First-Time Dutch Home Buyers Can Build Their Own IbbN Flat-Packed Prefab Houses for Under $150k

First time home buyers in Nijmegen, The Netherlands now have the opportunity to build their very own affordable home. A program called <a href="http://www.waalsprong.nl/ibbn/" target="_blank">'Ik bouw betaalbaar in Nijmegen’ (IbbN)</a>, which translates to ‘I build affordable in Nijmegen' offers those with a modest income to select an architect-designed home and then assemble the kit-of-parts on a designated lot in the city. <a href="http://www.8aa.nl/ikbouwbetaalbaarmet8a/index.html" target="_blank">Single-family detached homes</a> designed by <a href="http://www.8aa.nl/en/for_developers/projects_private_houses.html" target="_blank">8A Architecten</a> are flat-packed and shipped to the site, where they are assembled with the help of a building supervisor in as little as 6 weeks.

The Dutch city of Nijmegen wants to help first time home buyers get into the market even if they don't have a lot of money.

Families who earn between €30,000 and €47,000 have an opportunity to join the program and get an architect-designed home.

The city has allocated 30 plots in the Vossenpels district for the homes and is accepting interested applicants through their <a href="http://www.waalsprong.nl/ibbn/">IbbN Program</a>.

According to <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2013/04/17/nijmegen-helps-first-time-buyers-build-homes/" target="_blank">Dezeen</a>, the Dutch program is based on one that was done in Almere in 2008 and added 400 homes to the area and allowed lower income families to have their own homes.

Rotterdam-based <a href="http://www.8aa.nl/en/for_developers/projects_private_houses.html" target="_blank">8A Architecten</a> is one of the architecture firms who have designed houses for the program.

They have a design for a row house as well as a prefab gable house. The two- or three-bedroom homes are 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) with 1.5 bathrooms on two floors.

Prefabricated and flat-packed, the homes are delivered to the site, where the home buyer builds the home themselves with the help of a city-designated building supervisor.

The prefab kit is designed to be easy to build, almost as easy as putting together <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/ikea" target="_blank">IKEA furniture</a>.

Each home is also filled with lots of natural light, enjoys natural ventilation for cooling, built with low-maintenance and durable materials, and enjoy access to surrounding green space.

A model of the gable-style flat pack home by 8A Architecten.