Bright Box Homes
Two-story Bright Box duplex with balconies and a family in the backyard.

Bright Box Homes

20x20 Duplex

Live in one. Rent the other. Two complete homes on one foundation.

Included as standard

  • Full metal truss and metal roof system
  • Covered front porch and deck
  • Railing and staircase to upper unit
  • Mini-split HVAC in each unit
  • Independent electrical, plumbing, and climate control per unit
20' x 20' (two-story)
Footprint
~800 sq ft
Combined area
Mini-split in each unit
HVAC

Specifications

The Details

Footprint
20' x 20' (two-story)
Each unit
20'8" W x 19'4" D, ~400 sq ft, 1 or 2 bedroom
Combined area
~800 sq ft
Units
Two independent units, each with its own meter
Frame
Galvanized steel units in a steel post frame; the upper unit on its own supports, closed in with steel skirting
Roof
Pitched standing-seam metal roof on steel trusses, over the upper unit and the balcony
Included outside
Front deck, balcony, exterior steel stair with landing
HVAC
Mini-split in each unit
Foundation supports
20 under the home, 12 under the deck, 7 under the frame and stair (39)
Starting price
$59,995

House Hacking, Made Simple

Live in One. Rent the Other.

The Duplex is two complete homes on one foundation, each with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, electrical, plumbing and climate control. Move into one, rent the other, and let your tenant's rent go toward your payment.

Upper unit

Your home

Your own front door up the staircase, your own kitchen, bath and mini-split.

Lower unit

Your rental

A long-term tenant, a short-term rental, or family - with its own entrance and its own utilities, so each home stays private.

Prefer it the other way round? Live downstairs and rent the top - it is your call.

See what the rent could cover

Use your own numbers - nothing is saved or sent.

$/mo

Loan, land and insurance, as you budget it.

$/mo

Check local listings for a comparable unit.

Enter both amounts to see how much of your payment the rent could cover.

An illustration with your figures, not a promise of income. Rents, vacancy, taxes and local rental rules vary - check them for your area.

Included as Standard

Instant Hot Water

Every home comes with an on-demand electric tankless water heater. It heats water as it flows, so there is no tank to wait on, and one unit feeds every hot-water tap in the home.

  • Heats on demand - no storage tank
  • One unit supplies every hot-water fixture
  • Compact and wall-mounted
  • All-electric

Click the diagram to enlarge it and zoom in.

Site Prep

How It Connects

The plumbing connects at the home's rear wall - the layout is the same on every model. Tap a number to see what each connection is and what your site needs.

Rear wall of an expandable home: bathroom window, bathroom exhaust fan, and the sewer and water connections in the bottom frame.
  1. 1Bathroom exhaust fan

    Vents bathroom moisture straight outdoors.

    Your site needs: Keep this vent clear: no walls, fencing or stored items right against it.

    Connected by: Nothing to connect.

  2. 2Bathroom window

    Natural light and ventilation for the bathroom.

    Your site needs: Nothing required.

    Connected by: Nothing to connect.

  3. 33" sewer outlet

    The home's main waste line, leaving through the bottom of the rear frame.

    Your site needs: A 3" sewer or septic line stubbed up behind the rear wall, sloped toward your septic tank or the municipal sewer.

    Connected by: A licensed plumber.

  4. 43/4" hot and cold water inlets

    Two 3/4" connections, one cold and one hot. Your water supply connects to the cold inlet.

    Your site needs: A 3/4" water line from your well or the municipal supply, buried below the frost line, with a shutoff valve near the home. The home's built-in electric tankless heater makes the hot water, so the hot inlet is capped.

    Connected by: A licensed plumber.

  5. Electrical service

    The home's 200 A, 120/240V panel, wired for 240V appliances such as the dryer.

    Your site needs: A 200 A, 120/240V service (four wires: two hots, neutral and ground) from your utility meter, main panel or off-grid system, hardwired to the home. No plug-in connection.

    Connected by: A licensed electrician.

Site-planning tip

Place the home with its rear wall facing your sewer and water stub-outs, and have those lines and your 200 A electrical feed in place before delivery day. It is the simplest way to keep connection runs short. See the full site-prep checklist

About This Home

About the 20x20 Duplex

The Bright Box Duplex stacks two expandable units into a single two-story footprint - live in one and rent the other. Each unit is independently plumbed, wired, and climate-controlled, with a full metal roof, covered porch and deck, and a staircase to the upper unit. It is the simplest way to turn a home purchase into an income-producing asset.

New · Design Your Home in 3D

See your 20x20 Duplex before it ships.

Pick a floor plan for each home, choose the side the stair runs up, and open either unit to see every room - with the price beside it.

Start Designing
A Bright Box home with a metal roof, solar and a covered patio, as designed in the 3D configurator

Exterior

See It From Every Angle

Investment Opportunity

Double Your Investment

Stack two units. Live in one. Rent the other.

The Bright Box Duplex is two expandable container homes stacked into a single two-story footprint. Same steel-frame construction, same standard inclusions, twice the opportunity. For homeowners, it's the simplest path to offsetting your mortgage - live upstairs, rent the lower unit, and let your tenant cover your payment. For investors, it's two rental units on one lot with one foundation, one utility connection, and one purchase.

At a fraction of the cost of traditional duplex construction, the Bright Box Duplex delivers rental-ready units in weeks, not months. Each unit is independently plumbed, wired, and climate-controlled. Whether you're house-hacking your first property, building an Airbnb portfolio on rural land, or deploying workforce housing at scale, the duplex configuration turns a home purchase into an income-producing asset from day one.

Live in one, rent one - offset your mortgage immediately
Two independent units on a single lot and foundation
Airbnb and short-term rental ready
Workforce housing at scale
Fraction of traditional duplex construction cost
Each unit independently plumbed, wired, and climate-controlled

Upgrades

Customize Your Home

Premium upgrades to make your Bright Box Home uniquely yours.

8000W Solar Inverter: AC Output 8000W, Pure Sine Wave, 120/240V split/single phase, parallel up to 6 units, Max PV Input 500VDC, 92% efficiency, Max Charging 200A, Max PV Array 11,000W, UL1741 ETL. LiFePO4 Battery: 51.2V, 100Ah, 5.12kWh, 7000+ cycle life, RS232/RS485/CAN, 10yr warranty. 415W Solar Panels: Monocrystalline, UL61730/TUV/IEC/CEC/CE, 25yr warranty.

Price: TBD

10000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter, 120/240V split phase, MPPT 125-425VDC, 92% efficiency, 200A max charging, 11,000W PV input, UL1741 ETL, 3yr warranty. Battery: SG48100P LiFePO4, 51.2V, 100Ah, 5.12kWh each, 20.48kWh total, 7000+ cycles, UL1973/CE/UN38.3, 10yr warranty. Panels: 12x 450W bifacial N-type mono (5.4kW total), UL61730/CEC, 12yr product + 30yr performance warranty. Parallel up to 6 inverters.

Price: TBD

Reinforced metal truss system with additional supports rated for roof-mounted solar panel installations. Includes 2 additional trusses for load distribution.

Price: TBD

15,000W dual-fuel (gas/propane), 670cc OHV engine, copper windings, electric push-button start. Outlets: 5x 120V GFCI, 1x 120V 30A, 1x 120/240V 30A twist-lock, 1x 120/240V 50A. Transfer-switch compatible. Digital control panel with voltage, frequency, runtime hours, and maintenance intervals.

Price: TBD

9,000 BTU (¾-ton) inverter heat pump, 17 SEER2, Wi-Fi smart control, R32 or R410A refrigerant, 110V. One per bedroom.

Price: TBD

24,000 BTU inverter heat pump, 20+ SEER2, full DC inverter compressor, R32 or R410A refrigerant, 110V.

Price: TBD

Whole-house radiant heating system installed beneath flooring. Even heat distribution, energy efficient, no forced air.

Price: TBD

Ceiling-mounted air circulator (air mover) engineered to push heated or cooled air from the ceiling back down to floor level. Typical configurations run on 115V/60Hz single phase with multiple speeds and air delivery in the ~3,000 CFM range for residential-scale spaces. Remote-control operation.

Price: TBD

Zomagas 24-inch cooktop with two burners (item ZMAG1031), set into the kitchen worktop. Standard in every home.

Price: TBD

InSinkErator Badger 5 continuous-feed garbage disposal: a 1/2 HP Dura-Drive induction motor, galvanized steel grind components and a 26 oz. grind chamber; 11-1/2 in high; 120 V, 6.3 A, on a wall switch; Quick Lock mount; manual-reset overload protection. Factory-installed power cord, plugged into an outlet inside the sink cabinet. 5-year in-home limited warranty. Standard in every home with a kitchen sink.

Price: TBD

Color options: White, Oak, Brown. Compact kitchenette with 2-burner induction stovetop. Includes refrigerator opening (28"W x 64"H x 28"D) and microwave cubby (24"W x 15"H x 18"D). Counter height: 36". Upper cabinets: 30"H x 12"D. Base cabinets: 24"D. Toe kick: 4"H. Fits approximately 90% of standard refrigerators and microwaves without modifications.

Price: TBD

GE 14.6 kW electric tankless water heater (GE15SNHPDG): heats water on demand, with no tank. 240 V on a single dedicated circuit (61 A, 4 AWG copper). Up to 2.9 gallons per minute with 72°F incoming water and a 105°F outlet, GE's rating for warm climates (about two faucets and one shower at once); colder incoming water gives less flow. Temperature adjustable from 100°F to 140°F. 14.2 x 8.5 x 2.4 in. 5-year limited warranty. Standard in every home.

Price: TBD

Factory-assembled modular shower unit for Assembly Homes. Pre-plumbed, ready for connection.

Price: TBD

Electrolux 24-inch compact laundry: the ELFW4222AW front-load washer (2.4 cu ft) and the ELFE4222AW ventless condensation dryer (4.0 cu ft), stacked on the STACKIT24A kit. Each is 23-5/8 in wide and 33-1/2 in high; the washer is 25 in deep, the dryer 24 in; stacked, 68-1/2 in high. The washer runs on 120 V (its own 15 A circuit); the dryer on 240 V (its own 30 A circuit, a NEMA 14-30 receptacle, fitted with a 4-wire cord). No dryer vent: the dryer condenses the moisture and pumps it to the washer's drain. Keep the door open while the dryer runs if it stands in a closet. The stack stands against the bathroom's hall wall, beside the bathroom door, on the 20×30, the 20×40 and the 20×20 one-bedroom (and each Duplex one-bedroom unit); on the 20×20 two-bedroom, the 20×20 one-bedroom with its sitting area or a right rear door, and each Duplex two-bedroom unit it stands in the kitchen's rear corner (side by side under the corner worktop when the back-corner cabinets are ordered). Every home is built with the hookups ready: hot and cold taps with a drain, and the 240 V receptacle.

Price: $2,849

Upgraded bathroom vanity with modern fixtures and storage. Multiple style options available.

Price: TBD

Standard metal roof truss system for expandable homes. Provides structural support for standing seam metal roofing.

Price: TBD

Covered patio extension for expanded outdoor living space. Matches home exterior finish.

Price: TBD

Extended deck platform for additional outdoor space. Durable composite construction.

Price: TBD

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Secure your home with a fully refundable $500 deposit. We'll contact you within 24 hours to finalize your configuration.

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