Backyard cottages have been hailed as a way to quickly add new rental space in cities with a shortage of housing. But they’re typically expensive to build.
In L.A., where the city government has been trying to nudge homeowners to build more ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, the average construction price for a new cottage starts at $150,000 and goes up to around $350,000, not including building plans, engineering work, and other expenses.
A startup called Azure Printed Homes is taking a different approach: By 3D-printing the roof, floor, and walls with recycled plastic, and building the rest of the home inside a factory, it keeps costs lower. A simple backyard studio apartment, with a tiny kitchen and a bathroom, starts at $39,900. The foundation, delivery, utility hookups, and other costs add about 25% to 30% to the total, but it’s still far less expensive than most alternatives.
Eric Davis is Automation Alley’s Governance Lead and Analyst. In this role, he helps improve collaboration across the various business units of Automation Alley. Davis also manages the Industry 4.0 Readiness Assessment program, which provides in-depth analysis and insight to help small to medium sized businesses understand how Industry 4.0 will impact them in culture, finance, and technology. Davis also manages the investment process for Automation Alley’s pre-seed fund, which supports companies in Automation Alley’s Industry 4.0 Accelerator. Davis has an extensive background in performing due diligence on public and privately-held companies as the Chief Investment Officer of Revalue, an independent Investment Advisory Firm. Davis also implements icube™, a leadership system designed to help companies reduce human friction and build trust to maximize teamwork & profit.
