An Urban Nest: A Kansas City Prefab Home

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Set upon a hill in Kansas City’s historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood, this modern home makes nice with its more traditional neighbors. Diane Guthrie

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Leah Farley and her husband, Kenny Dickens, live in a sleek rectangular box atop a hill in Kansas City, Kansas. Come Christmas, she says, “We’re thinking of trying to configure some kind of giant ribbon to make it look like a wrapped present.”

A gift it is, in many ways.

Designed by architecture students from the University of Kansas (KU) Studio 804 program, which focuses on sustainable and affordable design, this two-bedroom, one-bath home suggests a stylish future for entry-level housing. Perched on stilts, with a panoramic view of the downtown skyline, it’s affordable, edgy and green. “I was thrilled to find something so unique, especially in Kansas City, where you see a lot of great older architecture but not many contemporary houses,” Leah says.

Because the KU program focuses on encouraging redevelopment in economically challenged neighborhoods, Leah knew the home would be reasonably priced. “They want working folks to be able to afford to live in an amazing house,” she says.

Daring design, flexible space

Leah and Kenny’s home was built in six modular units in nearby Lawrence, Kansas, where the Studio 804 program is based, then trucked 40 miles to Kansas City and assembled. Indoors and out, it blends bold design with subtle detail. From the street, concrete stairs sweep up a steep hill to a home that barely touches the ground. Set on exposed concrete piers, this house tiptoes on the earth. River rock nestled below the structure provides both drainage and counterpoint—a natural touch of warmth.

Expansive windows dominate the south and east sides, taking advantage of energy-efficient passive solar design. A recessed deck serves as a contemporary front porch, shields the interior from glare and adds a layer of privacy. Sustainably forested Douglas fir cladding, which will gray naturally as it ages, wraps the home horizontally, softening the look. Large square platforms, accompanied by a glass-and-metal rail, carry visitors from lawn to kitchen door.

Inside, the design offers open, flexible space. The front rooms are open and flow into one another while the back bedrooms are closed off for privacy. The bathroom, kitchen and mechanical equipment, such as the furnace and water heater, are grouped in the center. The space is small and manageable, with an emphasis on detail and craftsmanship.

The floor-to-ceiling windows are among Leah and Kenny’s favorite features in the house. These glazed windows, with recycled-content aluminum framing, provide insulation and natural illumination without glare. As the sun filters through trees on the east, Leah likes how dappled shading blurs boundaries between nature’s softer elements and the home’s modern design. Insulated, double-layer shades ensure thermal comfort in the colder months.