Company creates $45,000 flat pack 'surf shacks' that can be assembled in a week 'like Ikea furniture' with materials dropped by helicopter
A company has created off-grid dwellings that can be assembled in a week like 'Ikea furniture'.
Backcountry Hut Company says their Surf Shack model can be built almost anywhere with materials dropped in by helicopter.
The pre-fab structures starting at $45,000 come in various sizes - from 191 square feet to 937 square feet - with the largest housing up to 24 people.
The Canadian company lets customers design their own interior or pick from a range of options.
Their in-house team of architects assists with permitting, documentation requirements, and customization.
A flat pack kit of parts is delivered to the location, at which point the assembly process starts.
Co-founder Wilson Edgar says a team of four can raise the structure in less than a week, without the need for large excavators and other heavy machinery.
Mr Edgar said: 'In a lot of cases, our customers want to build on their remote dream property, as a way to escape the 9 to 5.
'Some of those locations can't accommodate an intrusive, traditional building process.
'Our customers seem to come from diverse backgrounds, but they all share an eye for design, and a creative desire to play some part in the building experience.
'The first BHC customers have ranged from semi-retired professors, to younger tech workers.
'These are not 2X4 stick-framed, tiny prefabricated structures with vinyl windows. Our customer is looking for a recreational dwelling that is well-designed, with minimal environmental impact.'
Mr Edgar's Co-Founder is Architect Michael Leckie, whose Vancouver studio designed the prefabricated 'kit-of-parts' system.
He said: 'We wanted to create something that captured a certain essentialism.
'A product and process that is unique unto itself, that is has a practicality, without sacrificing good design.'
The Surf Shack is available for order now in America and Canada, with further availability planned for the future.
