Forget McMansions with guesthouses, swimming pools, and gigantic walk-in closets. At just 375 square feet and an open-concept studio-like floorplan, a prefabricated tiny house can be a home fit for the richest man in the world.
Yes, we’re talking about tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk, who was named Forbes’ richest person in the world in 2022, clocking in with a fortune of $219 billion. Reports suggest that Musk, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Tesla, sold off the last of his real estate portfolio in 2021, opting to live in a pre-made tiny house in Rio Grande Valley so he’s just paces away from the SpaceX office.
It makes sense: Musk is building his legacy on sustainability, from electric-powered cars to batteries for renewable energy. His SpaceX plans, which include transporting people and cargo to Mars, are exorbitantly expensive. And he’s shared his controversial thoughts on hybrid working, telling Tesla employees worldwide recently to show up at the office or quit. To be fair, he’s said in past interviews that he sleeps on the Tesla factory floor some nights to maximize productivity. Let’s just say his tiny house doesn’t need a home office!
A handful of media reports suggest that Musk is living in a foldable, prefabricated tiny home called the Casita – or small house in Spanish – manufactured by Boxabl, a Las Vegas-based housing start-up. The company says that it’s on a mission to “significantly lower the cost of homeownership for everyone.”
If you’re curious about the tiny home Musk allegedly calls his castle, here’s a closer look at the Casita and its specs.
What Does Elon Musk’s Tiny Home Look Like?
For starters, the Boxabl Casita’s key specs include:
- 375 square feet of space (that’s a unit that’s just 19.5 ft x 19.5 feet!)
- 9’6’’ ceilings
- 8’ long doors and windows for plenty of natural light
- Wide plank compositive wood flooring
- Insulation technology and LED lighting for energy efficiency
- Heating and air conditioning
It comes delivered to you, with a promise of being unpacked within the hour. Its unique selling point is that it’s “complete right out of the box.” That means it’s fully equipped with major appliances, so the only key pieces you’ll need to buy are a bed and couch, Boxabl says.
Now for the floorplan:
The Casita packs a lot of what every homeowner needs into just 375 square feet. You’ve got a full-sized kitchen, with a refrigerator and freezer, kitchen sink with a view, an oven, dishwasher, microwave, and plenty of cabinets and cupboards for your plates, pots and pans, and cutlery.
The kitchen bleeds into a small dining room space, with a table that wraps around the wall and leads to the bathroom. You also have a combined washer and dryer.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, homeowners are treated to a spacious shower space, a vessel sink, and a large counter space with a backlit mirror for getting ready in the mornings or cleaning off the day’s makeup at night and sliding glass barn doors to save on space.
Boxabl says plumbing, electric, and HVAC all come pre-installed from the factory.
This appears to be the baseline unit; Boxabl says the Casita is completely customizable with various finishes and layout configuration options.
Boxabl counts the other half of the house as the tiny home’s “living areas” – or the bedroom and living room.
You’ll need to furnish this space with a couch, coffee table, bed, and nightstands. It’s a great opportunity to add some personal touches to the pre-made home.
Depending on where you’re parking your Boxabl home, you may have some curb appeal via a front porch, too.
How Much is the Boxabl Casita and How do I get One?
Boxabl says the Casita comes with a price tag of just $50,000, appliances included. While they’re assembled in Las Vegas, the company says the Casita can be shipped nationwide, if you pick up the moving fee.
Shipping is free to Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah, according to Boxabl’s response to customer comments on its Facebook posts. After that, it’s roughly $2 per mile from Las Vegas.
If you’re curious as to whether the Casita can withstand a summertime Florida downpour or a chilly winter’s night in Vermont, Boxabl says it can. In response to another customer’s question, the company says the Casita is “very strong and rated for hurricane winds.”
If it all sounds too good to be true, here’s the rub: the Casita is on backorder with hundreds of people already in line to get their tiny home shipped to their corner of the country.
Boxabl says there are currently over 1,000 people on the pre-order list. The company says it aims to start shipping Casitas to the public by the middle to the end of 2022, however, timelines may change.
If you have $50,000 to spare and you’d like your own “accessory dwelling unit” as Boxabl calls it, you can add your name to the Casita pre-order waitlist.
Your options include pre-ordering for free but waiting at the very end of the line; paying a $200 deposit for a waitlist spot, and Boxabl will advise on the next steps “soon”; or putting down a $5,000 deposit to gain early access to the Casita.