Housing, Affordable, Basic

HAB

Factory-built homes that stack.

Rendering of a HAB3 on a city corner lot: a mural on its long wall, a furnished balcony off each bedroom, a roof deck with benches, and bifacial solar panels on the outside of its long railings

Rendering: a HAB3 on a city corner lot, with a mural on its long wall, a balcony off each bedroom, and bifacial solar panels on the outside of its roof deck railings.

Three HAB homes on one footprint, sharing one stair, each with a bedroom balcony, with the roof deck on top

Washington needs about 1.1 million more homes by 2044. HAB builds them finished on a factory line, ships each on one trailer, stacks them three high and sets them in days.

For investors For cities and housing programs See the home The brief (PDF)

Built and set, all in: from about $116,700 per home. Every stack is one site kit of about $50,000 (the piers, site work and utility hookups, the step-free entry walks and the roof deck railing) plus about $100,000 for each factory-built home.

HAB1: one factory-built home on its own piers, with its stair at the kitchen end, a balcony off the bedroom and the roof deck on top

HAB1 One home

$150,000

~$50k site kit + one $100k home

$150,000 per home. One home, with a roof deck.

HAB2: two homes stacked on one set of piers, with the roof deck on top

HAB2 Two homes

$250,000

~$50k site kit + two $100k homes

$125,000 per home. Two homes, one footprint.

HAB3: three homes on one footprint with the roof deck on top

HAB3 Three homes

$350,000

~$50k site kit + three $100k homes

About $116,700 per home. Three homes, one footprint.

Built and set = the factory-built homes, site work, utility connections, piers, entry walks, the roof deck, delivery and setting. Stacking cuts the cost per home. Pilot pricing: HAB's target at scale is about $50,000 per home. Returns

Living space
491 sq ft
Bedroom
159 sq ft
Roof deck
490 sq ft
Per footprint
Up to 3 homes
On site
Days, not months

At a glance

Built finished. Set fast.

Every HAB leaves the factory finished: 491 sq ft, a bedroom, a living room open to the kitchen, a full bath and laundry. On site: piers, hookups, and a crane only for the homes above the first.

The home exploded into floor, frame, wall panels, kitchen and bath module, services and roof
Floor, steel frame, walls, the kitchen and bath module, roof.
  • Factory built. Kitchen, bath, laundry, heat pump, wiring and finishes all go in at the plant.
  • Steel: recyclable, rot-proof, noncombustible. A welded steel frame in 6-inch insulated metal panels. Honest materials, nothing hidden: steel, sprinkler pipe and wiring left exposed on purpose, nothing behind drywall.
  • Light on the land. Screw-in piers, no concrete, removable.
  • Affordable on every site. About $1,100 per home per month to own and run on Puget Sound land, and every site sets aside homes at cost.

The home

Small footprint. Real rooms.

A bedroom with a wardrobe closet, a living room open to a full kitchen, a full bath and laundry: 491 sq ft, with the front door and stair at the kitchen end and a balcony off the bedroom. Every ground-floor home meets accessible entry.

The ground-floor entry: a raised sidewalk across the end of the stack, flush with the landing at the door
Accessible entry: a raised sidewalk meets the landing, level.
HAB floor planOne HAB unit, 39'-0" x 13'-11": a bedroom behind a pocket door opening onto its own balcony, and a living room with a window in each long wall, with the kitchen and bath on the slide-in service cassette and the entry stair at the kitchen end.BalconyStair + landingClosetBedroomLiving34" pocket doorBathMechKitchenEntryKitchen + bath module - factory-built, slides in39'-0" overall51'-8" with the balcony and the landing13'-11"
Bedroom left, living room center, kitchen and bath right, the balcony off the bedroom, the stair at the kitchen end.
The home from above with the roof removed
From above, roof off.
Inside, from the living room: the kitchen run along the wet wall, the bath door, and the glass entry door at the far end
Inside: the kitchen along the wall, the bath door, light from the glass door at the end.
The bedroom: the glass door and the big window at its end
The bedroom: a glass door and a big window at the end.
  • Kitchen. Range, dishwasher, sink, fridge and freezer in one run, stainless counters.
  • Bath and laundry. Shower-tub, grab bars, a heat-pump washer-dryer.
  • Light and privacy. Glass doors at both ends (the front door and the bedroom's balcony door), a big bedroom window and a window in each long wall of the living room where the site allows, in smart glass that frosts at a switch, and goes frosted if the power fails.
  • Comfort. A cold-climate heat pump, round-the-clock fresh air, 6-inch insulation all round.
  • Power. All-electric, solar and battery ready, Wi-Fi built in. Bifacial solar panels bolt upright to the outside of the roof deck's long railings, and each home comes with a 5-10 kWh battery and shared access to the array.
The bedroom end of the home: the glass balcony door, the window and the balcony
The bedroom end: glass door, window, balcony.
Side of the home
The long side is solid, so stacks can stand wall to wall.

Kitchen + bath core

The hard part, done in the factory.

Kitchen, bath, laundry and every pipe and wire behind them: built as one module, tested, and slid into the home before it ships. Nothing is plumbed or wired on site.

The kitchen and bath module sliding into the shell in the factory - step 1The kitchen and bath module sliding into the shell in the factory - step 2The kitchen and bath module sliding into the shell in the factory - step 3

  1. The shell waits

    Floor down, end open.

  2. The module slides in

    One move, on its tracks.

  3. Connected and closed

    One utility face, then the end wall. The home ships complete.

Every stack shares one set of connections at its base, and one water line feeds both the taps and the sprinklers.

Greywater runs in its own line to the base of the stack, where it can be diverted for reuse or combined with the sewer, to suit the site.

Code approval

Approved once. Inspected indoors.

Washington approves factory-built homes at the state level, under its Gold Seal. The design is approved once, every home is inspected on the factory line, and the city checks the hookups. HAB is built for the Gold Seal program.*

How the Gold Seal works

  • One plan review. The state, or a Washington-licensed engineer it authorizes, approves the design once. That master plan holds until the state adopts its next building code, a three-year cycle, and every home built to it uses the same approval.
  • Inspected on the line. A state inspector checks every home in the plant: the structure, wiring, plumbing and mechanical systems before they are closed up, the insulation, then the finished home. When it passes, it gets the gold insignia.
  • Local codes met by law. A home with the insignia is deemed to meet local building codes, and the city may not open its finished walls to inspect.
  • The city keeps the site. Zoning, setbacks and site work stay with the city, which approves the installation from a state notice listing exactly what to check.

What it saves

  • Fewer site inspections. Walls, wiring and plumbing are inspected once, in the plant. On site, the list is the foundation and the hookups.
  • No weather holds. Inspections happen indoors on the plant's schedule, while the next homes keep moving down the line.
  • No review per site. The same approved plan builds every home until the next code cycle. Each new site needs only its zoning and site work approved.
  • Fees set in rule. The state insignia is $402.90 for a building's first section and $35.70 for each added one, with inspections at $125.80 per hour.
  • More inspectors coming. A 2026 law lets the state approve independent inspection agencies. The rules are being written now.

Months off the schedule

On a home built on site, work stops at every inspection until it passes: the foundation, the framing, the wiring and plumbing, the insulation, then the final. Each stop waits for an inspector's visit, outdoors, in whatever weather comes. A HAB home passes those inspections in the plant and waits in inventory, built and sealed. The only thing between a site and move-in is the site itself: its permit, the site work and the piers. Once the piers are in, the homes are set in days. On site, only the foundation and the hookups are inspected.

Our estimate for a small Washington apartment site: built on site, about 28 months from application to move-in, with about 19 of them construction. HAB, about 8 months: the same land-use review, then site work and a set from inventory. That is about 20 months sooner, roughly three and a half times faster.

Two ways to build the same homesEstimated schedule in months for a small Washington apartment site, to scale. Built on site: about 6 months of land-use review, 3 of building plan review, then about 19 months of construction, with work stopping at each inspection; move-in at about 28 months. HAB: the same land-use and site review, about 1.5 months of site work and piers, then the homes come from inventory and are set in days; move-in at about 8 months, about 20 months sooner.Two ways to build the same homesEstimate for a small Washington apartment site, in months, to scale036912151821242730monthsBuilt on siteone trade after anotherLand usePlansFoundationFramingRough-inInsul.FinishesFinalMove inHAB, Gold Sealonly the site sets the paceHomes ready in inventoryLand use + siteSite work + piersMove inAbout 20 months sooner, roughly 3.5x fasterInspection. On site, work stops until it passes; a HAB home passes its own in the plant, before it reaches inventoryBuilt on site: WA permit timelines (SB 5290 reporting), Census Survey of Construction 2025 (18.9 months permit to completion).HAB: the same land-use review, then site work and a set from inventory. An estimate; the pilot will time it.
The same homes two ways, in months. Built on site, each trade waits on its inspection. HAB's homes are ready before the site is, so the site sets the pace.

Why Washington first

Washington's energy code cuts a new home's energy use about 58% from the state's 2006 code, and state law requires the 2031 code to reach 70%. It meets or exceeds the latest national model code, the 2021 IECC. Washington also sets one of the highest bars in the country elsewhere: Puget Sound is high seismic country, and HAB is built for Seismic Design Category D and 135 mph, Exposure D wind.*

A template for other states

Many states approve modular homes the same way, through one statewide program: Oregon's prefabricated structures insignia, California's factory-built housing program, and the four states of the Interstate Industrialized Buildings Commission (Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island and North Dakota). Washington holds reciprocal agreements with states whose standards equal or exceed its own.

A home that passes Washington's plan review and in-plant inspection shows the design and the factory hold up to one of the country's highest code bars. That is the case HAB takes to each next state, where the home is certified again under that state's program.

Stacking

Build up, not out.

Three homes on the land of one, then the next stack right beside it. Any home can sit at the bottom, middle or top, and the top becomes a 490 sq ft roof deck shared by the stack's residents.

A HAB stack going up, from the piers to the third home, then a neighborhood of stacks with green space between - step 1A HAB stack going up, from the piers to the third home, then a neighborhood of stacks with green space between - step 2A HAB stack going up, from the piers to the third home, then a neighborhood of stacks with green space between - step 3A HAB stack going up, from the piers to the third home, then a neighborhood of stacks with green space between - step 4A HAB stack going up, from the piers to the third home, then a neighborhood of stacks with green space between - step 5

  1. Piers first

    Ten helical piers screw in. No concrete.

  2. The first home

    Off one trailer onto the piers, no crane.

  3. The second home

    A crane sets it on the home below, and they bolt together.

  4. The third home and the deck

    28 ft tall, roof deck on top.

  5. A neighborhood in weeks

    More stacks beside the first, with green space between, or long wall to long wall where the site is tight.

Stacking joint sectionSection through the column-on-column stacking joint: the upper home's column sits on the lower home's column and the two are bolted together.Lower unit roofUpper unit floorColumn on column -gravity bears steel to steelBolted together -pulled tight, column on columnStacking joint, section through the column
The stack joint: each home bolts to the one below, column on column.

Delivery and setting

Off the trailer. First home, no crane.

One trailer per home. Four jacks lift it off, the trailer drives out, the home lowers onto helical piers. A whole HAB3 sets in 25 to 43 hours of site time.

First home
15-25 h, piers included
Each home above
3-12 h
Crane
None for the first home
Concrete
None
Setting HAB without a craneThe trailer backs in between the pier rows, four jacks lift the unit, the trailer drives out and the unit is lowered onto the piers.1 Back in between the pier rowsunderside 28" up2 Four jacks lift the unit clearunderside 30" up3 The trailer drives outunderside 30" up4 Pier heads dropped onunderside 30" up5 Lowered into placeunderside 6" up6 Jacks out - home on its piersunderside 6" up

  1. Back in

    The trailer backs in between the pier rows.

  2. Lift

    Four jacks lift the home clear of the trailer.

  3. Drive out

    The trailer drives out.

  4. Pier heads on

    The pier heads drop onto their collars.

  5. Lower

    The home centers itself on the piers as it comes down.

  6. Done

    Jacks out. The home stands on its piers.

The same sequence runs in reverse: the home lifts off its piers, and the piers back out the same way.

One HAB crew ships and sets every home. Local trades connect the utilities at the base of the stack.

Accessible entries

The home sits about 6 in up, and a raised sidewalk across the stair end meets the front door level. No ramps, no steps.

One end of the stack: the raised sidewalk, flush with the landing at the door
Standard site prep: the home sits low, and a raised sidewalk across the stair end of the stack meets the landing at the front door, level.
The other end of the stack: each home's bedroom balcony, hung from its own frame
The other end: a balcony off each bedroom, hung from the home's own columns.

Living outside

The stair is the facade.

The stair is the face a stack shows the street, and it is built to carry plants. The roof deck, shared by the stack's residents, adds green space on dense infill.

The roof deck: benches and planters, with bifacial solar panels bolted upright to the outside of the long railings
The roof deck, shown with benches and planters, and bifacial solar panels on the outside of the long railings.
A stair's galvanized mesh guards with vines growing on them and a planter hung outside the railing
The mesh guards double as trellises. Shown with vines.
  • Plants on the stairs. Galvanized mesh guards double as trellises for climbing vines.
  • Planters at the turn. Planter troughs for the turn landings are available as an accessory. They hang on the outside of the railing, so the exit path stays clear.
  • A cleat band, no drilling. A cleat band runs along the stair guards, a ready mount for planters and signs without drilling into the steel.
  • A roof deck for the stack. About 490 sq ft on top of every stack, a common area for that stack's residents only, rated for 100 psf, with bifacial solar panels on the outside of its long railings, a couple of benches, small planters and room for a few tomato plants.
  • For cities. Green space on dense infill: plants on the stairs and a roof deck at the top of every stack.
  • For owners. A home people want to stay in helps hold vacancy at the 5% the returns assume.

Energy

All-electric, and ready for the sun.

Every home is all-electric, with a cold-climate heat pump and 6-inch insulation, built to Washington's energy code. Each is wired for rooftop solar and battery storage.

  • All-electric. A cold-climate heat pump and a heat-pump washer-dryer, with no gas connection to the site.
  • Washington's energy code. About 58% below the state's 2006 code, and heading to 70% by 2031.
  • Low operating cost. Power is inside the all-in rent, up to about 570 kWh per month, where a cold January runs about 450-500.
  • Wired now. One breaker in each panel is reserved to back-feed a solar and battery inverter.
  • Panels on the railings. Bifacial solar panels bolt upright to the outside of the roof deck railing along both long walls, covering them end to end and leaving the whole deck free. Bifacial panels take light on both faces, including light off the deck. The final design is in progress.
  • A battery and a shared array. Each home comes with a 5-10 kWh battery and shared access to the stack's solar array. A battery lets a home run on stored power during peak-rate hours.
  • For cities. Climate goals met on the roof.
  • For owners. The stack's own solar and a battery in every home, inside the all-in rent.

Structure

Steel bones. Open rooms.

A welded steel frame in the walls carries the home and the riveted panels brace it, so no beams or braces cut into the rooms. One frame for every site: 135 mph wind, Seismic Design Category D.

The steel frame alone
The frame, walls off.

Steel is recyclable, does not rot and does not burn. The frame keeps its value for the life of the home.

Frame
Recyclable, rot-proof, noncombustible steel
Stack
Up to 3 homes, 28 ft
Floor
10 Hz: no bounce
Roof
100 psf deck on every home
Seismic
Design Category D

Fire safety and exits

Two ways out. Sprinklers everywhere.

Fast never means cutting corners. Every HAB has a full NFPA 13 sprinkler system, hardwired smoke alarms that sound together, and an exit from every home to the stack's stair.

The exit and sprinklersPlan of one unit: the escape route from mid-room to the entry door and its stair at the kitchen end, the bedroom's door onto its balcony at the other end, and five sprinkler heads with their spray patterns.BalconyStairBathMechExitSprinkler heads and sprayBath + chase heads: sidewall and pendentOne exit per home, to the stack's stair; full NFPA 13 sprinklers39'-0" unitThe escape route and sprinklers
The escape route to the front door and the stack's stair, and the five sprinkler heads with their spray.
An entry stair with its guards, a cleat band, the turn landing and the door, shown with plants
The stair: plate stringers, galvanized mesh guards on every open side, handrails both sides, a cleat band along the guards and the turn landing outside the entry door. Shown with a vine on the guard.
  • A head in every room. Bath and mechanical chase included.
  • No wood to burn. Steel frame, metal-skinned panels, no drywall.
  • Protected circuits. GFCI in wet areas, AFCI in the rooms.

The factory

Built like a product, not a project.

Speed comes from one product on one line, built again and again. Flat parts that locate themselves, so the plant builds instead of measuring.

Factory flowSeven factory stations in order: frame marriage, floor panels and finish, walls and roof panels riveted, service cassette slides in, openings and fit-out, test and Gold Seal in-plant inspection, load-out.Factory flow, one home at a time1Frame marriageon one jigTab-and-slot steel,one jig, no tapemeasure2Floor panels+ finishInsulated floorpanel, then thefloor finish3Walls + roofpanels riveted58 insulated panelsin all, set andriveted4Kitchen + bathslides inKitchen and bathbuilt as one producton its own line5Openings+ fit-outDoors, window,hatch, then trim andclosures6Test + Gold Sealin-plant inspectionPressure, electricaland water tests7Load-outOut of the plant onthe trailer
The station flow. Steel parts are welded flat, joined in one marriage jig, then clad with panels riveted on the 3" grid.
  • Tab-and-slot steel. Laser-cut parts drop into place. No tape measure.
  • Plug-together wiring. Harnesses built on boards, snapped together in the home.
  • Little waste. Parts are cut to size from flat stock. Offcuts are recycled, and no dumpster goes to the site.
  • Inspected in the plant. Built for the Gold Seal program: one plan review, then inspection on the line.

End of life

Nothing permanent left behind.

No concrete goes in the ground. Ten helical piers carry a stack, and they screw back out.

A home leaving on its trailer with the piers removed and bare ground behind it
The reverse set, as shown: a home leaves on its trailer while the piers come out and the ground behind it is left bare.
  • Off its piers. A home comes off its piers the way it went on, and the land is left as it was found.
  • Taken back. HAB takes homes back at end of life, to refurbish or recycle.
  • Recycled. The steel and the panel skins are recycled.
  • For cities and land trusts. Where interim land is available, HAB fits it: no concrete, piers that screw back out, and homes that can leave on a trailer. Less goes to landfill.
  • For owners. A home HAB takes back has residual value instead of a demolition cost.

For cities and housing programs

Affordable homes, set at cost, in months.

HAB brings affordable homes at set rents to every site, a design built for state Gold Seal review* so the city reviews only the site, and occupancy in months rather than years. Every site adds affordable homes.

What HAB offers

  • Affordable homes at set rents. Every site sets aside homes at cost, under the city's program where it has one: from $990 per month all in for a HAB3 home, $1,060 for a HAB2, $1,265 for a HAB1 (a 5.5% return on the cheapest land).
  • The city reviews the site. The state approves the home once and inspects each one in the plant. The city keeps zoning, the site plan and the permits for the foundation, utilities and site work.
  • Occupancy in months. Our estimate for a small Washington apartment site: about 8 months from application to move-in, against about 28 built on site. Land-use review is about 6 of those 8 months, the same for any builder.
  • Easy to approve and defend. Plants on the stairs, a roof deck with small planters and green space between stacks give a council a project it can be glad to approve. See Living outside and Energy.
Stacks with roof decks and solar panels, trees and paths between them, and a raised sidewalk
A neighborhood of stacks with green space between them and a raised sidewalk. Every site adds affordable homes.

What HAB asks

  • Land. Land that is owned, leased or available for interim use.
  • Program support. Support such as Washington's 12-year multifamily tax exemption, which takes the building off the tax roll when 20% of its homes are set aside at a capped rent.

How it fits programs

  • Program fit. HAB's starting rents comfortably meet the targets of most affordability programs. Program terms are set with each partner.
  • Utilities included. Power, water, sewer, trash, internet and repairs in one rent. Power is included up to about 570 kWh per month.
  • Accessible. Every ground-floor home meets accessible entry, with a hand shower and grab bars in the bath.
  • Full sprinklers. An exit from every home to the stack's stair, full NFPA 13 sprinklers and interconnected smoke alarms.*
  • Sound separation. Stacked homes do not share a floor: two separate insulated panels with a gap between them. Sound ratings will be measured on the pilot homes.

Light on the land

No concrete goes in the ground: ten helical piers carry a stack. Where interim land is available, HAB fits it: the piers screw back out, and the homes can leave on a trailer. Nothing permanent is left behind. See End of life.

For investors

Capital that builds homes.

Washington needs about 1.1 million more homes by 2044 (state Department of Commerce). HAB builds, owns and rents them as a manufactured product, at a cost well under the market rent it earns, so a rented stack can pay for the next.

The raise. HAB is raising $200,000 to finish the engineering and take the design through Gold Seal certification. Terms on request.

  • Land and ownership. HAB owns and rents its sites. A site can be owned land, leased land or land available for interim use.
  • Returns. At about $1,850 per month, a HAB3 home nets about 12% in year one and about 14% per year over 30 years with the land kept, at today's pilot price of $100,000 per home. At HAB's target of about $50,000 per home at scale: about 19% and 22%.
  • A flywheel. At $1,850 per month a rented stack refinances for about 1.2 times its cost. Of 41 listings screened, 19 sites return the whole cost: room for 1,002 homes.
  • Speed. Once the piers and hookups are in, a HAB3 sets in 25 to 43 hours on site.
  • Cost falls as homes stack. $150,000 for one home, under $117,000 each in a stack of three.

A rented stack builds the next

A HAB home costs about $1,100 per month to build, set, finance and run on Puget Sound land ($35 per sq ft, at a 7% return). It rents at market, around $1,850 in Puget Sound. At that rent a rented stack refinances for more than it cost, and the money builds the next one.

Market rent, all inYear-1 net yield
pilot / at scale		30-yr IRR, land kept
pilot / at scale		Refinance loan vs cost
pilot / at scale
$1,600/mo10% / 16%11% / 18%1.0× / 1.7×
$1,850/mo12% / 19%14% / 22%1.2× / 2.0×
$2,100/mo14% / 22%16% / 25%1.4× / 2.4×

HAB3 home, land at $35 per sq ft. Pilot = today's price, $100,000 per home. At scale = HAB's target of about $50,000 per home ($200,000 for a HAB3). Net = rent less 5% vacancy, 6% management, property tax, insurance, the repair reserve, utilities and internet. 30-yr return = IRR with rent and costs up 2.5% per year, land up 3%, land kept. Refinance loan: the lesser of 65% of value at a 5.5% cap rate and what the net covers 1.25× at 6.5% - proceeds, not appraised value. A screening model, not a promise.

ConfigurationBuild and setOn site
HAB1 One home$150,00015‑25 h, no crane
HAB2 Two homes$250,00022‑37 h
HAB3 Three homes$350,00025‑43 h

Everything included. Home, site work, utility connections, piers, entry walks, roof deck, delivery and setting.

Risk, reduced

The features that make a stack easy to approve also protect the return.

  • Retention. Planted stairs and a roof deck shared by the stack's residents are there to keep tenancies long and turnover cost under the 5% vacancy the returns assume.
  • Utility cost. All-electric, with a 5-10 kWh battery in every home and shared access to the stack's solar panels on the roof deck railings.
  • Land deals. Where interim land is available, HAB fits it: no concrete, piers that screw back out, and homes that can leave on a trailer. That makes land deals easier, including leases on land that cannot take permanent buildings.
  • Residual value. HAB takes homes back at end of life, to refurbish or recycle, so a home is worth something instead of costing a demolition.
  • Faster review. Land-use review is about 6 months of the estimated 8 from application to move-in, and factory speed cannot shorten it. A project a council is glad to approve moves faster.

Sites screened

HAB screened 41 Washington land listings with prices, scoring each on the homes that fit, the local market rent and what the homes cost. The five strongest at market rent:

CityLandHomesMarket rentYear-1 yieldRefinance returns
Burien3.8 acres165~$1,85012%1.3×
Lake Stevens8.4 acres99~$1,97513%1.3×
Puyallup, South Hill2.7 acres108~$1,92511%1.2×
Burien2.7 acres117~$1,85011%1.1×
Bellingham1.6 acres69~$1,85011%1.1×

Screening only: public listings, not verified and not under contract; market rents are October 2026 estimates.

Where HAB stands

ItemTodayNext
FundingRaising $200,000Engineering stamp and Gold Seal certification
Homes builtNone yetThe pilot build
DesignModeled in full, down to 290 part numbers; engineering to finish (this raise)Supplier quotes
EngineeringHAB's own screening calculationsReview and stamp by a licensed engineer
Code approvalBuilt for the Gold Seal factory-built programThe Gold Seal plan review
PilotPlanned, with bought-in panelsThe panel maker's quote, then the build

The plant grows in stages

StageOutput
Pilot cell1 home per week
First line250 homes per year
Flow line1,000 homes per year
Scaled plant3,000 to 5,000 homes per year

Cost model, bill of materials, quote packages, engineering and the capital plan: shared directly with investors.

For suppliers

Every home is a repeat order.

We are going to need parts by the thousand. Every HAB is identical, so what you make for the first home, you make for every one after it.

  • A short, stable parts list. 290 part numbers, split into ready-to-quote packages, kitted one home per bundle.
  • What we buy. Welded frame parts, prefabricated plumbing and duct kits, manufactured wiring, appliances, HVAC, doors and glazing.
  • What we ask. Quotes at 50 and 250 homes per year, delivered to the plant, every piece marked with its part number.

Questions

Straight answers.

How does HAB work with a housing authority or land trust?

HAB sets aside affordable homes at cost on every site, from $990 per month all in for a HAB3 home, under the local program where there is one. HAB asks for land and program support such as Washington's 12-year multifamily tax exemption. HAB's starting rents comfortably meet the targets of most affordability programs, and program terms are set with each partner. The city reviews only the site. See For cities and housing programs.

Can HAB use surplus public land on an interim basis?

A stack stands on ten helical piers with no concrete. Where interim land is available, HAB fits it: no concrete, piers that screw back out, and homes that can leave on a trailer.

Is there solar?

Every home is wired for rooftop solar and battery storage, with one breaker reserved for a hybrid inverter. Bifacial solar panels bolt upright to the outside of the roof deck's long railings, and each home comes with a 5-10 kWh battery and shared access to the stack's solar array. The final design is in progress.

What happens at end of life?

The home is retired after about 30 years of service. HAB takes it back, to refurbish or recycle, and the steel and panel skins are recycled. The piers screw back out and the land is left as it was found.

What would the rent be?

All in (power, water, sewer, trash, internet), affordable homes start from $990 per month and every site has some; the rest rent at the local market rate, about $1,600-2,100 in Puget Sound cities. HAB's starting rents comfortably meet the targets of most affordability programs.

Is it safe in a fire?

Full NFPA 13 sprinklers, interconnected smoke alarms, and an exit from every home to the stack's stair.

How is it approved?

Under the Gold Seal factory-built program: one plan review, then each home inspected in the plant. The city still approves the site: zoning, the site plan, and permits for the foundation, utilities and site work.

What foundation does it need?

Ten helical piers per stack. No concrete.

Can stacks stand side by side?

Yes. The long walls have no windows, so on dense sites stacks stand long wall to long wall.

Is it accessible?

Every ground-floor home meets accessible entry at its front door, with a hand shower and grab bars in the bath.

Work with us

Join the build.

Cities, housing authorities, land trusts, investors, landowners and suppliers: send a non-binding letter of intent and help place the first thousand homes.

HAB is founded by Jack Stepanek and Tony Sisco. On LinkedIn: Jack and Tony.

Non-binding and free. We use your details only to contact you about HAB.