Anyone looking to build a small home on an even smaller budget will want to investigate M.A.DI., a prefabricated home that is assembled on-site in as little as six hours – at an affordable cost that could be a game-changer for many aspiring homeowners.
M.A.DI.
“M.A.DI. is an unfoldable modular living unit,” states the M.A.Di website. “Using an unfolding technique, this construction system allows [the construction of] earthquake-resistant buildings for residential, leisure and hospitality. M.A.DI. can be also used to set-up of temporary villages for sports, fairs and first aid facilities in case of natural disasters.”
Low Cost
Devised by architect Renato Vidal of Italian firm M.A.DI., these amazing pre-fabricated homes are delivered flat-packed, at a cost of about $43,000 Canadian, and built onsite.
A-Frame
The A-frame structure and unique ability to “fold” allows the home to be prefabricated off site, flat-packed and then transported (either via truck or container) to the building site.
Ingenious Design
Thanks to the ingenious design, M.A. DI. flat-pack homes can be constructed in as little as six hours by a team of three, with the home essentially “unfolding” to take shape.
Home Sweet Home
Each M.A.DI. home has its own bathroom, kitchen and staircase leading to an upper mezzanine area.
Additional Features
Other features built into the pre-fab homes include central heating and air conditioning. Each home is also eco-friendly and earthquake resistant.
A Tiny Home with a Difference
Tapping into the tiny home trend, these modular homes are available in a variety of sizes. Prices begin at €28,000 (about $43,000 Canadian) for the smallest one, which hosts 290 square feet of living space. The largest model retails for €62,000 (approximately $95,000 Canadian), measuring 904 square feet.
A Portable Solution
One of the biggest advantages to these M.A.DI. homes is their portability; the entire home can be packed up and moved to a new location.
Expandable
Another benefit of these modular homes is that they can be modified to be larger. If you wind up requiring more space, there’s no need to move – you can actually buy more modules that can be added to the home to increase the living area.
Each additional module costs €16,000 (approximately $25,000 Canadian) while an extra staircase will set you back €2,000 (about $3,000 Canadian dollars).
Anchored in Place
The home is anchored to the foundation using an innovative screw pile system, which has no impact on the soil and will leave no footprint after it’s gone.
Flat Packed
When packed up for transportation to the site, a M.A.DI. flat-pack home measures a mere 1.5 metres in height.
Hinged Home
One of the more revolutionary elements of the M.A.DI. homes are the steel hinges that allow the folding home to easily open and close during the building process.
Finishes
Finishes including roof pitches, interior flooring, and internal and exterior walls are placed on mounting boards in order to simplify assembly.
Mezzanine
The upper level offers a cozy area suitable for a bedroom or office/den, bringing in plenty of natural light from the windowed wall.
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