Green Modern Kits Prefab House Project News!: press

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Congratulations to Architects On Best In Design!

We are so happy to hear the architecture firm Gelotte Hommas Drivdhal Architecture, the genius behind beautiful luxury architecture in Seattle / the Pacific Northwest but *also* of our prefab cottages at Green Cottage Kits, our traditional cottage prefab sister brand, has won best of Houzz in Design!

Read the full article, here.
Congratulations to the firm!

Modern Passive Solar Prefab House: New Project On The West Coast From Green Modern Kits

Modern Passive Solar Prefab House In The Bay Area Has Planning Approval! Onward!

My own off grid prefab house from Green Modern Kits.

Well.

The modern passive solar prefab house in the northwest / the Bay Area has Planning approval! Onward we go to the building department!

Now that this project is a go, go, GO, I am going to give it a tag so that people can follow this prefab house kit project's story.

We will be busy rustling together the client, architect of the modern prefab house, The R1 Residential, and the distributor these weeks, following up with the engineer and contractor, bringing the whole team together.

The next step for us would be to get the project into the final Shop Drawing phase and prepared for panel production...

For those of you interested in this West Coast modern prefab house project, here's a rendering the architect, Morgan Pierce, of 3North, based in Richmond, DC, and San Francisco, generously shared of The Modified R1 Residential modern prefab house:

Because the design documents had been continued to be modified until the final approval by Planning and Zoning by the architect, it was only once they were approved did we pass on the final modified version to the SIP (structural insulated panels) dealer close to the client within our network to get the final, final quote for this project and move on to converting them, via an engineer, into SIP shop drawings and construction documents, as nothing can be changed or modified after Planning's approval.

They are in the process of doing that now, and we expect to submit those documents to Permitting in the next few weeks.

Thanks for your interest in Green Modern Kits, and our passive solar SIP prefab house kit projects!

Prefab Modern Green Homes From Green Modern Kits: Spring Has Sprung!

Happy spring from Green Modern Kits!

We were thrilled to be included in the latest issue of Virginia Living, on stands now, and chuckled that we are in their renowned Forever Prep Issue (huh?). : ) Here's a glimpse!

I am currently preparing for my annual trip to New York, for ICFF, where we will be announcing the latest on our joint venture with Akemi Tanaka: a line of affordable modern furniture that does multiple things designed specifically for our prefab house kits!

If you have followed my own prefab house kit construction blog, you know that although the house kit went up in a week, finishing it was another matter. We decided to frugally walk through the economic uncertainty, which is my philosophy regardless, hence our completion was in even longer stages as it is not yet our primary residence, and that our contractor, plumber and electrician are all working on it part time themselves.

Hence, no Spring Open House will be held, but look ahead to fall when I will be throwing a MY PREFAB HOUSE KIT IS COMPLETED party! We are finishing up, adding the final pieces (rainwater cistern, finishing the interior of the SIP) now, so I will be happy to show it off to the public this summer / fall.

Sincerely yours,

Copeland Casati

copeland casati

president
www.GreenModernKits.com
6902 park ave / rva 23226

Our Green Prefab House Kits Win A MUSE Award And Are Featured In Grow And Make!

Because of our passive solar prefab house kits that bring affordable energy efficiency to consumers, Green Modern Kits was nominated for a Muse Award, which recognizes creative businesses in Virginia...
...and... Green Modern Kits won a Muse Award!!!

You can read my personal account of the day, here... I somehow tied it into fashion and chickens.
Shocking. ; )
Here's an excerpt:

"We believe your prefab green home should not just be gorgeous but should function, and reduce your systems demands.

I think energy efficiency can be encouraged not with more regulation and certification, but with fashionable education, honeychiles. If people stop viewing cul-de-sacs along four lane highways as a pretty way to live, if people view smart growth and walkability as fashionable vs. bloated subdivisions eating up countryside... then maybe fashion can have a great impact on raising the gorgeous smart growth consciousness of many, quickly.

Sustainability does not just incorporate architectural efficiency; a home's design must be something with which people are in love, so that they commit to it, and pass on that structure to future generations.

Often people fall in love with our prefab house kits before they understand their intent to function; they love first and learn later.

But sustainability does not just encompass LEED certification.

Sustainability should question why ChemLawn drenched lawns are legal and allowed next to neighboring natural, food producing yards.

Sustainability should question why multiple barking Mastiffs are ok per zoning vs. a few laying hens that can provide a family with nourishment, connection to their food, and reduce waste and strain on our community's municipal services."

...Back in the office, I had a nice conversation with Will Johnston of the online sustainable product retailer, Grow And Make.

He turned it into an interview, where I explain how our prefab house kit company Green Modern Kits got started. You can read it here: http://www.growandmake.com/sustainable-living-blog/interview-copeland-casati/

And where are we going this year? Well, as you know we have house kits underway in New York, West Virginia (from our prefab cottage line, Green Cottage Kits), Colorado and more. As I mentioned in the Grow And Make interview, I need to make sure those prefab projects are blogging!

In the meantime, I hope you all have a great summer. On my off time, I have been busy launching Pirates 2.0, i.e. our children, who can not only swim now but are sailing the Chesapeake Bay on their own! Here's the first pirate they chased and successfully captured:

Ps.: Zoning: Our illicit chickens are now gone. But in city yards everywhere, in a residential neighborhood near you... they're baaaaaaack.

VMFA Muse Awards

Sincerely yours,

Copeland Casati

copeland casati

president
www.GreenModernKits.com
6902 park ave / rva 23226

Prefab Modern House Kit Architect David Day In The Wall Street Journal!

David Day, green building architect of our prefab modern house kit, casa ti, was featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal this week on his longtime collaborations with a couple; thought you might enjoy the read:

My Favorite Architect
A couple's relationship with their architect spans 10 years and three projects, culminating in a Charlottesville estate

Make sure to see more pictures of this custom project, here. More project pictures of Broom Hollow are also on David Day's website.

Our lines of prefab house kits, Green Modern Kits, Green Cottage Kits, and Green Cabin Kits, were also mentioned in Virginia's Inform Architecture + Design, published by the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects.

Soon I will be updating readers with our other prefab house kits' progress; in the meantime, I hope you have a great end to spring!

Sincerely yours,
Copeland Casati

copeland casati

president
www.GreenModernKits.com
6902 park ave / rva 23226

Zero Energy Passive Solar Prefab House casa ti Featured In Cville's Abode

This week our prefab house kit Virginia, our own zero energy passive solar casa ti, is the cover story for Cville's Abode, and we couldn't have been more pleased with the writer and photographer who did a great job capturing our energy efficient, frugal philosophy.

You can read about our zero energy prefab house kit here.

If you are getting weary reading just the Virginia prefab construction blog, I have good news: there will be more prefab house kit voices being added this month: several in Colorado (including the one who resumes after the winter we mentioned in the past), one in New York, and more on the way to an energy efficient, passive design, smart growth luvin' neighborhood near you. : )

Sincerely yours,
Copeland Casati

copeland casati

president
www.GreenModernKits.com
6902 park ave / rva 23226

Prefab Green Homes Update From Green Modern Kits! Save The Date For The Virginia Off Grid Net Zero Energy Prefab Open House.

We will have our second Prefab Green Home Open House in the Virginia Passive Solar Net Zero Energy House Kit on Saturday, April 10th, from 1-3 p.m.

Like last time, we scheduled the house kit open house to coincide with historic and fun events showcasing this rural, beautiful, historic area of Virginia. So mark your calenders! Here's what's going on during that weekend that we know of so far:

April 08, 2010 – April 12, 2010145th Anniversary of the Surrender

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Appomattox, VA 24522
434-352-8987
www.nps.gov/apco
Special programs related to the surrender, including 1st person living history offered each day from April 8 to April 12.
April 09, 2010 – April 11, 2010
Appomattox History Weekend
Clover Hill Village
Appomattox, VA 24522

145th Anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant to be held at Clover Hill Village. 1 mile from actual surrender site. Living historians will be portraying Generals Lee & Grant and their lieutenants will recreate historic moments of the final days leading up to and including the surrender. Activities include: Lee's last war counsel, General Gordon's attempted break-out, Lee-Grant meeting, stacking of arms and reduction of colors. Reenactors limited. Military host: Lee's Lieutenants, contact Al Stone at astoneasrelee@suddenlink.net or (304) 466-2030. Civilian host: contact Ms. Carolyn Davis at casonclee@aol.com Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12.
April 12, 2010 – April 12, 2010

Holiday Open House
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Appomattox, VA 24522
434-352-8987
www.nps.gov/apco
Join the park staff for an festive afternoon of music, refreshments and holiday activiies with a historic flare!

We hope you use the opportunity to travel to the prefab house kit to explore and see more of historic Virginia. ...Make a weekend of it!

For accommodations and more history, see here:
(Because if you're a design geek, you're also a history geek.
Welcome to the crowd!)

Appomattox: http://www.tourappomattox.com/lodging.php

(learn more about Appomattox here...)
Charlotte Court House: http://www.charlotteva.com/accommodation.htm

(learn more about Charlotte Court House here - make sure to click on the links at the bottom, there's Patrick Henry's Red Hill & more to visit!)
Farmville: Historic Longwood Bed & Breakfast... and others listed here:

(learn more about Farmville here... and more on Farmville history here.)

See more details about the first Virginia prefab house kit open house here.

Regarding the Virginia prefab house kit, you can follow the latest progress on the house kit construction blog, here. The prefab passive solar house kit's interior walls were just completed this week... as soon as it stops snowing we will post those pictures... Please note it is a personal blog and silliness abounds in those posts... you have been warned.

Currently, we are all, humans, dogs, feral cat, and especially our chickens, officially snowed in.

The Colorado prefab green home begins this spring after their snow melts, sometime in mid-March... we will keep you posted on that house kit construction!

Recent Press:

As previously noted, Green Modern Kits will be in The Wall Street Journal's Smart Money Magazine, to be published this spring.
If you live in Richmond, Virginia, make sure to pick up the next Richmond Magazine... : )
Tree Hugger's Lloyd Alter mentions us as we think about living a smaller footprint lifestyle which Oprah seemed not to quite appreciate on a visit to one Swedish home...

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at copeland@greenmodernkits.com.

Sincerely yours,
Copeland Casati

copeland casati
president
www.GreenModernKits.com
6902 park ave / rva 23226

Prefab Green Homes From Green Modern Kits

It has been a very busy fall, and we thought you might like a quick update on the goings on

at Green Modern Kits' Prefab House Kits.

Green Modern Kits will be in The Wall Street Journal's Smart Money Magazine in February, and we will send out that article when it becomes available. Reflecting on the interview, it gave me an opportunity to define what makes us different from the rest of the prefab industry: our focus on passive solar, affordable modern prefab house kits that you can then finish according to your own style and budget.

The Virginia Prefab Green Home had an Open House in September and was a hit!
Despite days of cold, driving rain, about fifty people drove under a sunless sky from as far as Maryland and North Carolina to visit the net zero prefab house.

David Day, LEED AP, came down from his green building practice in Charlottesville to speak, along with the contractor, Ron Bernaldo. We were all impressed with the depth and amount of questions from the attendees and look forward to our next prefab open house... coming up in April!

Attendees were able to see for themselves how, even without systems installed, the net zero passive solar green home is built to function- it was noticeably warmer inside the prefab vs. the icy rain outside; we even had to open windows.

Green Modern Kits has begun work on a new prefab green home in Colorado, and we are beginning several new projects which I will discuss further in the new year, so keep your eyes peeled on the Recent Projects page.

Our partner, Rainwater Management Solutions, is providing filtration for a 1 million gallon rainwater harvesting system at The Gates Foundation headquarters! Imagine what they could do for your prefab house kit!

Grace Street's sister company, 3north, was honored at the AIA's gala at the Center for Virginia Architecture in November, http://bit.ly/2GEYbt. You may recall Grace Street designed our two story prefab green home, The R1 Residential. 3north is also planning a new urban zone with hotels, a spa, and restaurants in Louisiana... all around a vibrant town square.

We have some important updates for you regarding more systems partners, to make your prefab house kit more easily net zero and off grid if you like. In approved states, it will reduce the size of your septic field, and enable your waste water systems process to be much more environmentally friendly. Coming soon.

Still curious about the next Virginia Prefab Open House? I will add more details later, but can tell you it will be the weekend of April 10th, to coincide with Appomattox History Weekend.

...And that's our Prefab Update!