It's the house of the future, brought low by the problems of the past.
Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich., and DTE, the Detroit-area power company, spent $900,000 to build a solar-powered demonstration house that wouldn't need electric or gas hookups.
But seven months after the Troy, Mich., facility was unveiled, the Detroit News reports, it remains closed to the public and will be for the foreseeable future.
Despite the modern energy efficiencies built into the equally modern-looking edifice, someone forgot to keep the water pipes heated over the winter. They froze and burst, causing thousands of dollars in damage to the hardwood floors.
"It's not safe right now, and there's no estimated opening time because it depends on when we can get funding," the city of Troy's Parks and Recreation Department told the newspaper.
• Click here to read the rest of this story in the Detroit News.
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