Prefab: Blue Sky Homes prototype in Yucca Valley

 

The pitch on this prefab prototype in the desert actually came from AEP Span, the company that manufactured the roof. The design is a prototype from Blue Sky Homes, which touts the light-gauge galvanized steel frame as a less costly alternative to some of the custom structural steel modular designs winning magazine spreads. The design, by Palm Springs-based o2 Architecture, is a kit of parts assembled on site and meant to be both site-specific and flexible enough to work in other settings. For more details on the cost and construction time -- and for more photos -- click to the jump.

Architect Lance O'Donnell said the factory-built parts were assembled fast -- about four days for the frame, eight weeks total for the whole house. O'Donnell said he's confident they can get total assembly time down to six weeks. The cost, he says, will fall in the $200- to $300-a-square-foot range.

The Yucca Valley prototype was completed in May. Look for a more complete report here in the months to come. In the meantime, you can check out o2 Architecture or Blue Sky Homes as well as this sneak peek.

-- Craig Nakano

Photos: Nuvue Interactive / o2 Architecture

 

 

Comments

[masterpuff theater]

No word on how cool this place will be in the heat of the desert. In the middle of august, all that metal on the deck will be too hot to touch. And 200 to 300 dollars a square foot is that not much of an improvement on building traditional homes, considering the hype. Today Pre-fab is just a term for custom architecture for the rich.

[Dave McAdam]

Steel in the desert may seem like a bad idea because of heat issues but we actually think it is a great material. Wood certainly offers less transference of heat and cold than does steel but wood is very problematic from other standpoints. For one thing it is quickly destroyed by the harsh environment. Ask anyone out here who has wood siding on their house. And wood is far from a green product given how destructive our forest practices are.

We were careful to mitigate the amount of heat that will penetrate our home by utilizing several strategies (thermal breaks, highly efficient insulation, etc.). The thermal performance of our home will be well within standard industry tolerance.

As for the steel deck...we have already had several days of near 100 degree heat and we find that we can still walk barefoot on that deck even with direct sunlight on it in such temperatures. That's because the large perforations allow air to circulate around the steel. The best thing about the steel deck? Most of the dirt falls off your shoes well before you enter the house! So far we love it.

As for our prices....we have only built one prototype thus far so we are being conservative about this topic. But we know that we will be able to whittle our costs down as we build more and more homes. I would also point out that our price delivers a very substantial home with superior green credentials in about six weeks. If any of those issues are important to you then I think you have to weigh the costs vs. the benefits.

[Caroline]

I am not so sure the deck would be too hot to walk on. Anyway few people go around barefoot in the desert. Who would expect to walk barefoot on any outdoor surface?

If anything though, the metal grid would be ideal for giving off heat the moment there was an oppy to do so.

I am going to check out pricing because I want a second unit on my property in Los Angeles.

[Mike]

I love the idea of the perforations and how they provide a cooling system, if you will, for the deck.

For those of us who have lived in the desert during the summer months, we are aware that lots of materials become hot to touch -- a car handle, the cement around the pool, etc. Common sense tells one what to touch and what not to when the temperature outside pushes 100 degrees.

I'm glad to read that one could still walk barefoot on the deck in near 100 degree temperatures.

[T-ster]

I had the good furtune to actually visit the prototype on a particularly toasty afternoon. The deck was remarkably cool. The rest of the place is hot! I'm talking Paris Hilton hot, not Death Valley hot. Part of the appeal is the location, for sure. The house seems to float above the desert floor adding to the airy feel of the architecture. It has both a literal and figurative light foot-print which makes it all the more appealing.

[Bali House Furnishings]

This is a great concept.

We also make pre-fab homes with a tropical look.

Take a look: http://www.mybalihouse.com/gazebos.php?view=all&p=1

Custom pieces made to your needs.

Regards,

Emerson

[Jim Good]

I am an architect and lived in the desert for 10 years. That deck and all of the metal will fry you!

[Dave McAdam]

As we approach the end of our first summer I am pleased to report that our steel house did not fry us. Our insulation strategies worked very well and our steel decking never became uncomfortable to walk on -- even in direct sunlight (probably because of extensive perforations allow so much air to circulate around the steel).

[Christina]

So where is it exactly? Obviously some people are better than I at finding exact addresses to prototypes. For those who know the location and/or directions to the house, please share. Thank you.

[N.Hoffmann]

If somebody has asked already my apologies for i have not had time to read the other posts .

Regarding where these light prefabs can be sent and even possibly serviced i want to know if the glass is vinyl or fibreglass and if vinyl can one opt for fibreglass windows ?

And does this contractor design firm service Canada in possibly Northern Ontario Eh :-)>

Many Thanks N.H Val Caron Sudbury Ontario G.B.A