The Chanute Rotary Club recently invited a small business owner from Columbus to discuss an innovative approach to building new homes. Abby Nelson, founder of micro-Mansions, said her business aims to cut down construction time and improve shipping issues that contractors face.
Nelson said she was inspired to build this business based on her experience trying to purchase a home as a single individual in rural southeast Kansas. Many homes on the market were larger than she needed or needed extensive renovations. Nelson said she decided to build a small home for herself.
Nelson was already familiar with both residential and commercial design and construction.
She said that while in the process of building her home, she noticed some issues come up between contractors, homeowners, and shipping delays in the construction process.
“You can’t find new homes in the middle range, around $150,000,” Nelson said.
These problems led her to develop the concept for microMansions. The company designs and builds panelized framing components in Columbus. Nelson said the panels are built in 8-foot sections and are shipped to the building site.
Nelson said an added bonus is that the micro-Mansions process reduces time spent cutting and joining wood, as well as reduces the amount of material waste left on a construction site. Nelson said this also means that contractors don’t necessarily need a large roll-off dumpster.
These changes reduce the framing process of building to a third of the time it usually takes, according to Nelson.
The homes built also include finishes and touches selected by the homeowner, which will be shipped to the contractor when they are ready for it, according to Nelson. She said some construction sites may have materials sitting in the elements due to construction schedules not aligning with shipping schedules.
Nelson said there are options ranging from one-bedroom to four-bedrooms, or roughly 5001,300 square feet, and that the cost to build ranges from $115-$140 per square foot for the entire home.
Nelson said customers put down a deposit before the design process, usually around $5,000. She said there is a 4-6 week lead time to get the framing panels built and shipped. Once a kit arrives, there is an 8-week construction schedule. Some contractors will work on homes more sporadically, and Nelson said that for “here and there” construction, it can take 3-4 months to fully finish a home. She said microMansions facilitates the bidding process with contractors local to the client.
In addition to single- family homes, Nelson said these designs have been modified to create duplexes or quadplexes built specifically as residential rental units. Some clients have built them to use as Airbnb rentals. According to Nelson, they are great for smaller infill lots created when an older, dilapidated home has been torn down.
To learn more about microMansions, visit https://micromansionsdesign. com.
In other Rotary Club Business, Rotary President Patty Ann Sanborn presented clothing donations gathered by members to USD 413’s Spark-Wheel program. Student Support Coordinator Angie Van-Leeuwen accepted the donations. Sanborn also informed members that there was currently a membership drive competition going on between the Chanute and Parsons Rotary Clubs. Whichever club gains the most new members will win, and the losing club will have to donate to a local charity of the winner’s choice.
To learn more about Chanute Rotary Club, call Patty Ann Sanborn at 620-332-9340. The next Rotary Club meeting will be Thursday, Aug. 28, in the Neosho County Community College Board Room at noon.
