The world of prefab and modular homes.
  August 2009 Archive

In the news: New World Home

Link to In the news: New World Home
None

info_smallNew World Home was recently featured on Eyewitness News 9 (WNCT-TV) in North Carolina as part of their "Make it Green" series.

Watch the video. (0:50)

Related Posts:
   1. New Old Green Modular™ by New World Home (Jul 10, 2009)
   2. The sustainability of modular housing (Feb 17, 2009)
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Slice House by Studio ST Architects

Link to Slice House by Studio ST Architects
http://www.studio-st.com/project_slice.asp

This house made with SIPs was created as a model for "sustainable, affordable housing" in Atlanta, GA.

size: 1,400 sf

From their model page (emphasis added):

Above the concrete base, the house is constructed of Structural Insulated Panels (SIP). These panels are pre-cut and pre-wired to match builder specifications and include the interior GWB finish wall, allowing the house to be constructed by three people in two days, generating significant savings in construction time and cost.

The SIPs are attached to one another and do not require additional stick framing. The structure acts as a shell, is typically 30% stronger than a comparable wood stud home, and allows greater design flexibility.

The budget for the project: $160,000.

Hat tip: "+ MOOD" on August 7, 2009.

Related Posts:
   1. So, what are SIPs anyway? (Mar 27, 2007)
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ZETA Communities video

Link to ZETA Communities video
None

While researching last week's post, we found this video (3:54) of the info_smallZETA Communities V1 install.

Related Posts:
   1. In the news: Arizona prefabs (Sep 08, 2009)
   2. Quoted: Marc Porat of ZETA Communities (Aug 20, 2009)
   3. ZETA Communities in CA (Jul 13, 2009)
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Pictures of weeHouse settings in Colorado and New York

Link to Pictures of weeHouse settings in Colorado and New York
http://alchemyarch.blogspot.com

info_smallAlchemy Architects recently posted links to pictures of their 19th and 20th info_smallweeHouse prefabs being set.

There are 32 pictures of each house:

Related Posts:
   1. weeHouse in Continental Airlines magazine (Jun 16, 2009)
   2. New weeHouse set in Oregon (Mar 03, 2009)
   3. Pictures of the Johnson Creek weeHouse (Dec 22, 2008)
   4. New weeHouse website (Dec 21, 2007)
   5. Itsy Bitsy weeHouse (Mar 26, 2007)
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Fall factory tours at Preferred Building Systems in Claremont, NH

Link to Fall factory tours at Preferred Building Systems in Claremont, NH
None

info_smallPreferred Building Systems in Claremont, NH is offering tours of their factory this fall.

where: Claremont, NH
location: 143 Twistback Road
date: September 12, 2009; October 10, 2009; October 31, 2009
time: 10:00am - 1:00pm
cost: free
notes: RSVP

According to their site:

Preferred Building Systems is the manufacturer of affordable modular homes and luxury customized modular mansions, as well as multi-family homes and apartment units. Our systems built components include modular, panelized and prefabricated modules.

They currently deliver to: NH, VT, ME, MA, CT and RI.

Worth a look:

Related Posts:
   1. Epoch Homes factory tours this weekend in NH (May 15, 2009)
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itHouse exhibit display by Taalman Koch Architecture

Link to itHouse exhibit display by Taalman Koch Architecture
Taalman Koch Architecture

Jetson Green recently covered a prefab display for the Palm Pre made from an info_smalliT House.

The 240 square-foot exhibit had to be built in twelve hours or less, and Taalman Koch was able to get that done using a stripped down version of the itHouse.

Designer info_smallTaalman Koch Architecture has a flickr page with 47 more pictures of the exhibit.

Related Posts:
   1. Three Junipers iT house development (Nov 07, 2008)
   2. The iT House does some soul-searching (Apr 06, 2007)
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In the news: AriaDenver

Link to In the news: AriaDenver
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

The Denver Post recently covered the Aria Denver project.

In addition to the new homes for the nuns, the company is developing about 17 acres it's buying from the sisters. The first phase of the project, which ultimately will include 270 residences, is expected to start construction by the end of the year.

...

They'll be priced from $250,000 to $500,000 and range in size from 960 square feet to 1,600 square feet.

Author: Margaret Jackson
Publication: The Denver Post
Section: Business
Length: 391 words
Date: August 13, 2009

Related Posts:
   1. AriaDenver Forum with Michelle Kaufmann on August 13, 2009 (Aug 07, 2009)
   2. AriaDenver pictures from Michelle Kaufmann: modules en route (Jul 31, 2009)
   3. AriaDenver pictures from Michelle Kaufmann (Jul 03, 2009)
   4. MKD multifamily in Denver (Apr 08, 2009)
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Quoted: Marc Porat of ZETA Communities

Link to Quoted: Marc Porat of ZETA Communities
None

An article in the July/August 2009 issue of The Atlantic mentions efficiency improvements in housing as a way to ease our reliance on carbon.

The problem:

slightly more than half of the energy consumed in the United States goes to buildings: 12 percent for constructing them, and 39 percent for heating, cooling, and lighting them

According to Marc Porat, "a serial entrepreneur in the 'built environment' sector" and Chairman of info_smallZETA Communities:

“The easiest, fastest, most effective way to reduce energy demand is to hit buildings”

Porat’s Serious Materials makes high-efficiency windows and low-energy drywall; CalStar Cement uses fly ash to make low-carbon bricks and cement; Zeta Communities puts up town houses with minimal carbon footprints.

Author: Joshua Green
Publication: The Atlantic
Section: Ideas: Energy & Environment
Length: 6,576 words
Date: July/August 2009

(From ZETA's site: "ZETA's core business is factory-built production of residential and non-residential structures.")

Related Posts:
   1. In the news: Arizona prefabs (Sep 08, 2009)
   2. ZETA Communities video (Aug 27, 2009)
   3. ZETA Communities in CA (Jul 13, 2009)
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Steve Glenn of LivingHomes speaking August 28, 2009 in Portland, OR

info_smallLivingHomes founder and CEO Steve Glenn posted that he will be leading a brown bag lunch talk at AIA's office in Portland, OR.

You’ll see what we do at LivingHomes to dramatically reduce our homes’ impact on water, air, material resources and power.

speaker: Steve Glenn
where: Portland, OR
location: AIA Offices, 403 NW 11th Avenue
date: August 28, 2009
time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
cost: Free
notes: "bring your own lunch...come early; seating is limited to the first 50!"

Related Posts:
   1. Steve Glenn of LivingHomes speaking September 16, 2009 in Seattle (Sep 11, 2009)
   2. New LivingHomes video and photos (Aug 03, 2009)
   3. Video tour of the first LivingHome (Jul 21, 2009)
   4. Ray Kappe multifamily by LivingHomes (Jul 09, 2009)
   5. KieranTimberlake LivingHomes (Jun 24, 2009)
   6. Steve Glenn of LivingHomes speaking tomorrow in Long Beach, CA (Mar 17, 2008)
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In the news: modular home built by students in Missouri

Link to In the news: modular home built by students in Missouri
None

In July, The Neosho Daily News in Missouri featured a modular house put together by students in building trades classes at Crowder College.

[The] house was built modular style so it can be moved easily.

The only details we could find:

br: 2
bath: 1.5
available: yes

Interesting to note:

They held an open house and accepted "bids for the house with the winning bid subject to approval by the board of trustees."

Author: Amye Buckley
Publication: Neosho Daily News
Section: Home
Length: 598 words
Date: July 17, 2009

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Postgreen Homes in Philadelphia

Link to Postgreen Homes in Philadelphia
None

info_smallPostgreen Homes is "a real estate development firm specializing in modern, green and affordable buildings in Philadelphia’s urban neighborhoods."

According to their site:

projects include single and multi-family residential units as well as mixed-use and commercial buildings for both purchase and lease

Their first project was a loft townhouse built with SIPs.

model: info_small100k House
developer: info_smallPostgreen Homes
size: 1,150 sf
br: 2
bath: 1
available: yes

From the 100k House Project Summary page:

It was conceived as an attempt to prove that green construction can be affordable if properly designed and executed. The project name came from the target construction cost (labor and materials only) for the smaller of the two homes.

Interesting to note: The 2 unit building (includes the 100k House and the 120k House) has a projected sales price of $200,000 - $250,000.

Worth a look:

Related Posts:
   1. The Skinny Project by Postgreen Homes (Sep 01, 2009)
   2. So, what are SIPs anyway? (Mar 27, 2007)
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Podcast features Marmol Radziner and Blu Homes

Link to Podcast features Marmol Radziner and Blu Homes
http://www.bluhomes.com/

The Marketplace Morning Report from American Public Media recently discussed the future of green prefab.

Featured: info_smallMarmol Radziner and info_smallBlu Homes.

According to co-founder of Blu Homes, Maura McCarthy:

the recession isn't killing prefab, it's finally making it cost competitive

Listen to the podcast (2:31).

Related Posts:
   1. In the news: Blu Homes acquires rights to Michelle Kaufmann's designs (Sep 30, 2009)
   2. Hollywood Hybrid by Marmol Radziner Prefab (Jul 11, 2009)
   3. The Skyline Series by Marmol Radziner Prefab (Jul 02, 2009)
   4. The RINCON 5 from Marmol Radziner (Jan 13, 2009)
   5. Blu Homes (Oct 28, 2008)
   6. Marmol Radziner videos (Aug 17, 2007)
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Lost River Modern by Resolution 4

Link to Lost River Modern by Resolution 4
Chris Mueller @ Dwell

The February 2009 issue of Dwell Magazine featured a modular home in Lost River, Virginia.

manufacturer: info_smallSimplex Homes
size: 1,900 sf
br: 3
bath: 2

Worth a look: slideshow of 7 pictures.

Note: The house was built in 2007 - 2008. The owners tracked the entire process via their blog: A PreFab Project. Check out our related posts for more information.

Subtitle: A “tree house” of clean lines, ample glass, and thoughtful ingenuity lets a Washington, DC–area family and a stream of weekend guests enjoy prefab living in an unlikely locale: just outside Lost River, West Virginia.
Author: Jeremy Berlin
Publication: Dwell Magazine
Section: My House
Length: 816 words
Date: February 2009

Hat tip: Apartment Therapy on August 7, 2009.

Related Posts:
   1. A Prefab Project: the house and blog are done (Sep 03, 2008)
   2. A Prefab Project you can rent (Jul 10, 2008)
   3. A Prefab Project budget (Aug 20, 2007)
   4. Learn from a Prefab Project (Jul 23, 2007)
   5. A Prefab Project delivery and set! (Jul 05, 2007)
   6. A Prefab Project (Jun 06, 2007)
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In the news: Copeland Casati's Green Modern Kit House

Link to In the news: Copeland Casati's Green Modern Kit House
http://www.greenmodernkits.com/

The info_smallcasa ti prototype by info_smallGreen Modern Kits has been covered in the news recently, according to a post by Copeland Casati:

  • NBC12 in Richmond, Virginia on August 4, 2009 includes a video (2:03)

  • C-ville Abode in Charlottesville mentions the house in their Green Scene section dated August 4-10, 2009

Related Posts:
   1. Green Modern Kit Open House on September 26, 2009 (Sep 17, 2009)
   2. Green Modern Kits by Copeland Casati (Mar 19, 2009)
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Update: 3-unit modular in Saratoga Springs, NY

Link to Update: 3-unit modular in Saratoga Springs, NY
The Saratogian

A month ago, The Saratogian featured this 3-unit modular home in Saratoga Springs, NY.

According to owner, Helena Frost:

This is totally custom made in the factory...It really helped cut down on the cost, about $40 less per square foot.

Author: Paul Post
Publication: The Saratogian
Section: News
Length: 369 words
Date: July 8, 2009

See our earlier post for more details.

Related Posts:
   1. 3-unit modular in Saratoga Springs, NY (Mar 10, 2009)
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Container house in Upland, California

Link to Container house in Upland, California
http://uplandcontainerhouse.blogspot.com/

This two story house in Upland, California is being constructed out of five recycled shipping containers from info_smallAAA Containers & Equipment Sales.

The owner, Avani Zaidi, has been tracking the entire process via her blog. She has posted quite a bit of information, including a time line (with prices) and architectural diagrams of the house.

Worth a look:

Hat tip: container-life on July 14, 2009.

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AriaDenver Forum with Michelle Kaufmann on August 13, 2009

Link to AriaDenver Forum with Michelle Kaufmann on August 13, 2009
http://blog.michellekaufmann.com/

info_smallMichelle Kaufmann and the developers of AriaDenver will be participating in a forum next week in Denver, Colorado.

According to a recent post on Michelle Kaufmann's blog, they will

discuss sustainable design, building and living as well as modular construction and the Casa Chiara and AriaDenver projects.

speakers: Michelle Kaufmann and AriaDenver developers
where: Denver, CO
date: Thursday, August 13, 2009
time: 7:00 - 8:30pm
notes: Space is limited, contact pat@urbanventuresllc.com for info

Michelle noted:

There will also be a viewing of the [Casa Chiara] modules being set on site earlier that day from noon - 2pm

Related Posts:
   1. In the news: AriaDenver (Aug 21, 2009)
   2. AriaDenver pictures from Michelle Kaufmann: modules en route (Jul 31, 2009)
   3. AriaDenver pictures from Michelle Kaufmann (Jul 03, 2009)
   4. Michelle Kaufmann Designs closing (May 27, 2009)
   5. MKD custom home (Apr 15, 2009)
   6. MKD multifamily in Denver (Apr 08, 2009)
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Solar-powered Refract House by California students

Link to Solar-powered Refract House by California students

The Los Angeles Times recently covered a prefab house being built by students from Santa Clara University and California College of the Arts.

model: Refract House
size: 800 sf

According to a video (5:48) on their site, the house is constructed from 3 modules arranged in a u-shape.

Refract House will be on display this October at the National Mall in Washington, DC as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon.

The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

For more info on the project, see:

Author: Amy Littlefield
Publication: Los Angeles Times
Section: Environment
Length: 281 words
Date: July 29, 2009

Related Posts:
   1. Lumenhaus by Virginia Tech students (Sep 18, 2009)
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NYT: Cinco Camp in Texas

Link to NYT: Cinco Camp in Texas
James H. Evans for The New York Times

The New York Times recently featured a ranch retreat that we covered in April.

Cinco Camp is unlike most other shipping-container structures in that the boxes have been left intact, rather than being cut, contorted and connected. The containers and the bar-grate steel decking that runs between them have the same rusty patina as West Texas cattle guards and barbed-wire fences. Hovering above the house and shielding it from the sun are the five slanted, shed-like covers held aloft by I-beams.

model: Cinco Camp
designer: Mark Wellen of info_smallRhotenberry Wellen Architects
size: 800 sf (5 containers)
br: 2
bath: 1
price: ~$200,000
method: containers

Worth a look: slideshow containing 11 pictures.

Interesting note: The owner, Roger Black, "was the art director at Rolling Stone in the 1970s, and at The New York Times and Newsweek in the 1980s, is now a publications consultant and a partner of Font Bureau Inc."

Author: Kate Murphy
Publication: New York Times
Section: Home & Garden
Length: 661 words
Date: July 16, 2009

Hat tip: Apartment Therapy New York on July 16, 2009.

Related Posts:
   1. WSJ on the 2009 AIA housing awards (Apr 27, 2009)
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Haven Custom Homes and Marmol Radziner Prefab

Link to Haven Custom Homes and Marmol Radziner Prefab
http://www.havenhomes.com/partner_architects_marmol.php

info_smallMarmol Radziner Prefab recently announced that info_smallHaven Custom Homes will manufacture their info_smallSkyline series of homes.

Todd Jerry, COO of Marmol Radziner Prefab:

We are excited to have found Haven Custom Homes and to partner with them on this exciting venture. The firm's commitment to the highest standards of green construction is impressive.

Jerry Smalley, CEO and president of Haven Custom Homes:

Haven is honored to partner with Marmol Radziner...We're excited to be able to bring their award-winning designs to the East Coast.

Related Posts:
   1. The Skyline Series by Marmol Radziner Prefab (Jul 02, 2009)
   2. Whisper Creek Cabin by Haven Custom Homes (Jun 01, 2009)
   3. The Alcott by Haven Custom Homes (May 19, 2009)
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For Sale: Sustain miniHome prototype

Link to For Sale: Sustain miniHome prototype
http://lloydalter.typepad.com/lloydalter/

On his blog, Lloyd Alter recently announced that he is selling his Sustain miniHome prototype.

It is a design classic, and the only one ever built. The miniHome Solo is solar and wind powered, a complete off-grid, self-sustaining year round machine for living.

designer: Andy Thomson of info_smallAltius Architecture
manufacturer: info_smallSustain Design Studio
size: 350 sf
br: 1
bath: 1
price: $100,000
available: yes

See the post for 3 interior photos and contact information.

For those who don't recognize the name: Lloyd writes for Treehugger, sharing some of his prefab expertise.

Lloyd Alter has been an architect ... [a] developer of award-winning condos and townhouses, inventor, and builder of prefab housing with Canada's Royal Homes. He .... is an Associate Professor at Ryerson University teaching sustainable design.

Related Posts:
   1. miniHome introduces the miniHome DUO SE (Jan 04, 2008)
   2. The miniHome: ready to roll (Jul 06, 2007)
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weeHouse for sale in Wisconsin

Link to weeHouse for sale in Wisconsin
http://www.weehouse.com/

info_smallAlchemy Architects recently posted the real estate listing of a info_smallweeHouse in Siren, WI. This model has been on display since May 2009, according to an earlier entry.

size: 324 sf
br: studio
price: $48,000
available: yes

Note:

shipping and set to be paid by buyer (approximately $7/mi from Siren, WI + $1000. 'set' fees)

Worth a look: the listing includes 7 more pictures.

Related Posts:
   1. weeHouse in Continental Airlines magazine (Jun 16, 2009)
   2. weeHouse by Alchemy on display in WI; today and this weekend (May 22, 2009)
   3. weeHouses are now cheaper than ever (and can even power themselves!) (Sep 04, 2008)
   4. New weeHouse website (Dec 21, 2007)
   5. Itsy Bitsy weeHouse (Mar 26, 2007)
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New LivingHomes video and photos

Link to New LivingHomes video and photos
LivingHomes

info_smallLivingHomes recently posted new fabrication photos of their WIRED LivingHome as well as a video (6:00 min.) of their Builder LivingHome.

Related Posts:
   1. Steve Glenn of LivingHomes speaking September 16, 2009 in Seattle (Sep 11, 2009)
   2. In the news: WIRED LivingHome (Sep 02, 2009)
   3. Steve Glenn of LivingHomes speaking August 28, 2009 in Portland, OR (Aug 19, 2009)
   4. Video tour of the first LivingHome (Jul 21, 2009)
   5. WIRED LivingHome still for sale; price reduced (Jun 30, 2008)
   6. Take a (long!) tour of the WIRED LivingHome (Jan 15, 2008)
   7. WIRED LivingHome open for tours! (Nov 06, 2007)
   8. LivingHomes gets WIRED ... for $4 million (Jul 02, 2007)
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