Elon Musk and the Move to Modular
So, Elon Musk listed all his properties worth more than $100 million and moved into a modular home in Texas near the SpaceX headquarters. This is exciting news for modular companies everywhere for the sake of awareness and acceptance of modular homes.
Sure, Elon Musk isn’t the most relatable person on the planet (or off the planet, if his plans to live on Mars succeed), but you can’t help but wonder what this means for his lifestyle. Why a modular home, and what are the implications of such a decision?
First of all, modular and prefab homes come in many styles and sizes. Elon’s new pad was made by the prefab startup Boxabl, which offers the “Casita” for about $50,000, according to its website. This 375 square foot dwelling is among the smaller modular homes on the market, measuring about 20 x 20 feet and including a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room.
The key benefits of modular homes include sustainability, rapid manufacturing, and oftentimes, affordability. In the case of Elon Musk, we know he cares about sustainability and innovation, and by choosing a modular home he was able to quickly take up residence near SpaceX. If work took him elsewhere, he could literally move the same home to a different location.
Many modular homes share the benefit of portability. While many prefab homes are installed as a “permanent” home, their modular design allows them to be transported via truck.
There’s speculation that Elon’s move to modular is a step toward an early housing solution on Mars. Ten years ago that might have sounded crazy, but today we wouldn’t be surprised. Certainly, building on Mars would be a unique construction challenge, and shipping a prefabricated dwelling that’s 95 percent complete upon arrival could be preferable to a months-long construction project onsite (especially if that site is another planet).
When it comes to modular homes, you’ll find a whole range of prices and styles: from tiny homes to large multi-unit combinations, from lumber to steel-frame construction, from cheaply made units to durable dwellings. If you’re inspired by Elon and considering a move to modular, a good place to start is to identify which of these characteristics are important to you.
With one of the world’s most famous billionaires publicly embracing modular living, the spotlight is on the prefab industry and we expect to be continually amazed by what emerges.