Seeing an opportunity — and a big need — to build homes cheaper, quicker and more sustainably, Milwaukee-based startup
Lange Urban Sustainable Homes (LUSH) unveiled its proof of concept Friday.
It's a net-zero energy, three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,600-square-foot home in Milwaukee's Thurston Woods neighborhood that was built using LUSH's model of design and building, in which the home is made of precision-cut, puzzle-like pieces that snap into place without any nails or screws. Basically, all that's needed is a mallet.
The home cost around $400,000 to build, or $153 per square foot not including the garage. Normal stick-built homes could cost upwards of $300 per square foot. It also was done in a matter of weeks and is designed to cut the occupant's cost on maintenance and utilities down.
"Everything we can think of to help drive costs down we do, because most times people only think, 'What can I do best to get my job done," said
Randy Lange, co-owner and president of
Lange Bros. Woodwork, an affiliate of the LUSH startup. "We've requested everyone to think about what they can do better to help the next person."
The home, which could be a duplex if the property were rezoned, has a renter moving in this week. It includes a living, dining and kitchen area on the main level, as well as a bedroom and bathroom, and a living, dining and kitchen area on the lower level, with two bedrooms and a bathroom. There's a garage at the rear of the house.
Its walls have three inches of spray foam and the ceiling has four inches, which — when combined with other modifications — help keep the temperature inside the house regulated and drives down energy costs.
For instance, before the building had an air conditioner, there was a day that the outside temperature went up from 77 degrees to 94 degrees, but the building only went up one degree, according to Lange. That's keeping this home's energy bill at around $80 per month, while neighbors are reporting paying hundreds per month.
"We have a 50-year shingle and a 30-year paint on the exterior panels, all the plants outside water themselves with the drains coming from the house, so low maintenance for the owner, and all the water doesn't go into the sewer system, saves the city," Lange said.
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While LUSH has built 10 structures using this method, this is the company's first home. It was built on a vacant city-owned lot.
The building materials arrive on a truck where they're organized in the order they will be assembled in, cutting time in the field. The building process generates almost no waste.
"We don't even bring a dumpster to site," Lange said.
LUSH uses a lot of automation so it's not a very labor intensive operation. The company has seen 30% to 50% cost savings in field work as a result.
"We have sort of a four-step process," Lange said of the company's growth strategy. "The first step is defining the goal, which is the set of plans. Number two is show that it can be done, which we're standing in it. Number three is get someone else to do it. Number four is let them do it themselves."
The goal is to build more homes like this on the city's plethora of vacant lots. Part of LUSH’s model involves job training, enabling individuals to learn the process and start their own business building LUSH homes.
"What we need now is funding to help entrepreneurs start their own businesses and grow wealth back into these neighborhoods," Lange said.
