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Get on the “property ladder” for just £25,000 – it’s eco-friendly too

Most millennials either have to save for years or even bunk up with mum and dad to save for a home. But one architect has a novel solution.

Renato Vidal, an Italian architect, has taken affordable living to a whole new level with his M.A.DI homes concept – a flat-pack starting at only £24,800.

The modular houses can apparently be assembled in as little as six or seven hours with three workers, and come in different sizes. The smallest, cheapest option is a single 27 square metre unit for €28,000 (£25,000), while a triple family home of around 84 square metres is €62,000 (£55,000).

Madihome

Each one contains a kitchen and bathroom, a staircase, a mezzanine living room, central heating and air conditioning. They are also earthquake-resistant, which might not be a selling point in the UK but could come in handy overseas.

Like a traditional house, if you decide you need a bit more space, you can just buy an additional module to be attached for around €16,000 (£14,000), or add a staircase for €2,000 (£1,800). Unlike with bricks and mortar, though, if you fancy upping sticks, you can dismantle your flat-pack home and take it with you.

And for those who like green-living, the homes are marketed as highly eco-friendly. They protect the ground as they don’t need any foundations to be built, and they all come with an energy rating of B as standard, but can be upgraded to A. There is also the option to add solar panels to make the property self-sufficient.

Madihome

The micro-living phenomenon

Micro-living has already seen a rise as people look for solutions to the problem of rising rents and growing house prices, particularly in London.

One developer, U+I, recently announced that it would build thousands of small, self-contained apartments in the capital – and by small, we mean as little as 205 square feet, which is almost half the minimum habitable size recommended by the Greater London Authority.

Why would people choose to live in such small spaces? With London seeing the fourth highest rents in the world, many are being forced further and further away from where they work, leading to longer commutes and higher travel costs. The”townflats”, as they are known, offer the chance to live right in the city.

“Young people today interpret their quality of life differently to a generation before, and they want to live in the middle of the action,” said Rohan Silva, a founder of co-work space Second Home. “They want to be close to cultural life… and they’re actually happier living in a smaller unit to do that.”

Buy a plot

Obviously, the M.A.DI flat-pack homes are probably not suitable to be put up in the centre of London, so a plot of land would be required.

In terms of planning permission, you would need to check the requirements with your local authority. It isn’t clear whether these flat-pack structures would be classed as non-permanent and therefore not need any permission, and it would also depend on where the home was placed.

They might not be the answer to the UK housing crisis, but they are a great example of thinking outside the box.

 

Photos: Pixabay, Instagram.com/domenico__antonucci

 

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