The limited availability of quality, affordable housing is an emergent and seemingly universal crisis. Rural areas, however, have been experiencing this crisis for quite some time. While housing in rural regions is less expensive than in urban or even suburban areas, quality is decidedly lacking. Housing stock is generally in poor condition, and due to lack of capital for investment and low property valuation, continues to degrade over time. Compounding this, rural housing needs consistently have less access to public or non-profit housing assistance. Those who live in rural areas are used to being more or less on their own.

The ethos of self-sufficiency, one of the most admirable qualities of rural people, is what informs the Unfinished House project. The project melds prefabricated modules with barn style on-site construction. This creates a durable, habitable shell that contains all the components necessary for living with a lower cost and construction schedule than normative methods. The modules, sourced from existing, local manufacturers, contain the Unfinished House’s plumbed and energized services. The exterior service module is rated to serve as an above-ground storm shelter, eliminating the cost of a basement.

The shell of the Unfinished House is built using wood and steel building techniques, allowing for rapid construction. The roof, and cladding are durable, resilient, and allow for a wide range of design options. The site-built shell straddles the interior kitchen/bathroom module, dividing the ground floor into a living area and a bedroom.

The Unfinished House, as its name suggests, is not entirely complete. The ground floor spaces are finished and move-in ready. The upper level has an unfinished bedroom and bonus living/office area, ready for painting and flooring, and a future full bathroom, rough plumbed-in and ready to be completed as the resident needs. Finishes and fixtures are some of the most accessible aspects of construction to do-it-yourselfers and leaving these elements out of the build contract reduces material and labor costs. This strategy has been used in affordable housing around the world. Alejandro Arevena, the 2016 Pritzker Prize-winning architect, developed a similar system called the Half-Built House to wide acclaim. His system maximized the utility of capital raised for affordable housing in Chile, and that is a major underlying principle of the Unfinished House.

Another admirable quality of small towns is community, neighbors helping neighbors. While the unfinished portion of the house may be taken on by the occupant or hired tradespersons, volunteer groups, charities, students or friends and family could be involved.

When finished, the 1770 square foot starter home will have two bedrooms and two baths, a living area, a kitchen and dining space, and a service room/storm shelter. Having one of the bedrooms downstairs ensures accessibility for elderly or disabled residents. Larger models will have three bedrooms (one downstairs and two upstairs), or two bedrooms and an expanded living area upstairs. These units would work as single-family detached, duplexes, townhomes, or as infill in depopulated rural downtowns. This versatility, coupled with cost reduction measures and speedy construction, makes the Unfinished House perfectly suited for rural affordable housing.

TODD GABBARD | COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING & DESIGN // K-STATE