Usonian houses were Wright's attempt to design beautiful, livable homes that were affordable for the average American. To accomplish this goal, he created a new construction system based on repeated units that would fit together to form a whole. He used inexpensive materials such as plywood, brick, and concrete. Wright also made sure that the wood assembly was simple enough for any carpenter to do, thus eliminating the cost of hiring a specialist.

The Hanna house is one of the better known Usonian homes. Its floor plan is based on a unit system of hexagons instead of squares or rectangles. The use of wider angles opens up the floor plan in a unique way and makes for a more interesting arrangement of space than the conventional square unit system. The walls are easy to assemble and take apart, so the interior spaces can be rearranged depending on the needs of the family that lives there. For example, when the children of the Hannas had grown up and moved away, the children's bedrooms were remodeled into a single master bedroom, and an area that was originally divided into an office, master bedroom, and closet space was converted to a library.