There has been some recent news for fans of Michelle Kaufmann and her beautiful prefab homes. Michelle’s company, MKDesigns, has been acquired by Blu Homes, a privately owned business that builds homes with quality design, sustainable materials and leading technology. Michelle will be serving as a design consultant to Blu and they will continue to work with her designs including the Glidehouse, the Lotus and the Breezehouse.
The new MK designs will use the Blu folding technology in their building construction, and will be available nationally. Blu is unique in that they ship and set their own homes with teams directly from their factory.
The newest product line from Blu is a small prefab called the Origin. Each unit is 17 to 20 feet wide and 24 to 35 feet long. This design has a wide variety of purposes including home offices, meditation spaces, media rooms, in-law apartments, granny flats, commercial office spaces, backyard cottages, exercise or art studios and weekend retreats. The Origin line has both commercial and residential applications, and are configurable to meet the customer’s needs. Origin units can also be combined into groups with connectivity through decks and pathways.
For their little size, the Origin is really stylish. The design features bamboo flooring, energy efficient heating and cooling and energy monitoring systems, interior doors, trim, low VOC paint and recessed light fixtures. Kitchen countertops, cabinetry, sinks and lighting are from IKEA and the standard refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer and range are from Whirlpool. Bathroom cabinetry, faucets, baths and toilets, fixtures and floors are also from IKEA, Kohler and American Standard.
The Origin exterior specifications include several choices in addition to the standard materials:
Standard Exterior
- Helical Pile Foundation
- EPDM Roofing
- Hardie Soffit and Trim
- Hardie Siding
- Closed Cell Spray Foam Insulation
- Andersen Vinyl Clad Windows
- Exterior Glass and Sliding Doors
Optional Exterior
- Cedar Siding
- Decks and Foundations by a general contractor
- Roof Deck
Exterior Green Options
- Green Roofs
- Solar Panels
- Rainwater Collection
- Hybrid Plug-In
Pricing includes Origin factory costs, before shipping and site work. Depending on the location, Blu adds shipping, foundation and setup charges upon review of the customer’s site and needs. The Origin price breakdown is as follows:
24’ shell $64,000
28’ shell $72,000
35’ shell $83,000
Play 24’ $71,000
Media Room 24’ $74,000
Artist / Exercise / Yoga Studio 24’ $79,000
Music Room / Library 24’ $71,000
Home Office / Therapy Room 24’ $78,000
Big Kid Play Space 28’ $85,000
Cottage / Addition 28’ $102,000
Living Room/In-law Suite 35’ $114,000
Other Blu Homes are currently being built in the Colorado Rockies, California woodlands, Carolina coast and towns throughout New England and for corporations from coast to coast.
By Christina Nellemannfor the (