boxouse

Boxouse was a real estate and construction company located in Oakland, California, with a small team of two members. Founded in 2013 on a vacant lot, the company grew into a community of friends dedicated to experimenting with sustainability and innovative building techniques. Boxouse was part of the Y-Combinator W17 batch and operated primarily in the United States and Canada. The company’s production was based in Oakland, where it offered a variety of housing options, ranging from minimalistic designs to luxurious editions equipped with wheels, solar panels, and full utilities. Inspired by portable, modular shipping containers, Boxouse aimed to redefine modern housing aspirations. They released open-source, California-legal shipping container home plans under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Despite their innovative approach, Boxouse faced significant challenges, including difficulties in raising funds to purchase new rental locations and a costly, time-consuming permitting process. They attempted to get their boxouses recognized as Factory Built Housing at the state level. The company raised a total of $280k in funding and generated approximately $134k in revenue from rentals and sales. However, with total expenses amounting to $489k, Boxouse ultimately incurred a net loss of $75k. Over its operational period, the company built around 11 boxouses with various options, but eventually closed its business.