Solar home. Just $1,125 per square foot. Requires $16,000 in repairs due to frozen pipes. But it does run on solar.
The Detriot News recently ran an article about a $900,000 model solar home to be used by the city of Troy as “an educational tool and meeting spot”:
Troy’s celebrated solar house left in dark
They forgot to heat the pipes, which froze and caused $16,000 of damage. I though everyone knew it gets cold in Michigan, but apparently the builders of this project forgot that small detail. I think this is “educational” but probably not in the way they intended.
What’s even more eye opening is the cost: $900,000 for an 800 square foot home, built at least partially by students. That’s a whopping $1,125 per square foot!
I live in ski resort town and building costs are very high here, but you can build a luxury mansion for $250 to $300 per square foot (land not included). A quick search on Zillow.com shows a very nice 2,048 square foot home listed for $265,000 or $129 per square foot. And that is just the default home that Zillow displayed first. Searching for under 1,500 square feet finds a home listed for $122,900 at 1,424 square feet or $86 per square foot.
How on earth would anyone every pay $1,125 per square foot for a small home? With frozen pipes and water damage no less?
Go figure.
