A Ukrainian company is building $18,000 tiny homes for families who had theirs destroyed in the war. Take a look inside.

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Sophia AnkelAug 5, 2023, 18:03 IST
A Ukrainian company is building $18,000 tiny homes for families who had theirs destroyed in the war. Take a look inside.

The kitchen and dining area in a HOMErs modular home.HOMErs

  • Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have had their homes destroyed in the war.
  • But the company HOMErs is fixing that problem by building fully-furnished properties.

More than 17 months after Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine, the country is in a housing crisis.

A Kyiv School of Economics study published earlier this year found that more than 149,000 residential buildings in Ukraine have already been damaged or destroyed. In March, the World Bank estimated that it could take $411bn (£323bn) to rebuild the entire country.

But two Ukrainian robotics entrepreneurs are trying to find a solution by launching HOMErs, a range of factory-made tiny homes that can be built within days.

The three-module, fully-furnished properties sell for $18,000 and have managed to give desperate Ukrainian families a new home in a time of need.

Scroll down and take a look inside.

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The HOMErs factory in Kyiv currently produces between 10 to 15 modular homes a month, though the company is looking to scale up.

The HOMErs factory in Kyiv currently produces between 10 to 15 modular homes a month, though the company is looking to scale up.
A new modular home is built next to a destroyed home in Kyiv, Ukraine.HOMErs

Modular homes are pre-manufactured buildings that are put together in a factory.

An entire house can be flat-packed and transported on a truck, Chris Baxter, a non-executive board member for the group, told Insider.

HOMErs currently has a factory in Kyiv but is also building a new factory in Slovakia.

The company is selling homes in Ukraine but has also expanded its business to the UK where Baxter thinks it could offer a solution for Ukrainian refugees in need of temporary housing.

Each home is comprised of multiple three-by-three-meter units that can be expanded.

Each home is comprised of multiple three-by-three-meter units that can be expanded.
The living room of a HOMErs modular home.HOMErs
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They cost around $18,000 to make, with additional modules priced at $6,000.

They cost around $18,000 to make, with additional modules priced at $6,000.
The open-concept dining room and kitchen in a HOMErs modular home.HOMErs

The homes are grid-connected and fully furnished. The kitchen, for example, comes with all the appliances a family may need.

The homes are grid-connected and fully furnished. The kitchen, for example, comes with all the appliances a family may need.
The kitchen of a HOMErs modular home.HOMErs

The kitchen comes with an electric stove, a fridge, and a dishwasher, according to a HOMErs spokesperson.

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The homes are stylish and also sustainable, according to the company's co-founder, Alex Stepura.

The homes are stylish and also sustainable, according to the company's co-founder, Alex Stepura.
A HOMErs modular kitchen.HOMErs

"We use strong, light, high insulation, sustainable materials throughout, keeping the price low, and making transportation and assembly easy. What IKEA did with furniture, we are doing with the whole house!" Stepura added.

Solar panel and battery installation are also available for an additional cost.

Solar panel and battery installation are also available for an additional cost.
A living room of a HOMErs modular home comes equipped with all the furniture and lighting fixtures.HOMErs
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The units are bright and utilize space well. An open-concept design allows for the dining room and living room to be in one space.

The units are bright and utilize space well. An open-concept design allows for the dining room and living room to be in one space.
A dining room of a HOMErs modular home.HOMErs

The bedroom is small but cozy.

The bedroom is small but cozy.
A bedroom is a HOMErs modular home.HOMErs
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Despite its size, the properties can house more than one bedroom — perfect for a small family.

Despite its size, the properties can house more than one bedroom — perfect for a small family.
Another bedroom in HOMErs modular home.HOMErs

Alla Pylypenko, a teacher, lost her family home in Ukraine's Chernihiv region after Russian shelling.

Alla Pylypenko, a teacher, lost her family home in Ukraine's Chernihiv region after Russian shelling.
The destroyed home of Alla Pylypenko in the Chernihiv region, Ukraine.HOMErs

"Everywhere was fire," she told the BBC. "We didn't know how to live."

The family had to live in the badly damaged basement of her former house for months.

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But now, the family lives in a tiny HOMErs property, which was donated to them and assembled in just a matter of days last autumn.

But now, the family lives in a tiny HOMErs property, which was donated to them and assembled in just a matter of days last autumn.
Alla Pylypenko and family outside their new tiny home.HOMErs
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