Lid Park will start getting finishes on Monday. Starting with bamboo hardwood (Bamboo Hardwoods in Seattle) and then trim. Because the trim (formaldehyde free MDF) will be painted the same color (white) as the walls, we are going to install the trim before final paint. In these pictures you can see the drywall is complete. We used a higher recycled content sheetrock on this job than you would typically see on standard construction. We are also installing tile (recycled content tile from Statements Tile in Seattle) on Monday in the master bath shower. We already have the majority of the cabinetry in our shop waiting installation. The cabinets are FSC certified maple boxes with FSC certified black walnut faces. The cabinets were built by Smith Vallee Woodworks, some good friends of ours. I can't wait to see it all come together. The space is really taking shape.
Sustainable Backyard Cottages Design Challenge:Help us create the next generation of affordable, green housing!Method Homes and Infiniti RED are joining forces to promote public awareness of Backyard Cottages in Seattle with the Design Challenge for Sustainable Back Yard Cottages.Call for Submissions!Architects and designers! Method Homes, a Seattle-based custom prefab manufacturer, is looking for innovative backyard cottage designs to offer their growing client base. Design challenge participant’s entries will be unveiled at a public event in May, and top winners will be displayed at the Method Homes/Infiniti RED booth at the Seattle Green Festival in June, showcased on Method Home’s website, and included in all design challenge promotional materials.To submit an entry:* RSVP to brian@methodhomes.net by April 17th* Submit all drawings on a presentation board by May 15th* Winners will be announced publicly the week of May 24thGuidelines1. Submit renderings and floor plans mounted on presentation board. Models are encouraged, but not required.2. Renderings should be drawn to scale but do not need to be electronic or precise.3. Designs shall comply with Seattle City code for Backyard Cottages, which specifies that: cottages can be no more than 800 square feet in area, with a height limit of 15 – 23 feet depending on lot width. Parking is required.4. Designs shall be prefab friendly, so each module must be no wider than 16? and taller than 13?. Method will build with any construction technique and material so there are no limitations. We encourage creativity and innovation.5. Architects retain full rights to their designs and may use them at their discretion.6. Method Homes shall have the right to feature designs on their website (presented as a prefab model available to the public) and on marketing and PR surrounding the design challenge.7. Clients shall contract directly with Architect for use of their design and for further design work.About Infiniti REDInfiniti RED (Real Estate & Development) is a Seattle-based real estate firm with an emphasis on the next generation of efficient green housing. They work closely with Method Homes in promoting their custom prefabs. For more information visit www.infinitiRED.com.
Another prefab home designed by Pb Elemental is in the works for LA. Method has been working with the owner for some time now and we are currently in the process of site feasibility. Below are some images of the home. We're hoping this home takes shape for a summer delivery. We'll keep you posted.
Method is very excited to have the Method Cabin featured in author Sheri Koones new book, Prefabulous + Sustainable, which just hit book stores this last week. We have known about this project for almost a year but to see it in print is very rewarding. It is such an excitingly educational tool on the prefab industry and what the near future will bring. Prefabulous + Sustainable is not just a picture book, rather a thorough study of how companies are building more efficient homes with different prefab methods. It is an honor to be featured next to so many other companies who are trying to build more efficiently and sustainably through off-site production. Below is an excerpt from Sheri's new book. Thank you Sheri!"Over the years, as author of several books on home construction, I've explored many of the ways that people build. Nothing, though, impresses me more than the amazing evolution of prefabrication."You can purchase Prefabulous + Sustainable on Amazon.com.
Today we finished the floor sheathing on Lid Park. Not too impressive to look at but thought I'd post some pics none the less. Notice the floors are now 3' in the air so that our insulation company can spray in the 3" of polyurethane foam around the rims of the floor. It will ensure the floors are airtight and add to the insulation R values between floors. Having them up in the air will also be nice for our plumbers on Monday for rough in floor plumbing! There's also some close up shots of the floor where the roof top deck is going. The joists are smaller and cut at a slope for drainage. This will get sheeted with CDX plywood which is different than the other sub floor. The deck will then get a TPO roofing membrane with a built up cedar deck on top.
We had our first framing inspection today for the Seattle prefab infill project:: Lid Park. Tomorrow morning we start in on floor sheeting. Tomorrow afternoon we will be jacking up the floors for sprayed-in foam to be applied, so once complete we can lower the floors back to the ground for completing the framing. On this home we have been able to use conventional 2x10 doug fir floor joists. Projects past we have used engineered joists.This green built home is going to be set on an infill lot in Seattle, that is only 20' wide. The home itself will only be 12' wide at it's widest point, but the design incorporates outdoor living spaces such as a roof top deck, which will make the home feel much larger than it actually is. This home is being built on spec by a developer out of Seattle, who is excited to be building prefab. The site is located on the end of a city block, with three neighboring streets surrounding it. Across the street is Lid Park, which will no doubt add a ton of value for whomever shall occupy the home. The house looks south over the busy park, so the design incorporates just enough privacy not only from the public, but also the southern exposure.
Back in August I posted a description and some pics of a project on Obstruction Island in the San Juan's. We're still working with the clients and last week were finally able to get out there and perform a deep water survey at high tide. The goal with this project is to crane the sections of the home off of a barge and directly onto the waiting foundation. The barge needs a certain amount of water beneath it to pull this off, and all findings are looking positive. Now that we know how close the crane can get to the shore, we can accurately determine how far we can reach, in order to make sure the home can be sited behind the 50' shoreline set back. This time out to the island, the principle architect of Balance Associates was able to come along and perform his studies gathering the lay of the land, in order to draw up some preliminary sketches. The engineer and operator of the crane company also joined us, and were professional and focused on our intent and goal of setting a modular home onto this beautiful piece of property. Although at first they might have thought we were crazy, they soon realized what we were doing and the complexity of the project and why they were on board. To crane a home from a barge onto water front property on an inaccessible island, will easily cut a year off the construction time, including the confidence to rely on a realistic budget with many less unknowns than these projects normally experience. Anyhow, here are some pics. We'll keep you updated on this and many of our other potential San Juan Island projects.
With snow a couple days after set and below freezing temps every day since, we have been hard at work trying to button up this latest project. No time for blogging! But here are some pics of the M2 on site. The set went off without a hitch, other than the crane being delayed due to freezing hydrolic lines, but we got it done none the less. There was a huge group of supporters there, including the homeowners and some friends. Tom Lenchek, the principle at Balance Associates was also there lending support in lining up the modules on the foundation. It was great! Most of the group had never seen a modular set before, and I think once they witnessed the gracefulness of the craning process they were relieved and could enjoy it. Anyhow this home only took an hour and a half of crane time, and it all went perfect. We will be posting the professional shots soon along with a new time lapse video on YouTube shortly. For now here are some pics post set. And again as I've warned before, these have all been taken either with my phone or my ancient Canon PowerShot. Enjoy!
