ARE YOU READY TO LIVE IN A CHICKEN COOP?

What are Architects on the West Coast smoking these days?  I know about 4/20 and it seems to be influencing the housing market there.  There isn't much difference between their idea of housing and a chicken coop.

The latest offering is from a company called Sustainable Housing.  I offer as evidence the following pictures and video and ask if you could live in one of these.   Blade Runner is becoming a reality.  CLICK HERE to read the article in Fast Company.

Sustainable Living Housing

Chicken Coop

3 NEW PRODUCTS THAT WILL SOON BECOME AFFORDABLE IN NEW HOMES

Building an affordable home with high energy efficiencies at an affordable price used to be a contradiction.  But today there are some things that can be built into your new modular home that only a couple of years ago would have been considered extravagant.


Solar Panels.  On most homes, the solar panels do not replace your power company but supplements power, reducing what you have to buy from them.  Solar panels produce approximately 30 to 40 percent of the power that the home utilizes. That can add up to a significant amount on your utilities bill.

And we’re not talking about multi-million dollar custom homes. These green improvements are showing up in new homes priced towards the average working family.

Dual Flush Toilets.  The dual-flush toilet is also starting to become more common. This water-saving product lets you save substantial amounts of water by selecting the amount of water you need.

Two buttons create an interactive toilet that helps conserve water, translating to energy savings.

Blown-in Blanket Insulation.  Traditional insulation in walls creates many gaps and spaces that cut down on energy savings. New technologies help to seal up many of the weaknesses.

The new insulation options will show results quickly with lower utility bills and that will also make your bank accounts happier. There are also benefits making you feel better.

KBS BUILDING SYSTEMS REOPENS PLANT IN WATERFORD, ME

About a year ago, KBS Building Systems took over a closed modular factory in Waterford, Maine and used it to begin building a 290 unit commercial project.  However it was closed over the winter due to slow commercial sales but it was just announced by company officials that KBS would reopen the factory and start building modular units again this month.

KBS Building Systems headquartered in Paris, ME

That's great news for the laid off workers at KBS and the modular housing industry.  KBS Building Systems is known for it's high quality, green and energy efficient modular homes.  They have builders throughout New England.

CLICK HERE to read the article in the Bangor Daily News.

WESTCHESTER HOMES CHOSEN BY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Housatonic Habitat for Humanity is planning construction of five condominiums on Hospital Avenue in Danbury, CT.

Mary Aly, executive director of Housatonic Habitat for Humanity, said that for the first time the local Habitat will be using modular construction by Westchester Modular for its housing.

In addition to costing less than stick-built new construction, using modular buildings will allow the project to be started and finished in 2011. The Habitat requirement that the new owners put 400 hours of sweat equity into the project will remain, though they might be doing less construction work and more painting and other finishing tasks because much of a modular building arrives prebuilt, Aly said.  The requirement for the new homeowner would not be any less but volunteer help would be.  

NEW HAMPSHIRE DESIGN COLLABRATIVE WINS TOP AWARD - AGAIN

Amy Ellison Ostberg, the owner of New Hampshire Design Collaborative in Hudson, New Hampshire has won the 2011 award for Design from the National Modular Housing Council in the Modular Concept Home category for the fourth straight year.

Amy Ellison Ostberg

This year's award winning design is called the Leah and was created for Haven Homes, one of the top custom modular home factories in the US.

The Leah     1,992 sq ft Custom Cape

Amy tells me her goal is to get beautiful and functional modular homes out there and she has proven it for the last four years.  Congrats to Amy and her design company!

AFFINITY BUILDING SYSTEMS BUILDS GREEN IN THE SOUTH

If you're looking for a good modular home and live in the any of the Southeastern states, you've got a great modular factory to look at if you are into green construction.  Affinity Building Systems located in Lakeland, GA just might be a good fit.

There are a couple of things that I like about them.  First, there website is easy to use and even easier to understand.  They are a relatively new and use some of the most advanced machinery to help their production people to build a very strong and green home.  When you go to their website, check out the tour of the factory.  That alone is worth the visit.

Then another feature I found interesting is their published price list.  The prices are for their standard homes with only the standard features but it gives you a good jumping off point for pricing a home.  It also includes freight charges to your area.  But you really need to contact them to nail down a more accurate price and to find an authorized builder.

Overall, they are doing things right. 

MODULAR MUSINGS TOP FACTORY BLOG

I really enjoy reading news about the modular housing industry and I especially like browsing the blogs on modular homes and factories.  There are quite a few out there but most are directed toward one particular product like the iHouse blogs or they are pitifully outdated and haven't been updated in years.

There is one blog however, that has become the absolute leader in factory blogs.  Modular Musings from Excel Homes.  It is updated several times a week with interesting stories about the industry in general, Excel Homes and it's people and ideas for the prospective new home owner.

They understand that today's new home shopper is going to the Internet daily looking for information about the their new home purchase.  Congrats to Excel for the finest factory blog in the entire industry.