Contemplating Concrete Floors

Really liking the idea of concrete floors. Low maintenance. Easy to clean. Simple, modern look. Hygienic.

I am a little concerned about the affects it may have on us, and the animals, in terms of standing and walking on it all the time. If you're ever worked a job where you stood on concrete all day, you'll know what I mean. There is absolutely no give, making it hard on feet and leg joints.

I also wonder about the noise. Again a hard surface will likely echo everything, making noises seem louder than they are.

I realize you can use rugs and floor coverings, but I don't think it's going to provide the same level of softening that you get with carpet + pad on plywood (which has some give of its own).

Video of LV Home in Pope Valley

A very interesting and insightful video of the LV Home in Pope Valley, CA. Doesn't look like the HGTV Show "Beyond the Box" is being broadcast anymore.

Living with Galvalume

I'm curious about living in a house covered with Galvalume. It's Aluminum-Zinc alloy coated sheet steel. Popular for a number of prefab homes, including the LV House. I'm guessing due to durability. Not sure on cost.

Having grown up in the Midwest, it reminds me of the ubiquitous corrugated metal barn. If you've been inside one during a rainstorm, forget about a hailstorm, it can be deafening. Not sure I could stand to be inside one for any length of time...

First Hand Prefab Modern Experiences

It's been refreshing, and somewhat reassuring, to find some first-hand accounts of the prefab modern building experience shared online. This Internet thing might actually catch on.

• Diary of a Prefab Rocio Romero LVM in Tuscon: Sounds like building might be the easy part, when compared to finding a contractor, getting permits, and dealing with the local government.
• Rocio Romero LV House in Richmond
• Rocio Romero LV "Minnie House" in Pacifica
• Nashville Modern Prefab working on Hive Modular. Unfortunately looks like it's on permanent hold.
• Res4-designed modern prefab cabin in Lost River, West Virginia

Is anyone aware of any others?

Narrowing Our Choices

There certainly appear to be a lot of Prefab Modern choices, and all of them are slightly different in process, what is included, and pricing. To save our sanity, I think we're going to narrow our candidate list to 2-3 that seem the most promising from a style, approach, and budget perspective. Try to build out an apples to apples comparison for completed project.

Right now the favorites seem to be Rocio Romero's LV Series, and what is/was Michelle Kaufmann designs.

Rocio Romero is an interesting mix of prefab kit and onsite building and finishing. Also offer custom design services. They have photos from a lot of finished projects. Some include client questionnaires, and even construction costs. Also just ran across an LVHome Fans Yahoo! Group that appears to reasonably active with over 1k members.

We were lucky enough to see the Michelle Kaufmann Design Breeze House first hand at Celebration weekend in 2005. We like the layouts, but at 250-300 per sq. foot it may exceed our budget.

Prefab is Not the Answer?

As you have probably noticed, the title of this blog is "Modern Wine Country". Not "Prefab Modern Wine Country". To be honest, that's partially the result of just trying to have a shorter more manageable title. But, it's also indicative of what the real focus is here. Modern is the style of home we're looking for. To us, "modern" means clean, uncluttered, open.

Prefab is really just one means to that end. Certainly Prefab + Modern, and sometimes "Green" seems to be a popular pairing. We also like the designs of several firms that are proponents of this approach. That said, we're not necessarily stuck on prefab. In fact, according to this article that we ran across last night Prefab is Not The Answer to Affordable, Modern & Green Homes. Food for thought.

If you take the time to read the article above, it also warrants reading the equally well written rebuttle What good is Prefab…if it is Not the Answer to Affordable, Modern, Traditional & Green Homes? If you follow his "Shell Package" theory, this appears to be the approach of the Rocio Romero LV Series.

On a related note, Michelle Kaufmann has a new modern home project going on in NorCal.  Anyone know where this is? Of particular interest is while Michelle is one of the best known faces of prefab, and up until recently had a company focused on delivering factory built homes, they are "looking into site built". Hmmm.

Any Other Modernists Out There?

While it's fun to think of one's self as a pioneer, it's probably a royal pain in the ass as well. If someone else has already blazed the trail, in theory it will make it easier for those that follow after. So to that end, and also to satisfy our curiousity, we thought we'd try to find out if there was any existing prefab and/or modern in wine country. Here's what we've found so far.

Stillwater Dwellings apparently has something planned for Healdsburg. Who are you? Where in Healdsburg? How is it going? When will it be done?

Doesn't look Prefab, but perhaps Nick Noyes Modern Barn has warmed the community to modern architecture?

Marmol Radziner "Dry Creek" house in Napa Valley?

Is anybody else out there?

Research in Progress

Time to dust off our pre-pre-research that we started a few years ago at the Dwell on Design conference 2006.

What We've Found So Far

1. We're building "modular" as classified by building departments and for the purpose of zoning ordinances. It's all Prefab, but best NOT to confuse with "manufactured" or "mobile" (i.e. has a chassis that allows it to be rolled away). Some people use these terms interchangeably, but they're technically not the same.
2. Architects/designers/manufacturers really don't want to talk to us until we've got land.
3. A flat piece of land, accessible by trucks and cranes is best. Most prefab modular plans assume a concrete pad for foundation. Like anything, if you've got the time and money they can make it work on a slope.
4. A general contractor is still needed to take care of foundation, assembly, and interior finishing. Working with someone local may help facilitate approvals, inspections, and permits in your new community.
5.  A standard "new construction" loan should work, if positioned correctly with the right lender, just like stick-built home that you roll into a traditional mortgage. Though there are some lenders that specialize in "modular" housing.
6. Ultimately, we may not spend less money. But rather than getting a used, traditional home that we'll either hate or spend gobs of time and money trying to make what we want, we'll get a new modern dwelling. And after all, that's why we're here.
7. Published prices are estimates, and probably don't include delivery, foundation, interior finishing, doors, HVAC, appliances, etc. In some cases it doesn't even include windows.

Luckily, some of the designers have been kind enough to post some getting started guides online. Do this, then we'll talk...

• Rocio Romero - Getting started
• Hive Modular - Process
• Marmol Radziner - Building a Prefab Home

This is all just theory now, but we've got to start somewhere. Hopefully the time we've invested in research will pay off by avoiding unexpected costs and headaches down the road.

Spoke with Realtor on the Phone Today

Spoke with the realtor we met through Redfin today. It was a good conversation. He seemed familiar with the "prefab" concept, which is good. Did not have to explain that we're not dragging a double-wide into the neighborhoods.

No direct experience with buying or selling of prefab or modern, but that's probably to be expected. I'm a little surprised that their aren't realtors that specialize in this sort of thing. Who am I kidding? Not really.

He asked good questions about what are requirements were, and seemed willing to take on the challenges we will likely face. Certainly more work than your standard house purchase. Been local to wine country area for a long time. Beyond just the properties, he seemed to have a handle on how the communities work in terms of zoning restrictions, permits, and so forth.

We've got a stake in the ground, and will give it a few days to see what he comes up with.

The Redfin Connection

The partner agent has been asking for more information on what we're looking for, what are limitations are, looking forward to talking and/or meeting us. Seems like a reasonable request, but we weren't too sure what the limitations of Redfin are. The premise seems to be that you do the research yourself. The agent comes in when it's time to put the offer together and close the sale. The agent saves the time they would normally spend driving you to and fro, and thus you get a credit from their normal commission. That said, we were a little reluctant to get the agent to wound up.

Just to clarify things I gave Redin a call. Yes a call on a phone. They actually answered, and I spoke to a live, english-speaking, human being within seconds. The summary is:
1. Initiate contact with the agent through the Redfin website
2. Submit your offer through the Redfin website
You should be covered. How much time the agent spends doing research and showings is up to their discretion.

PS - Don't take my word for it on any of this. I'm not a realtor, lawyer, or employee of Redfin, but this appears to be the case.

First Potential Property Update

Got a little more visibility into the property. Good news. It's a corner lot. The building and division of neighboring lots is all completed. City utilities already available.

The bad. Guess it's a pretty steep grade. Most modern plans we've seen assume a flat lot for the house to be sit on a slab foundation. Certainly would require more creativity and expense to make it work.

Giving Redfin a Try

Found a property on Redfin today that could have potential. Wish we had seen it while we were still up there. We have been using their website and iPhone app pretty regularly. Love it. The idea of saving a few thousand dollars on the purchase, assuming you're willing to do some of your own research, sounds pretty good too.

Decided to contact a partner agent to get more info. Once you get outside the major metro areas, Redin partners with agents local to the region. There were a few to choose from. All the agents had good ratings. One seemed a little closer to our age, and also had done some posting the Redfin forums. Given that he's already active online, perhaps he will be more comfortable communicating with us electronically.