Top 7 Boxabl Alternatives to Change the World of Housing

Dec 08, 2023

Boxabl, a company known for its $50,000 prefab tiny homes, has gained significant attention from investors and consumers alike for its innovative and affordable housing solutions, particularly after Elon Musk reportedly lived in one of their prototypes.

However, several other companies are also striving to revolutionize the prefab home industry, offering various features, designs, and benefits for customers seeking new ways to build and inhabit their homes. These Boxabl alternatives are explored in detail below.

Prefab homes are homes that are built partially or entirely off-site using prefabricated components. They offer numerous advantages over traditional site-built homes, such as faster construction, lower cost, higher quality, and reduced environmental impact. Prefab homes can also be customized to meet customers’ preferences and needs.

Common types of prefab homes include modular homes, panelized homes, and manufactured or mobile homes. These homes provide diverse options for customers and contribute to addressing housing and climate crises by offering efficient, sustainable housing solutions.

Boxabl has faced numerous challenges, including local building codes and regulations, land availability, financing, production issues, and corporate governance. These challenges have led to unsatisfied customers, amounting to thousands who have not received their homes yet.

Because of the challenges, there are now those who believe Boxabl will not be able to deliver on its promise, and considering it relied heavily on crowdfunding during its 2022 raise, that is a big deal. Therefore, many are looking for Boxabl alternatives in the prefab and alternative housing spaces.

While Boxabl has attracted a great deal of attention for its innovative housing solutions, it is not the only company trying to revolutionize the prefab home industry. Numerous Boxabl alternatives offer different features, designs, and benefits for customers.

Some of the Boxabl alternatives use 3D printing, robotics, or modular technology to create durable, energy-efficient, and customizable prefab homes. They provide a range of models and can also build accessory dwelling units and commercial structures.

There are even Boxabl alternatives that specialize in eco-friendly, sustainable, and smart homes, benefiting both the environment and customers. All these companies aim to deliver high-quality, affordable homes that are easy and quick to install.

Key aspects of Factory_OS include:

Factory_OS is all about off-site modular construction, producing components in an assembly line operation before delivering them to the construction site. The company claims to reduce construction costs by 20% to 40% and construction time by 40% to 50%, aiming to provide high-quality and affordable housing solutions for urban areas.

This Boxabl alternative produces multi-family modular buildings with up to seven stories. The factory has the capacity to produce up to 2,000 units per year and employs over 500 workers, avoiding Boxabl's slow production problem.

One of the goals of the company is to offer a potential solution to the housing crisis and labor shortage in the construction industry while striving to improve the environmental and social impact of building homes.

Key aspects of Blu Homes include:

Blu Homes is designing and building eco-friendly prefab homes that can be customized and folded for easy transportation. With a range of models available, from studios to four-bedroom houses, Blu Homes can also construct accessory dwelling units and commercial structures.

Blu Homes utilizes advanced technology and precision engineering to produce high-quality and energy-efficient homes that are delivered to building sites on flatbed trucks, unfolded, and installed within a few days. To further assist its customers, Blu Homes provides design, permitting, and financing services.

Blu Homes aims to address the rising demand and cost of housing in urban and rural areas while promising a healthier and more comfortable living experience for its customers.

Key aspects of Blokable include:

Blokable specializes in creating smart modular housing units that can be stacked or arranged in various configurations and are both affordable and energy-efficient. Moreover, its platform streamlines the design, development, and ownership of multifamily housing.

This Boxabl alternative produces standardized and customizable units called Bloks, which are delivered to the site on trucks and can be installed within hours. Equipped with smart technology, the Bloks monitor and control things like the following within the unit:

Like many other prefab ventures, Blokable aims to address the housing crisis and the lack of affordable, sustainable housing options in urban and rural areas while promising a high-quality and comfortable living experience for its customers.

Key aspects of Plant Prefab include:

Plant Prefab is all about custom prefab homes. Not only are they designed by architects, but they are built with sustainable materials. The company offers a catalog of standard models as well as custom options and looks to produce high-quality, healthy homes that benefit both the environment and its customers.

Utilizing a patented building system and advanced technology, this Boxabl alternative produces energy-efficient, durable homes that are delivered and installed within days. In addition, Plant Prefab provides design, permitting, and financing services to its customers.

While the company addresses the rising demand and cost of housing in urban and rural areas, it also focuses on comfortable and aesthetically pleasing living experiences.

Key aspects of Method Homes include:

Method Homes is all about quality. Its high-quality prefab homes are tailored to clients’ needs and site conditions. Moreover, the company provides numerous styles, from modern to rustic. It can even construct commercial and accessory structures. That being said, the primary objective is to provide efficient, sustainable homes that are both comfortable and beautiful.

This Boxabl alternative employs precision engineering and skilled craftsmanship to produce durable, energy-efficient homes. While they usually get delivered and constructed in weeks, the wait is worth it, and it is still faster than traditional construction.

Method Homes is another in the long list of prefab companies looking to solve the challenges and frustrations associated with finding and building a home in urban and rural areas. And it is doing so with a high-quality, customized living experience for its customers.

Key aspects of Connect Homes include:

Connect Homes makes magic by using shipping-container technology. It uses the technology to create 15 different models of modular homes that can be shipped anywhere in the world, ranging from one-bedroom cottages to four-bedroom villas that are easy and fast to install.

The company employs advanced technology and precision engineering to produce high-quality, energy-efficient homes that take some months to build but can be installed within hours.

According to Connect Homes, its homes cost less than 50% of custom construction, and they can build a 2,000-square-foot house in six days. It is a high-quality Boxabl alternative worth looking into.

Key aspects of Mighty Buildings include:

Mighty Buildings harnesses the power of 3D printing and robotic automation to create prefab homes that are durable, energy-efficient, and customizable. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it offers various models, from studios to three-bedroom houses. It also constructs accessory dwelling units and commercial structures.

The Boxable alternative provides sustainable and affordable homes that use a patented material called Light Stone Material, which quickly cures into a stone-like composite. The material boasts four times the tensile and flexural strength of concrete while weighing 30% less, making it easy to ship and install the buildings.

Mighty Buildings enables the quick construction of buildings, reportedly having a construction speed twice that of traditional methods. Moreover, due to 3D printing, the company produces 99% less waste.

Numerous Boxabl alternatives exist and present various options for customers interested in prefab homes. They employ technologies such as 3D printing, robotics, or shipping-container conversion to create modular homes that can be shipped globally and offer a variety of models, from studios and four-bedroom houses to custom designs.

However, the Boxabl alternatives also face the same challenges, including transportation and installation logistics, local building codes and regulations, scalability and profitability of their business models, and competition. Therefore, customers seeking new ways to build and live in their homes should carefully assess their needs, preferences, and budget before selecting the most suitable one.

Spencer Hulse is the Editorial Director at Grit Daily. He is responsible for overseeing other editors and writers, day-to-day operations, and covering breaking news.