Updated: August 5, 2022

Jarett Gross, an enthusiastic YouTuber who travels the world covering the latest in construction technology and 3DCP (3D Concrete Printing), claimed in a video released January 26, 2022 that Elon Musk does in fact have a $50K Boxabl Casita tiny house. On a recent trip to Boca Chica, Gross discovered and photographed a “Casita-looking” structure similar to that sold by Boxabl, in the backyard of a house owned by Musk.

UPDATE: August 5, 2022

Jarett Gross’s original claim stands as factually correct. Elon Musk finally publicly admitted that he indeed owns a Boxabl Casita-like prototype in Boca Chica, Texas. Musk confirmed this on August 4, 2022 during a lengthy podcast interview (over 3 hours long) with Full Send, that covered a wide range of topics. Musk clarified that he uses the Boxabl home as a guest house for visitors, which is located behind his main home as reported by Gross back in January 2022. The Boxabl-related discussion begins at the 41:35 minute mark of the interview.

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PREVIOUS UPDATE: June 2, 2022
Here’s a screenshot of a follow-up comment made on YouTube by Jarrett in early May 2022, that rescinded his claim that Musk was indeed living in a Boxabl Casita tiny house.

Jarett Gross Comment on YouTube Denying that Musk lives in a Boxabl Casita Tiny House in Boca Chica

Comment made by Jarett Gross on his Elon Musk-Boxabl YouTube video in early May 2022.

Table of Contents

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The Mysterious Relationship Between Elon Musk and Boxabl

If you have not been keeping up with the rumors since June 2021 surrounding whether or not Musk has been living in a $50K Boxabl Casita tiny house near the SpaceX facility in southeast Texas, here’s a link to an Autoevolution article that can quickly get you up to speed.

Both Musk and Boxabl had recently denied that Musk had purchased a Boxabl unit. Up until that point, this was largely viewed as a poorly kept secret, given that Musk had publicly stated he had purchased a $50K tiny house to live in Boca Chica. Additionally, a Boxabl executive had appeared in a video in November 2020 inside a Casita model with an image of wall art blurred, presumably a poster containing the brand name SpaceX. It was also mentioned in this video that Boxabl had installed a Casita in Boca Chica for a “top secret customer”.

Regardless of what the true relationship has been between Musk, SpaceX and Boxabl, the fact that Musk previously tweeted that he thought Boxabl is a “cool product” may be all that matters for prospective investors and customers.

Here is the photo of the mysterious “Casita-looking” structure Gross recently photographed near the Boca Chica home of Elon Musk:

Elon Musk Boxabl Casita-Looking Tiny House Boca Chica Texas Photo by Jarett Gross

Photo courtesy of Jarett Gross.

UPDATE: August 5, 2022

It is our opinion that the likely reason that Musk and Boxabl refrained so long from publicly confirming that Musk owned a Casita-proptype was due to legal restrictions pertaining to some kind of a confidentiality agreement between the two parties.

 

Jarett Gross’s Video Tour of Boxabl’s Manufacturing and Assembly Process

With that news out of the way, we strongly recommend watching Jarett’s video tour, as his guide, Yani Tassev, gives a true “behind the scenes” look and update of what it is like working for an innovative company like Boxabl. The tour begins at the 1:32 minute mark of the video.

How to Build a $50,000 Boxabl House | Boxabl in Elon Musks Backyard PROOF

How to Build a $50,000 Boxabl House | Boxabl in Elon Musks Backyard PROOF

Video courtesy of Jarett Gross.

Tassev and Gross take viewers on an insightful step-by-step tour of Boxabl’s current manufacturing and assembly process. Tassev is a member of Boxabl’s Business Intelligence team and according to his LinkedIn profile, he is focused on improving rapid scaling with the ultimate goal of providing exponential growth.

He underscores this focus throughout his walkthrough as he openly shares how the company is continually learning and adjusting to improve their overall throughput.

Boxabl’s manurfacturing steps are clearly marked out with massive signs hanging from the rafters above each section of their 170,000 square foot facility:

  1. Staging
  2. Lamination
  3. Paint
  4. Power
  5. Assembly
  6. Finishing

 

Highlights & Insights from the Boxabl Video Tour

Here are the many highlights and insights that we noted from the tour that either give an update on their currently throughput capabilities or provide further transparency into their general approach of improving their operations and processes:

  • Boxabl has been slowly adding automation to the process
  • One of the first machines that they added cuts MGO (Magnesium Oxide) boards, which is the replacement for sheetrock used in traditionally built homes
  • Tassev shared that Tesla had admitted that they “over automated” initially in their evolution as a company, which implies Boxabl understands that they have to understand their processes thoroughly before automating them
  • When Boxabl started their facility it took approximately three weeks to complete the first Casita unit
  • The company is currently pacing at between two Casita units per day to eight units every five days
  • Their next production goals are 8 per day, then 10 per day
  • To build more than 10 Casitas per day, they will be need to be in a larger facility, which is already in their plans
  • Boxabl refers to their lamination method as the “Layered Cake” process and that this approach was inspired by how panels are made for RVs – applying enormous pressure to create an “absolutely stiff panel that will not wobble”
  • Boxabl’s approach is all about being versatile – improvising in the short-term when necessary, while funneling lessons learned into new tools and methods for the long-term
  • Key to Boxabl’s entrepreneurial culture is the belief that there are no constraints to what is possible and that employees are allowed to fail when testing new approaches
  • Tassev remarked: “when you’re working on such a grand scale, you really have to think big”
  • The machines currently in place will be able to handle future models that will incorporate longer panels of 40 feet in length
  • Tassev views the Casita model as analogous to the 2×2 Lego brick, which will be the core of all future Boxabl models and installations
  • When Boxabl refers to “affordability” they do not mean compromised quality
  • A significant portion of Boxabl’s IP (Intellectual Property) is in their folding mechanisms – the hinge system that enables units to be folded and easily shipped
  • Nevada and California will be the first two states that will receive commercial Casita units
  • The first 156 Casita units is for the Department of Defense (DOD), which are altered versions of the commercial product
  • The DOD units are being shipped to Jacksonville, Florida and expect to be put into use immediately, though it was not made clear where
  • No plumbing runs inside any of the panels. All of the plumbing is accessible within cabinetry, to provide easy access for repairs
  • Boxabl expects to meet or exceed the building code of up to 90% of all municipalities in the US
  • Boxabl is expecting their residential customers “to go wild” with how they customize the exterior of the Casita – roofing and exterior walls
  • Boxabl aims to be a “rapid housing deployment solution”, which makes getting a federal building code passed an imperative measure

 

Related Resources

 

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