While Wright had a vision for affordable, modular housing, there’s a reason why only seven of these houses exist: they were expensive and difficult to build. It seemed to be almost impossible to create one of these homes with just a few people, and additional workers were needed.
This house took four years to build — a very long time for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,310-square foot house. According to Theodore’s obituary, he and his wife labored “evenings, vacations and weekends” and spent four times the house’s original, sub-$20,000 budget. If the house cost $80,000 by its completion 1964, that would equal over $660,000 in 2019.
When the Pappas expressed concern about the money, Wright told them, “Don’t worry about the money. It will come. It will come. It always does,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Wright may not have been as in-touch with the common folk as he believed.
As the family grew, the Pappas enlisted the help of the Taliesin Associated Architects to create an additional bedroom and family room.