Posts Tagged: prefab cabin
24
Oct 10
Orcas Island Prefab Method Home Set
As scheduled, the Orcas Method Cabin was set on Friday Oct. 22nd 2010. The barge was a little behind schedule but made it to Orcas Island just in time to get the crane up to the site and ready for the modular delivery. The modules of the home were set in about 5 hours total and went together very well, considering the technical aspects of a 4′ elevation change from upper to lower floor and the fact that a total of 13 steel columns are holding the home in place.
We had quite a turn out with family, friends and neighbors all there for support, including the home owners who also documented the day with professional quality photos which we will be getting up on the website asap. We will also be posting the time lapse as soon as possible. For now check out some of the photos and stay tuned for finished photos over the next month.
22
Oct 10
Orcas Island Prefab Set Update
Still on for Friday Oct. 22nd for the delivery and set of the Orcas Island modular home. The modules will be heading over on Friday morning via Washington State Ferry service while the 175 Ton crane will be delivered via barge to the island, barring the storm they are predicting to roll in on Saturday indeed arrives on Saturday and not a day earlier. Today on-site, we just erected the steel columns that will hold up a large portion of the home, along with some wood framed walls as well. Meanwhile back at the Method shop our guys have been working hard to get the pieces of the home ready for delivery. Not too much time for blogging so enjoy this one for now and check back next week!
30
Sep 10
Orcas Island Custom Prefab
By far the most technical home we’ve done yet…the Orcas Island home, located in the San Juan Islands, is moving along nicely. Currently in production at the Method factory, the modules that make up this modern prefab wonder are complete up to sheetrock, and we are moving onto finishes this next week.
Meanwhile, out on site the footings have been poured and the walls of the foundation are being constructed. The site is is steep and solid rock, which most of the San Juans are, and challenging to say the least. Balance Associate Architects designed the home to nestle into the rock at different elevations, supported by concrete and steel columns. The master concrete constructor we have hired to build the foundation said it was “like building on a bowling ball.” True…
The design of the home is not only a challenging build, (which we love) the projects goal of LEED Platinum certification and the process that goes along with it keeps us on our toes as well. Luckily the homeowners are very involved, she is a LEED AP, and is spearheading the effort. The owners have added a ton to the project in terms of calculations, analyzing, details and to the success we are hoping for with the certification.
The home is scheduled to be delivered to the site on October 22nd. So that leaves us about 3 weeks to complete the home to the stage it needs to be prior leaving our custom prefab shop. The shop is buzzing with skilled craftsmen contributing to the effort. Our sub contractors are truly talented and their dedication is amazing.
Here are some pictures of the process.
22
Aug 10
Orcas Island Prefab Home
Since we first started Method Homes, we have had a good amount of interest in the San Juan Islands, for our modern prefab homes. Our process of modern modular building is ideal for the islands, being built with fixed costs and predictable completion dates on the main land, and then shipped out to the site while still utilizing local island trades for a good amount of the site work. We are excited to finally have begun construction on a home for Orcas Island. The design began from the basic Method Cabin floor plan, but became customized in order to deal with the steep rocky sloped lot.
The home will be positioned on concrete and steel columns, with four water tanks for the owners water catchment system tucked beneath. Also tucked below the main floors will be a mechanical room that will house the mechanical equipment to run the entire house, along with solar preheat and the radiant heating system. The home will be LEED certified, which level has not been determined as of yet. The home will also incorporate all the other basic green components that Method always includes.
Attached to this blog post are a couple elevation pictures of the home courtesy Balance Associates Architects and some of the first pics of the construction in our shop. We’ll try and keep you updated!
13
Aug 09
Foundation walls to be poured today
Just as framing on the Lake Whatcom project kicks into full tilt boogie in the Method facility, the foundation walls are scheduled to be poured today. Here are some pics of the formed walls. Remember to click on small pics to enlarge, and double click for an even larger image.
14
Nov 08
We’re back to blogging with some exciting new things on the horizon
It has been quite some time since we’ve updated the blog but we at Method are going to try to keep it more up to date while we work on new projects. Method Homes should have some exciting announcements in the coming months and we can’t wait to share them.
We are currently working on several projects for 2009 with several more on the horizon. We plan to use the blog to document the status of these projects and illustrate the architectural design process.
Method has several Method Cabins in the works. One is going on a lake front lot on Lake Wenatchee in Chelan county in eastern Washington, one is going to Mendocino County in Northern California and a third will be down by Mount Rainier. Additionally, Method has been working with a community land trust on an affordable green prefab home with models to be built in Whatcom County.
We are planning a trip to British Columbia to promote the Method Cabin. We have a ton of interest from the Whistler area and are excited to market Method in that area.
Method Homes has been working with Balance Associates Architects on a new line of “one box” cabin models by that we will be bringing to market shortly. These are going to plug and play units that can go on or off the grid. We will update the blog with some preview floor plans next week.
The Method Cabin is now available on the East Coast and in the Midwest and we plan to make a formal announcement in the beginning of December. More to come shortly.
Here is floorplan of the new model 4 cabin that is 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and 1450 square comprised of 3 modules:method-homes-model-42
30
Jun 08
Week 12 – The Method Cabin Complete
After all of the work and then more work I’m pleased to announce the cabin is fully complete, furnished and quite livable. Click here for a complete photo gallery. Once again, a huge thank you goes out to our entire team whom we could not have done it without. This is my first entry on the new blog and I intend to start posting more again since we have quite a few things in the works and I need to follow up on some building materials and practices employed in production of the cabin.
One item that became clear during the site finishing of the cabin is how faster and smoother construction went in the controlled setting of our production facility. One thing we will be doing in the future is siding the homes in the factory since it is much easier to side the homes on the ground than up a story on site.
Here are some pictures of the finished home. I have been spending weekends up there and some features of the home that I have noticed firsthand are the functional floor plan, how energy efficient the home is and how the interior and exterior blend together with the natural environment.