The world is dealing with a housing crisis, which partly explains the recent boom in alternative housing solutions – affordable, preferably mobile, ideally sustainable homes that could be "the future." Rohe Homes would add other items on that list: foldable, easily transportable, "mobile but permanent," efficient, and high-quality.
Recent years have seen a surge in popularity for alternative housing, not because it's the "hip" thing to do to downsize and live as a (digital) nomad but because of the housing crisis. Mobile homes, once considered at best a halfway solution until you got the picket-fence dream house, have found new appeal in their ability to address several pressing issues at once.
What tiny houses, van and bus conversions, RVs repurposed for permanent residency, and prefabricated houses have in common is this promise for a brighter, more affordable future.
Prefab houses stand out for their ability to bridge the gap between mobile homes and brick-and-mortar units while retaining a certain degree of mobility. It's a small one, but you can still pack up everything and move to a different location if you have to. That includes the house.
Photo: Rohe Homes
Rohe Homes claims to have built the first foldable prefab house in Canada, and while it's hard to test the accuracy of that statement, it's definitely worth a closer look. Rohe Homes is a relatively young startup that got into the business of prefabs in 2019, only to have to pause operations once the international health crisis hit. They later resumed work and have since delivered the first units of their modular Lotus.
Rohe Homes doesn't just make a foldable prefab house; it's also modular, sustainable, efficient, convenient, and high-quality. Compared to a typical house, it's also more affordable, but don't take that to mean "cheap." In short, it's the perfect "mobile but permanent" home, as the builder describes it.
The builder calls it Lotus, and it's offered in three possible configurations depending on planned occupancy and final utility.
Photo: Rohe Homes
There's the Lotus Mini, which is the smallest model designed for 1-2 residents and offers the basics in creature comforts in 530 square feet/49.2 square meters of living space; there's the Lotus Extra, which adds another 100 square feet/9.2 square meters of space and a second bedroom; and there's the Lotus Rancher, which is two units combined, 1,050 square feet/97.5 square meters, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and one full kitchen, so space for the entire family.
Where the Lotus differs from other prefab homes is in the way it's designed to fold flat during transport. It folds down a third of its original size, to be more exact.
As CEO and founder Rohan Kulkarni explains in the video interview below, this means that they don't ship out air because the walls fold down to make a compact, space-efficient package. This adds to the sustainability of the product as they're able to transport an entire home, even a large unit, in a single shipment, so the carbon footprint is reduced.
Photo: Rohe Homes
This also means that delivery can be made on a flatbed trailer, a barge, a train, or even by plane. For the record, though, Rohe Homes is only delivering locally for the time being, so unless you're in British Columbia, Canada, tough luck.
A Lotus home, no matter its size and finishes, is constructed in factory in about six weeks and assembled to move in in a single day. The setting up takes about 4 hours, but weatherproofing and connecting it to the grid take time, too.
Each unit uses dimensional lumber for interior framing, SIPs (structurally insulated panels) for insulation, and drywall for the interior, and is designed to be usable throughout the year, even in Canada's coldest weather. Engineered hinges allow the heavy walls to fold in and out, and the homes are designed to fit multiple foundation types.
Photo: Rohe Homes
Though described as a "mobile" home, the Lotus entails land ownership or rental, which is not a prerequisite with the other types of mobile houses mentioned above. On the plus side, it can also work as an ADU (additional dwelling unit), a vacation home, or emergency housing in fire- or flood-affected areas.
The Lotus is also "modern, sustainable, and efficient," and can be delivered as a shell/kit or a turnkey unit. Prices vary accordingly, just like they vary depending on which model you choose.
For example, the Lotus Mini in the basic spec, which includes weatherproofing and plumbing but not the interior finishes or appliances, starts at CAD127,500 (US$94,400 at the current exchange rate). A turnkey unit of the Mini is CAD200,000 (US$148,000), while the bigger model, the Rancher, starts at CAD235,000 (US$174,000) as a shell.
The promise of a foldable house you could pack down and plop onto a trailer for relocation in a worst-case scenario-type of situation should make up for the price tag.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News