The world of prefab and modular homes.
  March 2007
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Custom homes with prefab bones

Link to Custom homes with prefab bones
www.sander-architects.com

info_smallSander Architect's info_smallHybrid House is more philosophy than product. Coming to CA Boom 4 with what they call "part prefab, all customâ„¢", Sander Architects designs custom homes using prefab techniques and products. Every Hybrid House comes with a prefab structural steel frame; some incorporate prefab wall and roof panels.

Catherine Hollis, wife of principal Whitney Sander, told me that Sander Architects thinks of architecture "as an artform." They use prefab elements to extend clients' budgets, but they see a rigid 100% prefab approach as limiting. Installation of finishes and fixtures takes place on site using traditional construction methods, and therefore with the traditional construction timeline.

Sander Architects has five Hybrid House homes under construction, ranging in size from 3,000 sf to a monstrous 8,000 sf home. Proving the benefits of their "part prefab, all custom" process, a 3,000sf home being built in Culver City, CA should come in at about $150/sf, much lower than some of the 100% prefab outfits at CA Boom.

style: modern
price: from $150/sf
size: custom
br: custom
how: prefab steel frame, some other prefab elements
timeline: similar to site-built

Related Posts:
   1. The LA Times on Sander Architects and steel framing  (Jun 27, 2008)
   2. Prefab Zone at CA Boom 4 (Mar 26, 2007)
0 comments, 0 trackbacks (URL) , 

Take a portable swell house home

Link to Take a portable swell house home
www.designmobile.com

Jennifer Siegal's info_smallOffice of Mobile Design (OMD) comes to CA Boom with three distinct home lines.

The info_smallPortable House is a line of homes that can best be described as stylish, updated mobile homes. They are built in the factory and shipped complete (with wheels) to your site. Most models betray that fact, with fairly simple linear or stacked forms as a result.

The flexibility of the info_smallSwellhouse line lends itself to a more varied product. SIPs clad a "signature" S-shaped framing system. The Ecology Sun System (ECOSS) glass panels afford large expanses of uninterrupted glass. Like the portable house, swell houses are custom designed and no standard models are offered.

In the info_smallTake Home, OMD offers four standard configurations: 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom versions. The 1 bedroom is a single 14' x 60' linear module, with a roof sloping in toward the center. The 2,880 sf 4 bedroom is basically double width and double height, coming to 24' x 60'. All models cost about $240/sf and are shipped complete to your site.

One gripe: good luck finding the above information on their website. It's all done in Flash -- with no HTML version and it barely works. Sometimes a click leads somewhere, sometimes not. Details are nearly impossible to find, e.g. 36 lines of text that must be viewed 6 lines at a time.

style: modern
price: $200,000 - $691,200
size: 840sf - 2,880sf for the standard models
br: 1 - 4 bedrooms
how: complete modules or SIP
timeline: unknown

Related Posts:
   1. OMD's Swellhouse in the LA Times (Nov 20, 2007)
   2. OMD update (May 29, 2007)
   3. This week: prefab school, CA prefab and SIPs (May 26, 2007)
   4. Prefab Zone at CA Boom 4 (Mar 26, 2007)
0 comments, 0 trackbacks (URL) , 

Sexy Prefab

Link to Sexy Prefab
www.marmolradzinerprefab.com

The sprawling prefab prototype that info_smallMarmol Radziner built in the California desert shows the design potential of modernist prefab. It is the sexy rock star of the modernist prefab movement and has been getting its share of attention.

That prototype provided the basis for the info_smallfive models they offer on their website. A simple 1 bedroom, 660 sf model costs $212k, while a 2,650 sf model with 3 bedrooms runs $781k. All models feature floor-to-ceiling windows, a tube steel structure, SIP walls, flat roofs, and wood or metal siding.

Houses are constructed at Marmol Radziner's factory in Vernon, California. Work completed at the factory includes electrical and mechanical systems, cabinets, and all finishes. Standard amenities include Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances, Hansgrohe and Kohler plumbing fixtures, teak or walnut cabinets, and CaesarStone countertops. One would be hard-pressed to find higher quality fixtures in a prefab house.

The models boast several green features: solar panels, tankless water heaters, ample overhangs on windows, and a recycled steel structure. Check out their website to see a full list of amenities and visit their configurator to see how different options affect the price.

The expanses of glass in the desert prototype show that these models do well in open spaces. However, the long list of custom prefabs that are currently in process shows that Marmol Radziner is up for tackling any site.

style: modern
price: $212,000 - $781,000
size: 660sf - 2,650sf for the standard models
br: 1 - 3 bedrooms
how: complete modules delivered to site
timeline: unknown

Related Posts:
   1. Videos: Marmol Radziner and SG Blocks (Dec 24, 2007)
   2. New York Post on modular (Oct 19, 2007)
   3. Marmol Radziner videos (Aug 17, 2007)
   4. This week: Marmol Radziner, prefab love, and Sundance (Aug 11, 2007)
   5. Some Assembly Required at LAMOCA (May 03, 2007)
   6. Prefab Zone at CA Boom 4 (Mar 26, 2007)
0 comments, 0 trackbacks (URL) , 
Our aim is to create the web's #1 resource for prefab and modular homes. Read our blog for daily news, and browse around to learn more about the emerging world of prefab.