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Ideas for designing a cheap, modular home that'll pay for itself w/multiple renters.

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LOL @ container homes. 😀 I remember thinking of that a long time ago and finding that someone was already making them. The problem is that they aren't much cheaper than your typical double-wide trailer park home.

Anyway, I already decided on two kitchens but I see that we're still talking about shared kitchens. That's probably because I haven't edited the OP, which I should do before bumping with this post.

dank69 said:
CZroe said:
MixMasterTang said:
I don't see how any sane renter would rent out 1 side of a connected structure with a complete stranger unless it was DIRT cheap (like a hundred dollars a month).
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You aren't visualizing it...
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We all understand what you are saying. You are the one who isn't getting it.
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Just going by what was said. Are you agreeing with him that my brother's unit in an apartment building is only worth $100 a month because the apartments are connected (front door of each unit opens to an access-controlled hallway)? 😉 What apartments aren't "connected?"

I like that you said a typical apartment would "share a wall." What I described would have their own front entrance and sides like any house and wouldn't even share a wall with their neighbor. The only trade-off, of course, was the shared kitchen in the common area, which I have abandoned (plenty of room for a second). Even so, it was to be shared the same as many apartments have a shared laundry room, pool, grills, and community lounge area. Didn't realize it was that big a deal, probably because I don't cook. 😉 With two kitchens it will be a lot closer to being two different houses than being an apartment complex with shared walls, except that now they will share a wall inside the connecting structure.

I once rented the upstairs of someone's home (three rooms) and, yes, there were a lot of issues but not a single one came from sharing the kitchen. *shrug* But if a typical renter would react the same way, I guess a second kitchen is justified (*sniff* g'bye, party room🙁).

Meghan54 said:
You're describing a college dorm setup, not living arrangements for families.

Imagine the problems that are going to be created with you being so cheap to only want to build one kitchen for two families and both want to cook at the same time. Or one wants to cook something like a turkey or roast that takes several hours in an oven and then fam. #2 wants to use the oven to cook a pizza.
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I did imagine it.

CZroe said:
Much more than living in a typical sublet or condo with HOA dues? The lounge area is a bonus and they have plenty of room in their discrete two-story living areas so they shouldn't be contending or territorial over it.

The shared kitchen is the only real issue. Even then, it's not much different than waiting for a family member to finish with the microwave, toaster, or stove in a typical household or the break room at work. On top of that, stoves typically have multiple burners and each tenant can have their own microwave or fridge if they want (never intended to supply those in the common kitchen). Even in a three-tenant arrangement, I could use the stove while you use the oven and a third person could have cold cereal without ever stepping on each other's toes and there's STILL room (toaster oven, toaster, extra stove burners, etc). It may take some planning when both want to bake a turkey on Thanksgiving. 😉

Actually, I'd already supply a deep-fry turkey cooker next to the out-door grill to reduce their temptation to do that indoors. 😉
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Remember? 😉

dank69 said:
Something like this *could* be marketed to college kids but still it is renting a room, not an apartment or townhome. Even without the cooking issues (not everyone cooks) you have food issues. People steal food all the time.
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I did say that I never intended to supply refrigerators in the common kitchen. 😉

The "kitchen" was going to be a shared combination oven/stove unit, two-sided disposal sink, counter/prep area, and maybe a toaster oven or toaster. Their personal fridge could go at the entrance from their building because, well, not everything needs cooking. College kids would probably have mini-fridges right at the rear door that opens into the common kitchen.

Even then, I can still see uncleaned messes and stuff being an issue between tenants, so it certainly would have been a bit of a sacrifice. It just doesn't seem as big of one to me as people agree it is, so I'm going with your collective judgement.

Kaido said:
If you want a dome home, AIDomes are the way to go imo. There are also Deltec homes, which are round and pre-fab: (I believe the smallest is 328 square feet)

http://www.deltechomes.com/

My dad knew a guy who rented to college kids. The inside of the rooms were basically painted cinder blocks - after each semester, he would gut the room, pressure hose it off, repaint the whole thing, and reload it for the next set of students. Really really cheap & easy way to do it.
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Thanks. I will look into that. It's especially interesting since it won't need any of the structural advantages of a dome (other structures break excessive wind; not coastal for hurricane-forces). I need to see how close it is to West Georgia University and West Central Technical College (large campus right on the border), but it may be close enough to market to college students. I've seen those types of homes marketed to them in Carrollton, GA for sure. 😉
 
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Blackjack200 said:
A duplex has is two dwelling units in one structure. What the OP is describing is one dwelling unit.
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"One dwelling unit" ... in FOUR structures (laundry room pod)? 😵 Certainly not once they each have a kitchen in the connecting structure. Each 16'x16'x16' building has two doors into the dome: one opens into one of the kitchens and the other into one of the bathrooms. A hallway from the shared laundry room in its own pod (see the PDF in the OP) divides them. There's probably still room for a small common-area room.

The connecting structure alone is the size of a one bedroom house. The two accessory buildings will dwarf it.
 
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How much are similar structures in the area renting for? By similar, I mean two tractor sheds butchered together with a plastic biodome in the middle.
 
CZroe said:
"One dwelling unit" ... in FOUR structures (laundry room pod)? 😵 Certainly not once they each have a kitchen in the connecting structure. Each 16'x16'x16' building has two doors into the dome: one opens into one of the kitchens and the other into one of the bathrooms. A hallway from the shared laundry room in its own pod (see the PDF in the OP) divides them. There's probably still room for a small common-area room.

The connecting structure alone is the size of a one bedroom house.
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A dwelling unit means you can walk in the door, lock it behind you, and go to the bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms and living areas, and all of that is secure and segregated from any common access areas. Shared laundry, pools, driveways, etc. are fine.
 
Humpy said:
How much are similar structures in the area renting for? By similar, I mean two tractor sheds butchered together with a plastic biodome in the middle.
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🙄
The buildings look like houses and the dome would be in the back, hidden. Like I said, mine is comfy. It even has an enclosed workshop and a lean-to. I could easily build a carport or garage on either side and they wouldn't touch.

Seriously though: It's in bumfuck, which is why I don't want to live there.

Is 26 miles too far away to market as student housing to UWG students?
 
Blackjack200 said:
A dwelling unit means you can walk in the door, lock it behind you, and go to the bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms and living areas, and all of that is secure and segregated from any common access areas. Shared laundry, pools, driveways, etc. are fine.
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Then that's exactly what it is after deciding on two kitchens: Two separate dwellings.
 
MABsG.jpg
 
CZroe said:
Then that's exactly what it is after deciding on two kitchens: Two separate dwellings.
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So the kitchens are walled off from each other and connected to the bedrooms/bathrooms/living areas of the rest of the unit? At that point, I would agree... two dwelling units. But you're going to need to have duplicate utilities unless you're just going to pay for utilities yourself and build that into the rent.
 
CZroe said:
🙄
The buildings look like houses and the dome would be in the back, hidden. Like I said, mine is comfy. It even has an enclosed workshop and a lean-to. I could easily build a carport or garage on either side and they wouldn't touch.

Seriously though: It's in bumfuck, which is why I don't want to live there.

Is 26 miles too far away to market as student housing to UWG students?
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So... how much are similar buildings that look like houses in the area renting for? What will it really cost to to build/maintain this thing and how long will it last? Is 26 miles too far away to market as student housing to UWG students?
 
Blackjack200 said:
So the kitchens are walled off from each other and connected to the bedrooms/bathrooms/living areas of the rest of the unit? At that point, I would agree... two dwelling units. But you're going to need to have duplicate utilities unless you're just going to pay for utilities yourself and build that into the rent.
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Might just have to do that if building code doesn't allow split utilities.

Humpy said:
So... how much are similar buildings that look like houses in the area renting for? What will it really cost to to build/maintain this thing and how long will it last? Is 26 miles too far away to market as student housing to UWG students?
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Hard to say. It's mostly fields and farms and I've only been there to check on things and pay taxes. All the houses I've seen look to be occupied by owners. There is a neighbor with a trailer but no other homes visible from the lot.

I don't expect to get a lot, which is why I'm so interested in keeping costs down. Carrollton, the college town, has everything most people want except a shopping mall but it's 25-35 miles away in a different state/time zone.

Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. There is a creek. I wonder if the property is valuable to farmers. It'll have to be cleared either way (mostly trees as is).

dank69 said:
Since nobody knows what UWG is without googling it, yes 26 miles is too far.
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Sorry. I already said "West Georgia University" in the thread and I didn't feel like typing it out every time. It's where Newt Gingrich was a History and Geography professor and why he remains there today so it was mentioned a lot in connection with him during the Presidential primaries last year.

OutHouse said:
water, sewer taps are a min of 15K in my area.
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It's bumfuck. They definitely don't have sewer and probably no city/county water service. It'll probably be a well and a septic tank.
 
So basically you're looking to build a rentable structure and start turning a profit on this land? The structure you're describing will, almost certainly, be viewed as a boarding house in the state's eyes. Sounds a bit more like a geodesic trailer park in practicality.

IMO, you'd be better off building a single structure and using it as a boarding house. Your options depend on the county's zoning laws, really.

edit: Re-read OP. You're linking two barns with a geodesic dome? You're better off razing and re-starting...

JEDI said:
20ft Container Home
160sq/ft
Price: $12,500

40ft Container Home
320sq/ft
Price: $26, 000
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Pre-built container homes are hot garbage. The whole point of them is that they're cheap and can be built by one or two people. Better to do it yourself.
 
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I don't know how to use SketchUp yet but I threw this together using existing models:
duo-barn-dome.jpg

The dome is way too big, the buildings don't have enough windows, each building would have a covered porch, and each building would have an attached lean-to carport that can be enclosed like a garage if need be. Each building would have two doors into the connecting structure: One into the bathroom, one into the kitchen. Between bathrooms and kitchens will be a hallway to the shared laundry room. The hallway doors are lockable doors, of course, so it's no different than stepping out in the hall and walking to the common-area coin-op laundry in a typical apartment/condo.

I would be using the Eco Cottage Pod design with the smaller laundry room pod:
eco-cottage-pod.jpg

The smaller pod from AIDomes is actually supposed to have both a laundry and a bathroom, so there will be lots of extra room.

The cottage itself is the taller version of this one:
eco-cottage.jpg

"Taller," but still not nearly two floors like the SketchUp model above.
 
What's with the pod obsession? Why not just get three barns and divide the third between the two for 2 kitchens/baths and a common laundry? Wouldn't that be cheaper and bigger?
 
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