Just because something is inexpensive, does that mean it can’t be nice and of high quality? That is a question that Rural Studio, Auburn University’s design-build program, has been trying to answer for years. Now, as Fast Company reports, they have moved beyond prototypes and have constructed a pilot project in the real world in an effort to finally find some answers.
In a small community outside of Atlanta called Serenbe, Rural Studio built two one-bedroom homes out of materials that only cost $14,000 each. What’s more, the homes are built and designed to look like homes in a much higher price range.
But just because this pilot project has been completed doesn’t mean these 20K homes, as they are called, are ready for the market. Zoning issues, building codes, and problems securing a mortgage for only $20,000 quickly became complications.