Texas Modern House Doesn't Need Paint, Shingles Or Electricity

Jimmy Tanghongs doesn't want his homebuyers to ever have to paint their houses, fix the roofs or pay an electric bill.The independent builder is putting the finishing touches on a Frisco prototype home that promises to be virtually maintenance-free.Plus, it will make its own electricity.Tanghongs hopes the house will be a hit with consumers."This is a worry-free home," said Tanghongs, an engineer who migrated into the real estate business. "It has a nearly 100 percent masonry exterior — there's very little wood."The metal roof is 60 percent lighter than asphalt shingles and lasts 75 years."Built out of limestone blocks in a "Texas modern" style, the four-bedroom, 3.5-bath house has about 3,600 square feet.It's in a neighborhood of traditional brick houses just south of U.S. Highway 380."No one is building modern homes like this," said Tanghongs, who plans to launch a line of the houses. "There is no other homebuilder out there that builds a maintenance-free, energy-free house in this style."  Continue reading...