Tiny Houses

Skilpod prefabs are modular and mini

Skilpod prefabs are modular and mini
Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year
Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year
View 13 Images
Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year
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Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year
Skilpod homes are designed to be small, modular, prefabricated and inexpensive
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Skilpod homes are designed to be small, modular, prefabricated and inexpensive
Skilpod homes are suitable for singles and older people for whom traditional houses may be too big
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Skilpod homes are suitable for singles and older people for whom traditional houses may be too big
It's possible for a customer to buy a single Skilpod module and then attach extra modules when needed or when they have the money
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It's possible for a customer to buy a single Skilpod module and then attach extra modules when needed or when they have the money
Skilpod homes are suitable for young people as they are inexpensive and expandable
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Skilpod homes are suitable for young people as they are inexpensive and expandable
Skilpod homes are designed to be transported to site via trucks
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Skilpod homes are designed to be transported to site via trucks
The materials used to build Skilpod homes are said to make them highly energy efficient
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The materials used to build Skilpod homes are said to make them highly energy efficient
Skilpod homes are available in a range of different sizes
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Skilpod homes are available in a range of different sizes
Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year
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Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year
Skilpod homes are fully fitted with different room suites
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Skilpod homes are fully fitted with different room suites
Skilpod homes feature heat pumps, ventilation systems with heat recuperation, automatic sunscreens and other home automation systems
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Skilpod homes feature heat pumps, ventilation systems with heat recuperation, automatic sunscreens and other home automation systems
The prices of Skilpod homes start at €59,900 (US$67,200)
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The prices of Skilpod homes start at €59,900 (US$67,200)
Skilpod homes can be zero energy or even better with the use of solar panels
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Skilpod homes can be zero energy or even better with the use of solar panels
View gallery - 13 images

Today's proliferation of niche housing types includes dwellings that are tiny, modular, prefabricated and inexpensive. Belgian firm Skilpod is producing homes that are all of these things. With the right equipment, they can even be zero energy or energy positive.

Designed in partnership with UAU Collective, the homes can be suitable for singles and older people for whom traditional houses may be too big. Specifically, Skilpod's most recent model, a 48 sq m (517 sq ft) home, was created with these people in mind and to be provided through social housing organizations in Belgium.

Skilpod says it is conducting research with the Flemish government into the feasibility of putting its homes into people's gardens as a means of housing elderly parents. The firm sees this as a potential alternative to traditional care homes.

The homes are also suitable for young people as they are inexpensive and expandable. It's possible for a customer to buy a single Skilpod module and then attach extra modules when needed or when they have the money.

The prices of Skilpod homes start at €59,900 (US$67,200)
The prices of Skilpod homes start at €59,900 (US$67,200)

The Skilpod homes are built in a factory in the Belgian city of Geel. They are made from cross laminated timber and are designed to be transported to site via trucks.

The materials used and design of the homes are said to make them highly energy efficient and Skilpod says that they can be zero energy (or even better) with the use of solar panels. Among the other features that contribute to the sustainability of the homes are heat pumps, ventilation systems with heat recuperation, automatic sunscreens and other home automation systems.

Skilpod's first home is currently in production and is expected to be completed before the end of this year. Prices start at €59,900 (US$67,200).

Source: Skilpod

View gallery - 13 images
4 comments
4 comments
Robert Walther
I hope this price includes furniture, set-up, utility connections (not to mention a location). There is maybe $10K worth of materials and maybe $3000 worth of appliances in this box.
jerryd
Robert, it has far more material than you say, likely $20k in that size. And then another $10-15k in labor. Also the quality of a laminated lumber home is far higher than what we get here in the US for the same money.
Bob Flint
Not an issue with the price, but the chosen location!
Looks like a fancy container, overhanging a dock? Really old people, & kids like to wander off and could easily drown.
That ultra low coffee table is another accident waiting to happen.
What architectural school did they go too?
Don Duncan
This looks like a politically correct product built for govt. subsidy. It will not sell on the private market.
The claim that solar panels can make them "zero energy, or even better" can be made for the most inefficient structure. But if solar was cheaper than the grid, the grid wouldn't exist. Why would anyone pay more for energy than they had to? The big solar panel boom is being paid for by govt. subsidy, i.e., taxes. This slows innovation of solar because it rewards technology that couldn't compete.
What to see which energy source can be the most cost efficient? Remove govt. subsidy/regulation/monopoly and allow a level playing field, i.e., a free market.