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liseman

352 karma · joined May 10, 2011

http://lukeiseman.com YC Badge: 0x22a9126781f22664856ce197dd2ffa4d2e8d2594
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liseman··on Show HN: I vibecoded a heavy lift drone
opposite blades rotate in same direction; good overview here: https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/connect-escs-and-motors.ht...
liseman··on [dead]
i made this free app to help me hold my breath longer for spearfishing; just hit 5:20 static! feedback welcome.
liseman··on White House is pushing ahead research to cool Earth by reflecting back sunlight
I am actively working on SAI. If you'd like to help, please reach out.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Thanks; great suggestions. 1kW is more than enough to run all of that, with the heater being the only questionable element. In Oakland, we're fine with 1kW to keep ambient in-container temp at 65F year-round.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
+insulation, electrical, window, door, flooring, walls, etc.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Yes: toilet, shower, water heater, kitchen sink.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
This is great; I'll reach out to both of them today. Thanks!
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
I will be absolutely stunned if you can get a tiny home custom-built with a solar system half this size for less than 80k.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Whether parked on the street (my preferred version) or as units in a yard, law is ambiguous in Oakland. If you're in the area, you're welcome to come visit!
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
We live in ours in Oakland. Legality is a complicated topic in our case, but variants will qualify as Accessory Dwelling Units under state-level rules
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Great ideas, thanks! We've been through 4 different attempts at photos, and results are obviously lacking... do any of you have sources you really like for outlet covers, light cases, and other fixture / finish elements?
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
for permanent installs, I really like the idea of containers as side supports to a quonset hut. like this, but with 3-4 containers: http://alarconbohm.com/
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Both, balancing the capex needs for the latter via sales as I scale:)
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
The interior environment gets entirely sealed under closed-cell foam insulation applied directly to the metal, leaving no interior space for condensation on the metal. Literally all surfaces that you're exposed to are things we buy at home improvement stores: bamboo flooring, cabinet-grade plywood, etc. A big part of the 'deluxe' cost is the elaborate solar system: we're able to cook, heat space + water, etc. all off of the solar array + batteries. We're thinking about possibilities for pop-outs in the future.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
We're going to do this selectively: getting the first ADU design fully licensed in a given MSA is going to be important for us. We'll want to see a year+ commitment to justify the cost.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Hi Andrew! Initial focus is the Bay Area, where rents are particularly absurd. Unlike other tiny homes, we can stack these to scale existing locations to meet demand (with some zoning hurdles, of course)
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Yes. Depending on the location and length of time the boxouse will be there, we can do off-grid (tanks monitored and filled/pumped as need, RV-style) or grid-connected (linked to existing house's plumbing)
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
thanks for the feedback. what are the most compelling prefabs you've found that are actually shipping, and how much do they cost?
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
We'll make it clearer on the website, but the 49k version includes a 1.5kw solar array, ~15kwh of battery storage, all water systems, full smart home functionality (ie 'alexa, trigger windows' to go from transparent to opaque), and furnishings down to the utensils. Our 9k barebones model is closer to how most mobile homes I've seen are outfitted (but with better insulation and design in a boxouse); looks like these average over 60k new: http://www.dailyyonder.com/manufactured-housing-sales-bounce... . am i missing something?
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
This was firmly a hobby until a few months ago, at which point I quit my job to focus on boxouse full-time.
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
At thousands of units per month, we're probably off of shipping containers and onto something lighter and cheaper:)
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Here's some photos of work in progress: https://goo.gl/photos/N6jiAo9696QJG6KU8
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Kirsten's visited us a couple of times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfqunEuw61k
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
We use several inches of closed-cell foam insulation interior to the metal. In addition to an r-value of 15+, you're not hearing much outside:)
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
More oriented to multi-unit, permanent builds: https://www.montainerhomes.com/ High-end, semi-stackable: http://kasita.com My favorite ultra-low-cost builder: http://relaxshacks.blogspot.com/ My favorite youtuber for sustainability broadly, with a focus on housing: https://www.youtube.com/user/kirstendirksen
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
IMHO, zoning is is one of the biggest challenges facing anybody who wants to do something interesting in real estate. CA actually is forcing cities to make it easier to build ADUs: http://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/docs/17Jan30-ADU-TA-Me... . Worst case, we put wheels on them and have license plates to avoid having to comply with building regulations;)
liseman··on Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes
Eventually, we'll make tiny homes as affordable as other factory-built products: car prices, if not cheaper.
liseman··on Shipping Containers as Tiny Homes
2k is delivered to my door. Definitely still a surplus, but they're worth something as scrap: prices fluctuate directly with steel's scrap price.
liseman··on Shipping Containers as Tiny Homes
Heather and I build these; happy to answer any questions! -Luke
liseman··on I Am Sam Altman, President of YC Group. AMA
Launch:) Short of this, get your cardboard-box-level prototype into users' hands.

No matter how early and rough, show your product to potential customers and listen to what they say. You'll learn more from an hour doing this than a month of brainstorming with your team about what features you should someday maybe add to make your product compelling.

Over many cycles of sharing many prototypes with customers, you'll figure out what your future users actually want your product to do. This will almost always be way different than your original vision.

And stop worrying about whether you're too early: many of our best startups get rejected before applying again with progress and getting accepted. Pretty much everybody thinks they're too early or late for YC, and they're all wrong;)

(Disclaimer: I work for YC advising hardware startups.)

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