Milwaukee Idea Home

Summary: Since there will never be sufficient revenues to meet affordable housing needs, the only option is to reduce costs. But cheaper housing doesn't last. The Milwaukee Idea Home initiative -- a joint venture of the Wisconsin Partnership, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the City of Milwaukee and other partners -- was designed to demonstrate that small, quality-built homes that are economical to maintain could be a better solution.

Staff contact: Bill Perkins

Wisconsin Partnership's role: PJ TA provider

Status of work: Partnership's role ended in 2003

The Milwaukee Idea Home initiative was a five-year public-private partnership effort to design and build a small, high-quality home for $100,000. In addition, the goal was to make the resulting home more durable, healthy, safe and cost-efficient than the average home built today.

Work on the Idea Home was based at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee school of architecture and Urban Planning. The City of Milwaukee's Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation identified potential building sites, and construction of the prototype homes began in late 2002. The Wisconsin Partnership provided financial support under its PJ TA contract with HUD.

To keep costs down, the Idea Home was small -- about 1,200 square feet -- and was built using slab-on-grade rather than a traditional foundation. To compensate for what buyers were likely to perceive as shortcomings, the home was designed with a high level of energy efficiency, and with adaptable spaces that gave a sense of airiness. In addition, the home was be built using design and construction practices that reduced waste, and that drew materials from the regional waste stream.

Other partners in the Milwaukee Idea Home initiative included Wells Fargo Bank and Wisconsin Energy Corporation. A variety of building product manufacturers were also set to provide technical and financial support as the Idea Home proceeded through the testing of innovative technologies.

Although the Partnership's role in the Milwaukee Idea Home ended in 2003, the project continued. For links to more information about the Milwaukee Idea Home, click here.