UPDATE: Our plan to relaunch Futuro Houses did not pan out. Our Kickstarter raised 1/100th of the money needed to move forward. I believe someone else has moved forward with reviving the Futuro, but it’s not us. I’m leaving this post here for posterity’s sake, but it didn’t work out. I hope someone else brings them to fruition — we would love to stay in one again.

Summary: My wife is bringing back the Futuro House and needs your support on Kickstarter to make it happen.

My interest in Futuro homes began a few years ago when my friend Steve W. was driving through the backwoods of Texas and ran across this:

Kickstarter Link: New Futuro House

We didn’t know it at the time, but Steve had unknowingly stumbled across one of the approximately 100 original Futuro Homes, of which less then 20 exist in the United States.

The Futuro House was designed by Matt Suuronen in Finland in the 1960s. The prefabricated homes were made of a combination of fiberglass and plastic and measured 13′ high and 26′ in diameter. The Futuro had many selling points. The prefabricated homes could be shipped anywhere and assembled on site in 48 hours. Their size, shape, and unique metal stands made them idea for ski or hunting lodges. The interior of the Futuro is highly configurable with movable partitions. Its many windows offer terrific views, and the small but comfortable space inside is easy to heat and cool.

According to Wikipedia, fewer than 100 Futuro Homes were built. “The oil crisis of 1973 tripled gasoline prices and made manufacture of plastic extremely expensive,” according to the site. Additionally, several cities and neighborhoods banned Futuro homes based on their appearance. It seems the world was not ready for a UFO-shaped home of the future.

We think the world is now ready for a UFO-shaped home of the future.

Me standing in front of a Futuro Home in Illinois (2012)

My wife and I would like to own a Futuro home, and we’ve found a lot of other people who say they would, too. Unfortunately, the “homes of tomorrow” built in the late 60s and early 70s aren’t doing so well today. Some of the plastics used are now degrading. Additionally, building codes today are (thankfully) more stringent than they were 45 years ago.

My wife has launched a Kickstarter Project in hopes of bringing back the Futuro Home. The goal of her Kickstarter is to end up with a new, prototype Futuro home. Building this requires several major hurdles, none of which are cheap. Some of the hurdles include:

Reverse engineering a Futuro to get its exact specifications and measurements

Updating the Futuro’s structure to ensure that it meets the strictest modern home-building standards

Work with modern architects to ensure the most durable, maintainable and cost-efficient materials are used

Create blueprints and make them available

Based off of those blueprints, create molds

Design assembly instructions

…and finally…

Build a complete proof-of-concept Futuro House

My wife is an expert project manager and has several certifications saying so. She is also an expert with budgets, and has already started contacting architects, engineers, mold fabricators, and other professionals essential to bringing back the Futuro Home. Her goal of raising $45,000 is essentially exactly what it will take to bring back the Futuro Home.

Susan has added some neat and affordable rewards to her Kickstarter, things like 3D-Printed Futuro Homes and numbered prints. There are also some high end rewards: for $500 you can attend the the prototype assembly party here in Oklahoma, for example.

When and if this Kickstarter succeeds and we are able to complete production of the first new Futuro Home, we will be able to begin construction on new homes. Again, there are currently less than 20 Futuro homes in the United States, most of which are abandoned. It would cost you more to purchase an original Futuro home and repair it than it will to buy a new one. I truly hope Susan’s Kickstarter succeeds — one because I’d love to see Future Homes make a comeback, and two, because I’m pretty sure the prototype is going in my backyard. I can’t wait to sit in a UFO-shaped home and play Space Invaders all night long!

Susan and I have already registered NewFuturoHouse.com and plan to document every step along the way of this exciting process.

Thanks to Simon from TheFuturoHouse.com for allowing us to use his pictures on our Kickstarter page and in Susan’s Kickstarter video.

Kickstarter Link: New Futuro House