Shanty
Base Construction Cost:
$150
Upkeep:
None
Additional Costs:
None
Work Modes:
None
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
None
A Shanty provides low-quality housing for a single family. Shanties don’t require upkeep, but they never provide rent. These inexpensive dwellings offer only minor improvements over the shacks homeless citizens construct for themselves.
Shanties can be very useful in the early stages of a mission, but consider replacing these structures with more efficient housing as your economy expands. Be sure not to build too many of them, as destroying them to be replaced with better structures can take some time.
Tenement
Base Construction Cost:
$4,000
Upkeep:
$13
Additional Costs:
Upgrades require a connection to the Electrical grid.
Work Modes:
Normal Maintenance (standard upkeep); Roach Patrol (50 percent upkeep, Housing Quality lowered by 30 percent)
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
Climate Control ($1,000, 2MW) improves Housing Quality by 15
A Tenement provides low-quality housing for up to 12 families. Tenements can breed crime, and residents will remain generally unhappy with their accommodations.
The Climate Control upgrade provides a small boost to Housing Quality, but consider demolishing Tenements when you can afford a better class of housing.
One way to get better mileage out of Tenements is to place a Fire Station close by. The local presence of firemen improves Housing Quality of any nearby housing structure.
Bunkhouse
Base Construction Cost:
$500
Upkeep:
$1
Additional Costs:
None
Work Modes:
Normal Maintenance (standard upkeep; Roach Patrol (50 percent upkeep, Housing Quality lowered by 30 percent)
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
None
A Bunkhouse provides low-quality housing for up to three families. Bunkhouses offer very few comforts, but they can be quite useful near distant production facilities.
Bunkhouses are very affordable, but consider constructing higher quality housing when you can afford it.
Apartment Block
Base Construction Cost:
$5,000
Upkeep:
$16
Additional Costs:
Blueprint ($2,000)
Work Modes: Normal Maintenance (standard upkeep); Roach Patrol (50 percent upkeep, Housing Quality lowered by 30 percent)
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
Climate Control ($1,000, 2MW) improves Housing Quality by 15
The Apartment Block provides comfortable housing for up to six families. The comforts provided by an Apartment Block are enough to keep most citizens happy, making this one of the most efficient residential buildings available.
Once you’ve established an Electrical grid, you can upgrade existing Apartment Blocks to further improve the Housing Quality of its residents.
Country House
Base Construction Cost:
$1,000
Upkeep:
$2
Additional Costs:
None
Work Modes:
None
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
None
The Country House provides moderate comforts to up to two families. Country Houses may not thrill your citizens, but their low construction costs and upkeep make them excellent options for low-income workers in remote locations.
However, for double the initial cost, you can build Houses that provide a significantly higher standard of living.
Condominium
Base Construction Cost:
$6,000
Upkeep:
$15
Additional Costs:
Blueprint ($4,000), Electricity (6MW)
Work Modes:
Normal Maintenance (standard upkeep); Roach Patrol (50 percent upkeep, Housing Quality lowered by 30 percent)
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
None
The Condominium provides high-quality housing for up to 4 families. The initial blueprint and construction investment is offset by a relatively low upkeep.
The Condominium must be connected to your Electrical grid, but its relatively low upkeep makes this building a good investment when you need to boost your population’s Housing Quality.
House
Base Construction Cost:
$2,000
Upkeep:
$6
Additional Costs:
None
Work Modes:
None
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
None
The House provides comfortable accommodations for up to two families. Your citizens prefer Houses to Apartment Blocks, but their occupancy limits may render them impractical for urban areas.
Since Houses have no Electricity requirements, these residential buildings can be used to offer high Housing Quality to less developed areas of your island.
If you do build houses early on any map, your citizens may not be able to afford the rent, so adjust it accordingly.
Mansion
Base Construction Cost:
$4,000
Upkeep:
$12
Additional Costs:
Blueprint ($3,000), Electricity (4MW)
Work Modes:
None
Worker Requirements:
None
Maximum Workers:
None
Available Upgrades:
None
The Mansion provides lavish accommodations for up to two families. Between blueprint, construction, and Electricity costs, Mansions should only be built after your economy has developed significantly.
After you have a number of well-paid professionals, consider providing a few Mansions to boost your population’s Housing Quality.
Generally, unless it is requested for a Task, there is little pressing need to build a Mansion to satisfy the population, but if wages are high they do make good, if not expensive replacement to Houses.