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This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

  • <p>The home is located in Changchun Jie, a small town outside Beijing, China. </p>
    1/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    The home is located in Changchun Jie, a small town outside Beijing, China.

  • <p>Mrs. Fan lives there with her son. They used to live in a one-story house on the site, but it was falling apart. That home was demolished before the Plug-in House’s construction. Here’s a before and after. </p>
    2/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    Mrs. Fan lives there with her son. They used to live in a one-story house on the site, but it was falling apart. That home was demolished before the Plug-in House’s construction. Here’s a before and after.

  • <p>The Plug-in House is much more modern. </p>
    3/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    The Plug-in House is much more modern.

  • <p>It features a kitchen that connects to a living room, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom. </p>
    4/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    It features a kitchen that connects to a living room, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom.

  • <p>The interior lets in a lot of natural light. </p>
    5/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    The interior lets in a lot of natural light.

  • <p>Even the shower has a skylight. </p>
    6/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    Even the shower has a skylight.

  • <p>Steps on the side of the house lead to a roof deck. </p>
    7/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    Steps on the side of the house lead to a roof deck.

  • <p>Anyone can construct a Plug-in House “The structure is built without any machinery and does not require specialized labor,” Shen says. </p>
    8/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    Anyone can construct a Plug-in House “The structure is built without any machinery and does not require specialized labor,” Shen says.

  • <p>It’s made of dozens of panels that connect with one tool: a hex wrench. </p>
    9/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    It’s made of dozens of panels that connect with one tool: a hex wrench.

  • <p>Its construction doesn’t require much skilled labor, and the panels are cut off-site to reduce cost. </p>
    10/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    Its construction doesn’t require much skilled labor, and the panels are cut off-site to reduce cost.

  • <p>The Plug-in House’s construction is similar to that of PAO’s Courtyard House, a ready-made retrofit launched in 2016 that updates homes while still preserving historical style. </p>
    11/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    The Plug-in House’s construction is similar to that of PAO’s Courtyard House, a ready-made retrofit launched in 2016 that updates homes while still preserving historical style.

  • <p>Unlike the Courtyard Houses, 20 of which were subsidized by the Beijing government, the first Plug-in home was funded by Mrs. Fan.<br> So far, the PAO has built two Plug-in homes, with plans for more.<br> Shen sees the project as a low-cost housing solution for residents who don’t have a lot of money to spend on a new home. “Because the Plug-in House can be conveniently flat-packed, shipped, and put together, we can build it in remote locations that are usually difficult to build in,” he says. </p>
    12/12

    This $10,000 tiny home can be built with a single tool in less than a day

    Unlike the Courtyard Houses, 20 of which were subsidized by the Beijing government, the first Plug-in home was funded by Mrs. Fan.
    So far, the PAO has built two Plug-in homes, with plans for more.
    Shen sees the project as a low-cost housing solution for residents who don’t have a lot of money to spend on a new home. “Because the Plug-in House can be conveniently flat-packed, shipped, and put together, we can build it in remote locations that are usually difficult to build in,” he says.

<p>The home is located in Changchun Jie, a small town outside Beijing, China. </p>
<p>Mrs. Fan lives there with her son. They used to live in a one-story house on the site, but it was falling apart. That home was demolished before the Plug-in House’s construction. Here’s a before and after. </p>
<p>The Plug-in House is much more modern. </p>
<p>It features a kitchen that connects to a living room, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom. </p>
<p>The interior lets in a lot of natural light. </p>
<p>Even the shower has a skylight. </p>
<p>Steps on the side of the house lead to a roof deck. </p>
<p>Anyone can construct a Plug-in House “The structure is built without any machinery and does not require specialized labor,” Shen says. </p>
<p>It’s made of dozens of panels that connect with one tool: a hex wrench. </p>
<p>Its construction doesn’t require much skilled labor, and the panels are cut off-site to reduce cost. </p>
<p>The Plug-in House’s construction is similar to that of PAO’s Courtyard House, a ready-made retrofit launched in 2016 that updates homes while still preserving historical style. </p>
<p>Unlike the Courtyard Houses, 20 of which were subsidized by the Beijing government, the first Plug-in home was funded by Mrs. Fan.<br> So far, the PAO has built two Plug-in homes, with plans for more.<br> Shen sees the project as a low-cost housing solution for residents who don’t have a lot of money to spend on a new home. “Because the Plug-in House can be conveniently flat-packed, shipped, and put together, we can build it in remote locations that are usually difficult to build in,” he says. </p>
Business Insider

Mrs. Fan and her Plug-in House in Changchun Jie, China.

Homes can be expensive in Beijing, so a woman known as Mrs. Fan ended up living in a small and dilapidated house in the courtyard of her parent’s residence outside the city. She still wanted to live near her family, but also desired a modern home at an affordable price.

After the People’s Architecture Office (PAO), a local firm, heard about her story, it designed her a Plug-in House in December 2016.

With just $10,000 worth of materials and a hex wrench, a construction team can build the Plug-in House in less than 24 hours, PAO’s principal, James Shen, tells Business Insider. The pre-fab home features a proprietary design that’s similar to a renovation system the firm designed in early 2016.

Click through the gallery to check it out.

This slideshow originally appeared as a story here.

All photos are courtesy of Business Insider.