Our Story
Read on to learn about the origin and inspiration behind SnapHouse.
SnapHouse founder and inventor Michael Kuhn can’t remember exactly when he first fell in love with architecture and home design, but he knows he was very young because there were LINCOLN LOGS®, LEGO®'s and some other products that no longer exist involved. That obsession and curiosity carried over into early adulthood where he loved poring over the home design magazines, and every detail of every floor plan and rendering inside, that his mother subscribed to.
It didn’t end there.
Inventor Michael Kuhn
See here with a study model created with balsa wood and later carved into shapes that evolved into the system's 28 unique components.
Followed by an education and career in Building Construction and Real Estate Development, he found himself often wanting to build scale models of floor plans he created at home as a hobbyist. After some not so successful forays into model building with foam board, cardboard, balsa wood, basswood, and any other material that seemed to make sense at the time, he yearned for a simpler and more practical method for enthusiasts like himself to build custom scale models.
And might other model-building enthusiasts wish for the same?
Lots of tinkering...
Early prototype shapes created with basswood.
And even better would be a tool that allowed you to design AS you build. A modular and reusable system of parts that could easily be snapped together and taken apart, making it possible to build and re-build unlimited designs in a variety of forms. Without the hassle and expertise required to craft models from raw materials.
So began the years-long journey to create SnapHouse and turn the concept into a reality.
More prototyping...
Ranch House test model built with Rapid Prototype plastic parts.
At the heart of the final product that resulted from years of tinkering is our mission to EMPOWER THE INNER ARCHITECT in architecture and home design enthusiasts and hobbyists. Say goodbye to foam board, balsa wood and glue (and waste!), and say hello to a modular and reusable system created expressly to empower you to explore your creative architectural visions to the fullest, in three physical dimensions.
Machines behind the scenes
Some of the machines seen producing the final parts at our 3D Printing Farm in Boise, Idaho where SnapHouse kits are manufactured and assembled.
HAPPY SNAPPING!
Whether you’re a Modernist, Minimalist or Maximalist, we hope you find yourself at home with SnapHouse.
