Millennials Have The Possibility To Live In Pods In Their Parents' Yards

Sep 09, 2020

The housing market has not always been easy to maneuver for millennials. With economic difficulties, high housing prices, and piling debt, many millennials are choosing to live with their parents to save money. However, this can sometimes be less than ideal for both the parents and their adult children.

Jag Virdie from the UK created the 'Conker' for those who want to save money and space, while still maintaining independence from parents. These living pods could be a great alternative for millennials looking for separation and a new home in their parents' backyard.

Millennials are finding it harder to move out of their parents’ houses as the price of property in the UK increases every day. University graduates and low-income earners do not have enough resources to afford a house. Some cannot even afford rent. To solve the problem, Jag Virdie, a former engineer with Rolls Royce, invented a living pod.

The idea behind the pod, which Jag named Conker, is to provide affordable housing to low-income earners looking for a simple living space. Jag told Cheshire Life, one needs to make the best of what exists and design what doesn’t exist. It was his innovative mind and the hassle he has seen millennials go through that led him to create Conker, the living pod.

The Conker is not a space where you could hold a party as it is a small 3.9m diameter sphere. Its floor is 10 square meters. Virdie used all local materials in the UK to make the house as affordable and as green as possible, reports Cheshire Life. Despite its small size, the engineering that goes into the design ensures that users will have a practical space to live before buying a home.

Virdie designed the home to offer a great heat retention system to feel comfortable in all weather conditions. Some of the main features include a floor venting system, siding vents with air filters, heat recovery systems, locking systems, power sockets, and USB sockets. These features make it ideal for different applications as you can use it as a small office or a living space. Again, the unit has no impact on the ground it is installed in, as it only has four minimal anchor points.

The soccer ball shape allows rainwater to drip off without affecting the drainage system of the area it is installed in. Virdie developed a heat exchange pump to facilitate the free flow of air that keeps the users comfortable at all times. Installing the pod only takes a day and, as Virdie notes, the pod comes to change the way buildings are designed and constructed.

Inside, the user can customize the pod as they please. It comes with a bathroom and a kitchenette, but some options lack a bathroom. If you need more room, you can connect the pods to get extra space. Anyone can use the Conker, but young people after college and millennials who need privacy away from their parents’ houses will find the pod more practical.

The official Conker website notes that the pod is designed with the user in mind. It brings the automotive and aerospace technology to the housing industry. The combination of technologies and the collaboration with Keele University has furthered the efficiency of the design to make it more comfortable.

Virdie brings his design knowledge from Rolls Royce to the pod. The former Rolls Royce Bentley designer left corporate employment to start his own freelance design business. He then designed the pod as a treehouse for his kids, and he realized that the treehouse could turn into a better house for people looking for an affordable home. In 2015, he designed the first Conker with the idea of making it beautiful, aerodynamic, and versatile.

According to Virdie, the Conker is only the beginning as they are looking to make bigger living pods to meet other applications. His next project will be creating a larger home with three bedrooms and other household amenities. He is looking to personalize the houses to make them feel like full homes.

The pod, which goes for $24,000, can be bought online. Those interested only need to register, set their location, and then customize their Conker. It doesn’t have to be a living space – you can make it an office, a lab, or a play area for kids.

What do you think about these pods? Would you have your kids live in your back yard? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along to anyone who might be interested in this topic!