As the most densely populated state in the nation, New Jersey is constantly updating its housing laws to try to accommodate everyone.
According to current New Jersey law, each municipality needs to designate a percentage of property for affordable housing. Zoning laws vary from municipality to municipality but in some cases, a second dwelling can be built right on your property as long as it meets the requirements of that particular town.
That dwelling is called an “accessory apartment,” and is meant to house—at least for 10 years—tenants from low to lower-income residents or families.
Cities like San Francisco, which has been in a housing crisis for years, have been much more lenient with second dwellings or accessory apartments and many people will be opting for Boxabl, a soon-to-be-available modular building system that is a cool cubic home.
Boxabl’s dimensions will be either 20 x 20 feet, 20 x 30, 20 x 40, or 20 x 60 and are designed to be able to be stacked to build multi-story, freestanding, or attached homes. And they’re stunning.
This is going to be the next new thing in affordable housing because they are beautiful, can be shipped from their factory in Las Vegas for $3 to $10 a mile, and are extremely durable and well-appointed.
Boxabl’s are made from steel concrete and a durable foam. The company claims that these materials are even stronger than traditional building materials.
The basic house is about $50,000 but it costs another $5,000 to $50,000 to set it up with hookups, landscaping, permits, and the rest. Boxabl even has available financing and the finished homes will be wind-resistant, fire-resistant, water-resistant, snow-load-rated, and energy efficient.
What’s more, Boxabl has partnered with Permits.com to help you procure all of the permits and help you wade through the application process. You can set up utilities however you want to at your site; your choice, even if you want solar or off-grid utilities. The site, of course, needs to be purchased separately unless you plan to build on your own existing property.
Whether it’s a water tank or solar panels it will connect the same way to the Boxabl as regular utilities. The first and most basic Boxabl home, the Casita, is projected to retail for $49,500.