The last several years have been challenging for anyone planning a new home. A major commitment of time and financial resources, balanced against continually changing economic conditions, requires a highly personal decision. We now see conditions stabilizing and new clients, who have “waited long enough,” proceeding.

FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN HOUSING

I have been involved in my family’s business for nearly 50 years and recall many market downturns after which all returned to normal. In contrast, this emerging recovery is into a fundamentally changed world with new long-term priorities in housing: (more…)

MSN.com has reviewed 10 “kit home” suppliers, spotlighting Lindal Cedar Homes and a recently constructed home in the Suncadia Resort in Washington state.

House plan number 39787 in Suncadia, Washington, featured in MSN.com's kit home review.

Lindal materials are pre-cut and delivered to your building site in containers. During delivery, your Lindal dealer will take a careful inventory to ensure they meet the high quality standards expected of Lindal materials, and the correct quantity of material has arrived. In the unlikely event something is missing or damaged (we try our best to avoid this!), the matter is promptly corrected by the Corporate Office, and if replacement materials cannot be supplied in a timely manner a refund for local purchase is issued. Your home is then constructed on-site, usually utilizing a general contractor and experienced builder familiar with the Lindal home construction process, orchestrated by your local Lindal dealer.

Designed by Lindal Cedar Homes’ Seattle Cedar Homes, several covenants dictated the overall look of this home, as well as strict requirements for energy efficiency. To find out more about this home, and see more photos and the floor plan, contact your local independent Lindal dealer.

> See the MSN.com slideshow review of kit home suppliers

> Locate your local Lindal dealer on the Lindal.com web site

The NAHB wrote a nice article about the first Washington home to be certified to their National Green Building Standard. For those of you who want to know more about how the system works, the article does a great job of describing the home’s “green” features, and how it met the standard through an independent third-party verification process.

(Photo courtesy of the NAHB)

I visited the home during last Saturday’s open house. Located a block from Lake Washington, there is a peek-a-boo view of the lake from the second-floor master suite, and the rear of the house overlooks a greenbelt. Most of the basement is a light-filled yoga studio that opens onto the back yard, and a second kitchenette and bathroom.

The landscaping is yet to be finished, and a few interior light fixtures need to be installed, but the homeowner is anxious to get moved in, so we should have lots more pictures soon, and hopefully more press coverage!

Some of the more notable (and noticeable) “green” features:

• Dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucets
• Sustainably-harvested bamboo and cork flooring
• In-floor radiant heat
• Zero-VOC paint
• Low-E argon-filled triple-pane Lindal windows (lots of them!)
• Energy-star rated lighting and appliances
• Cellulose insulation batts (samples were on-site during the open house)
• Composite decking
• “Green” cabinetry using sustainably harvested wood and low-emission adhesives (custom crafted in the Seattle area)
• Solar hot water system using solar rooftop panels (to be installed at a later date)

Just a reminder about this Saturday’s July 18th Open House at Wendy Jans’ NAHB-certified green home in southeast Seattle, WA! If you would like a tour of the home to learn about the building process, “green” elements, and how you can start planning your own green home, please contact Tom Schuch at Seattle Cedar Homes: 206-725-7111 (leave a message if he is not there, and he’ll get right back to you).

At the open house, there will be a point-by-point checklist detailing how the project met the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards to become certified by the NAHB. To paraphrase Tom in the original press release, many of the items “are simply smart things to do when you build a quality home.”

If you are in the Seattle area, don’t miss out on this great opportunity to experience an energy- and resource-efficient green built home!

The TD3 2400, designed by Joel Turkel for Lindal Cedar Homes, and included in the 2009 Dwell Homes Collection. Learn about this home plan and others during the green home building webinar, tonight at 6pm Pacific.

Live, from the comfort of your own computer, Joel Turkel of Turkel Designs (architect of the Dwell Homes Collection for Lindal Cedar Homes, as mentioned in a previous post) will be presenting his designs and talking about their intelligent use of circulation, shared space, structure, volume and light and how they incorporate many principles of environmentally conscious design.

Joel has offered this webinar several times in the past, and each time it is a little bit different. I saw it for the first time at our Annual Dealer Meeting in January, and his presentation style is very understandable and informative. Even if you do not end up choosing one of his designs, it is worthwhile to tune in just so you can learn about how the siting and layout of your home can make a difference in energy consumption.

These home plans were also selected by TIME magazine for their annual Green Design 100 this year… Lindal Cedar Homes being the only residential home supplier in the list!

Webinar Details

Lindal’s 2009 Designs for Living LIVE Online Webinar
Tuesday, July 14, 6pm Pacific

Online registration, access instructions and computer requirements for the July 14th webinar:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/208462322

If you would like more information about Joel’s webinars, and see additional dates and times it is being offered, you can visit the Lindal Events page on Lindal.com. As of writing this, it is being offered 3 times this summer, and I will post a quick reminder the day of each event… so don’t forget to subscribe to updates at the top right of this page!

Dwell Homes Collection Open House
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
6:30-8:30 PM
Seattle Cedar Homes Model Home
4302 S. 104th Pl.
Seattle, WA 98178

If you are located in the Seattle area, and are interested in the plans designed by Joel Turkel for the Dwell Homes Collection, you are welcome to attend our open house at the Seattle Cedar Model Home on July 15th at 6:30 PM.

Joel Turkel will be presenting his plans and design process, showcasing several homes that are in the planning phase right now. Also, Sam Grawe, Editor in Chief of DWELL magazine, will talk about the advantages of modern prefab design in terms of design, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, and how Lindal is a natural fit within the Dwell Homes Collection of sustainable and standardized modern prefab homes.

Light refreshments will be served, so your RSVP is appreciated. You can call us at 800 508-1833, or email blog (at) lindal (dot) com (replace the at’s and dot’s with their appropriate symbols), and let us know your names, number of attendees, and your building time frame/where you plan to build.
 

The designer, Joel Turkel, will be presenting the home plans (including the one pictured above) selected by DWELL magazine for the Dwell Home Collection.