Inspired by his experimental design work in the late 1960s as an undergraduate at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Michael Jantzen decided to re-examine the potential use of certain readily available agricultural building components in the creation of alternative housing systems.

The Homestead House is a conceptual design for alternative housing that explores the potential use of a commercially available steel, prefabricated, modular, high strength, low cost, arch building system normally used for agricultural purposes.