Module

What if first-time buyers in the U.S. were able to build just as much house as they needed with the option of adding on when their income and lifestyle allowed in the future? That’s how Mod-ule, a Pittsburgh-based startup that offers local buyers its own take on “incremental housing” with a build-as-you-grow business model, came into being. The company provides modular homes that start small and are assembled using pre-built wall panels and roofs on-site, with designs that can make room for future growth, either by expanding to the rear of the house or adding additional floors.

Base models can accommodate the future addition of stairs, and the firm has a patent pending on its removable wall and roof panels, so that future expansions can be done with a lot less teardown, dust, and debris than is common in traditional stick-built homes. The firm’s smallest starter unit has a footprint of 640 square feet, while two mid-tier offerings come in at 1,000 and 1,280 square feet. Its biggest base model clocks in at 1,600 square feet. All are expandable, with the largest model designed to grow up to 2,500 square feet. Prices, without land, range from $150,000 to $300,000 for the starter units.