think the bedroom would be upstairs so that all the vertical space can be used.
Installation is done by the company.
Negative Nancy strikes again!
the soil was probable unstable and the black supports are to let air breath and not rot the floor
There are other building materials they use for foundations. Some people really like the look of a cobble stone foundation, for instance. It also comes down to budgeting constraints. It's sometimes cheaper to hire a mason to build a foundation that small from stone removed from the soil of nearby.
I can build an entire conventional house from the dirt hole to the painted and trimmed finished product and my thought after seeing this was: Neat! Seems like everyone else is shitting all over this idea. I think it's novel and awesome, and I can that most of the comments were made by people who have no idea what they're talking about because the answers to their questions are simple. Lighten up, people. Of all things to get cranky about. Sheesh.
I agree. I also see all these comments about how trailers etc are cheaper. Well, not the last time I looked at prefabricated tiny homes, at least not in Europe! And it's actually not that tiny. I checked out the designs on the website. I'm still not so sure about how stormresitant these are, but the flexiblilty of the design is awesome. And I have to admit, I alway liked this shape. In the 70s they were super popular holiday homes and you can still see a few them, today.
How does the plumbing work? If it's directed then you have to add all of that in? Or is it self-sufficient I'm sorry I don't know anything about it. Thank you
In fact, a standard bumper pull camper with a couple of slide outs is three times the size of those "tiny houses" and about ¼ the cost.
Took us months to build ours. This sounds great!
I love it when engineers and architects build something that abandons so many conventions. It's refreshing. Like the Sondor Electic car :)
Well, people are criticizing it because there is a lot to criticize. The idea is definitely not novel (camping houses and bungalow are 19th century idea) and many vacation resorts use the houses just like this one. Sure, it is a good product for a very small niche market (people who need to relocate often, especially to remote areas), but other than that it is inferior to basically any other kind of house.
At that price it is of course inferior to a normal house. I'm fairly sure it won't last as long as a normal house. The idea behind is that you can assemble it and then dismantle it when no longer needed and that you have endless variations. I think they had refugee camps in mind rather than family homes.
Notice there are no shots of a kitchen or bathrooms.....Why are there no photos of the plumbing?
Because the blogger on Boardpanda.com forgot to post them...? Maybe they were available to them. Not everything is some grand conspiracy. They're just trying to show you something cool. No need to go all angry grampa on them...
On their website are floorplans that show where the bathrooms and kitchens go. According to the specs most buildings come with some sort of bathroom and connections for water etc. I would want to see the houses in real life, though, before getting one.
Katinka Min Might want to check local zoning, too. In many places there is a minimum number of square feet to meet code and, no matter what the lovely story says, very few places will give you a building permit, much less an occupancy permit, with no foundation.
33K for a very fancy tent.
When I am going camping, I always bring with me a piece of heavy machinery. This is just perfect.
.... it's a small A-frame house....
David Milgate No shit? Really thought it was a tent.
Yes, three people and heavy machinery. And it doesn't have to be erected on concrete foundations, yet it is clearly shown in the pictures that it is? This looks more like a concept than finished product.
It doesn't HAVE to be erected on a concrete foundation but it CAN be. Sheesh.
Legally, in most places it has to be on a concrete foundation or it won't qualify for an occupancy permit. I have served on 2 PZ and ZBAs....
There are alternatives to concrete.... How do you think they built houses before concrete...?
Yes, a good part of that 33k is probably for the renting all that machinery. And what a huge waist of vertical space.
I think the bedroom would be upstairs so that all the vertical space can be used.
Installation is done by the company.
Negative Nancy strikes again!
the soil was probable unstable and the black supports are to let air breath and not rot the floor
There are other building materials they use for foundations. Some people really like the look of a cobble stone foundation, for instance. It also comes down to budgeting constraints. It's sometimes cheaper to hire a mason to build a foundation that small from stone removed from the soil of nearby.