PHOTOS: Inside Foldable Tiny Homes That Start at $50,000

Unlike traditional housing construction methods, prefabricated homes are constructed in a factory using pre-made panels and then transported to the final location, where a builder assembles them to form the complete structure.

To speed up the building process, Hapi Homes pre-assembles its panels at its own facility. While the installation timeline for each home depends on its size, construction typically takes under 8 hours.

To simplify the process for their clients, the company manages every aspect of the homebuilding journey.

They handle the home’s architecture and engineering, secure all necessary construction permits, prepare the site, and assign a local contractor from their team to oversee the build.

“The reality is that people don’t want a fragmented service,” Mary O’Brien, the CEO of Hapi Homes, told BI. “They want somebody to handle it for them.”

Hapi Homes’ website features 18 floor plans, ranging from traditional residences to smaller options like accessory dwelling units (ADUs). For clients seeking something more personalized, the company also offers custom-built homes.

While standard floor plans range from 320 to 4,500 square feet, Hapi has completed projects as small as under 200 square feet and as large as 6,000 square feet.

Prices for the units range from $79 to $150 per square foot, with the higher end covering premium finishes. The company says most clients choose designs with finishes that average around $100 to $105 per square foot.

Hapi Homes builds residential homes, units suited for hospitality, and also takes on specialized government projects.

“We are focused on government rapid housing,” O’Brien said. “We’ve been building prefab houses for people in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma since last year.”

“We’ve also been involved in some government projects in the US, the Virgin Islands,” O’Brien added.

The home’s foldable structure makes it compact, allowing for easy transportation and delivery.

The exterior of the unit is designed for resistance, Mohamed Ahmed, cofounder and CEO, told BI.

The house is made of light-gauge steel framing — a material that is resistant to termites and other pests that can damage wood. The siding is aluminum corrugated panels, which are sprayed with anti-corrosion paint, while the doors and windows are aluminum alloy.

The Glenfesk model is available in two sizes: a 420-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit starting at $49,000, and a larger 840-square-foot option with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, priced from $99,000. 

An unfurnished unit comes with exterior walls, interior walls, a floor system, a ceiling, a roof system, most elements of the kitchen and bathroom, doors, plumbing, and electric. 

A furnished unit comes with every lighting fixture, couch, table, and nightstand pictured in the next photos. It also comes with a stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. 

Hapi Homes sources furniture from a variety of furniture warehouses.

“If somebody turns around and says ‘Okay, we want to use this as housing right now,’ and then six months later, ‘We don’t need to house people anymore, we want to change it into a school or a classroom,’ we can then remove the walls in the center and make the adjustments and turn that into a classroom,” Ahmed said. “So these units are really multipurpose.” 

The Windsor is available in three sizes: a studio, a one-bedroom, and a two-bedroom. The units range from 550 to 935 square feet, with base prices starting at $80,478 and going up to $118,489.

O’Brien said that ADUs are growing in popularity as the trend of generational housing — adult children living with their parents and vice versa — becomes more common.

“For a lot of people coming to us for ADUs, generational housing is definitely the No. 1 reason,” she said. “The second reason that we’re seeing is creating additional income on an existing property. So homeowners are maximizing their properties.”

The company said this unit is best suited as a gym, a home office, or even a small guest house.

“We tried to make it where people can have a range of options with the ADU and fully customize it themselves,” O’Brien said.

The one-bedroom, one-bathroom Windsor unit spans 740 square feet and starts at $96,675.

O’Brien said that given its larger size, the unit is ideal for someone seeking a long-term housing solution or for an existing homeowner who plans to place it on their property and rent the space out to a tenant.

A two-bedroom Windsor unit measures 935 square feet and starts at $118,489.

According to Hapi Homes, it’s well-suited as a primary residence or a guest house.