You could shop for a prefabricated home as early as 1908, courtesy of the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog. A mail-order home would ship to a potential customer and be assembled using pre-cut, fitted materials from a curated collection. These were known as kit homes, with over 100,000 models sold and 450 designs to choose from. The market for kit homes tanked during the Great Depression, and the trend quickly died out. With a resurgence of interest in granny flats and Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) housing options, prefabrication has been given new life to fill an ever-growing national housing crisis.
When it comes to access and finding housing, small houses, ADUs, and granny flats make attractive options. More than ever, homeowners are adding ADUs to their properties to stabilize rental income. The Airbnb scene has exploded and the market is expanding, making the small housing market a trend to invest in. Meanwhile, Airbnbs are disrupting the overall housing market by increasing costs. There is a shortage of middle-income housing, and people are looking for a solution.
“A lot of people are experimenting with housing right now and are finding different uses for it,” said Jessica Scheuerman, executive director of Partners for Livable Omaha. Her organization collaborates across the board with various nonprofits looking to close the gap on the housing market crisis…