This startup can turn a one-story prefab home into a 3-story house by stacking more levels like Lego blocks as your family grows — Here's what it looks like

• Housing startup Module designs prefab homes that owners can add to over time as their family grows and housing needs change.
• All of the Pittsburgh-based company's homes, which range from $220,000 to $465,000 in price, are designed to be able to change.
• But the startup is testing a removable roof system on one of three homes in a new development that would make such adaptability easier.
• The company's modular designs could provide a more flexible and cost-efficient option amid a housing crisis in the US.

When a homebuyer purchases a one-story home, they don't typically expect that it could one day turn into a three-story mansion.

But one Pittsburgh-based startup is striving to give prospective homeowners exactly that option.

Module is testing a removable roof system on a duplex that's part of its new three-home development in Pittsburgh. The idea is that whoever eventually buys the home can expand it over time as their family grows or their needs change and they need more space. The roof can be lifted up, and a new module can be set in place.

"Just imagine adding another Lego block," founder and CEO Brian Gaudio told Fast Company.

The concept could provide a housing technique in the US that's more adaptable and cost-efficient.

Here's how it works.

There are 6 models available, according to the Module website.

A rendering of Module's completed Pittsburgh development.      Module

And all of them are adaptable and designed to change if the owner so chooses, as TechCrunch reported in 2018.

But the company, founded by ex-Walt Disney alum Brian Gaudio, is testing a removable roof concept on a duplex in a new development in Pittsburgh.

The three-home development.      Module

Besides the three-bedroom duplex, there's a $435,000 three-bedroom market-rate home and a $183,000 two-bedroom affordable home, according to the company website.

Source: Fast Company

Module's prefabricated, energy-efficient homes are constructed off-site in a factory, which makes construction quicker and the end product sturdier.

The top floor and roof of a home being lifted into place.      Module

As Next Pittsburgh reports, indoor construction isn't interrupted by weather conditions, and homes aren't exposed to wind and rain mid-build.

The foundations are laid down on-site, and the prefab homes are shipped in and lifted onto them.

The top floor and roof of a home being lifted into place.      Module

Source: Fast Company

Gaudio told Fast Company that the process is roughly 25% faster than it would take to build a traditional home.

The top floor and roof of a home being lifted into place.      Module

They're slated to be finished in July.

The company built its first home in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood in 2019.

The company's first home that was built in 2019.      Module

Source: Fast Company

The units can start at 500 square feet, according to Fast Company, which makes the initial purchase less expensive.

The company's first home that was built in 2019.      Module

Source: Fast Company

And if the new owners eventually do want to add on, the additional modules would also be less expensive than traditional home expansion costs.

The company's first home that was built in 2019.      Module

The company told Next Pittsburgh that there is a demand for its designs in over 30 US states, but it's focused on the Pittsburgh market at the moment.

Source: Fast Company