Document Actions
The Backstory- to the Future!
Editorial Rating:
Reader Rating:
(
0 votes)
When Ron the builder broke the "bad news" to me that my two-story traditional modular house had hit a major snafu, I seized the opportunity to scrap the project altogether and start anew. I was shocked at my reaction; it's amazing how within a ten-minute period one can so readily/eagerly discard a piece of work that has been labored over for months. It just wasn't what I was about. By the end of my conversation with Ron the builder, I knew what I had to do.
BUT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A "MODERNIST"
Immediately I realized that I wanted to go modern. I had never been a "traditional" person, so why was I going to start now? I had complete creative control over my destiny, yet for some reason I did not step up to the plate with the house.
In some ways I feel like I was always a "modernist," but I just never quite had a name for it. I have always had a deep appreciation for conservation, recycling, etc. I have been a vegetarian for 16 years (the meat industry is one of the major polluters of the nation's drinkable water supply). I am a shameless Democrat and have been aghast at the negative impact on the environment conferred by the latest "regime." I detest SUVs. Having grown up in a McMansion development in suburbia, I had grown to hate "pseudo" architecture. I never liked frilly things or the ornate appearance of things. I always liked clean, simple, modern lines in everything- clothes, cars, furniture, etc. And moving to live in Manhattan, and getting to know people in the design and media fields, exposed me to a world of modern that I never quite knew about before while living in suburbia. It was an eye-opening experience for sure.
RESOLUTION 4
After some initial exploration around the web I somehow arrived at the Dwell Home competition website. And I instantly became very interested in the Dwell Home winner- the Resolution 4 house. After navigating through the Resolution 4 website, I became quite fascinated with the thought of building a house that seemed to be stackable like building blocks. And I assumed that it would be relatively inexpensive to produce because each "block" was a simple 14-foot wide box of varying length.
I called Ron the builder to discuss Resolution 4. The sobering reality was that he knew Resolution 4 very well. Very, very well. In a nutshell he was the one who helped Resolution 4 evaluate various modular manufacturers (mostly in Pennsylvania), so he knew that they would not come cheaply. And this is where I came up with my "brilliant" scheme. In my naivete, I figured, hey, who needs them anyway? I'll just take my existing two-story traditional design and put a Resolution 4 "skin" over it. I really liked their use of concrete (or hardiboard?) with wood siding, so I stole all of their design cues and produced this monstrosity, my first and last attempt at being an architect:
"Alternate text shown when the browser is unable to load the image":img:/Members/hejiranyc/fakeres4a
Needless to say, Ron the builder did not mince words- it was utter garbage. He said that he would call over to Resolution 4 to see if they were willing to give me a break on the design fee due to all of the pro bono work (evaluating modular builders) he had done for them in the past. With that flimsy possibility looming on the horizon, I optimistically continued to explore the Resolution 4 topologies to see what worked for me. Although the combinations were virtually endless and kind of fun to play around with, I came to realize that despite the novelty, it didn't seem like a particularly practical house, or a house that would be easy to live in. For example, the designs seemed to lack basic amenities like a laundry room, closets, utility rooms, and in most cases, a garage. And I wondered how such a house would withstand a hurricane, a major Nor'easter, or heavy snowfall. I'm certainly no engineer, but my gut told me that it probably wasn't the sturdiest of structures.
Still, I googled "Resolution 4A" to see if there were any other projects out there, and that search lead me to the fabprefab site. Eureka, I had hit the goldmine! It was just what I was looking for.
My enthusiasm waned a bit as I started clicking around the site to check out the various "fabzone" and "fablist" projects posted. A lot of them seemed to be strictly "science fiction" or case studies, rather than actual houses. However, buried in among the glass and cantilevered designs was a link to Nate Wieler's site (http://www.wielerhomes.com). I went there and pretty much decided then and there that I wanted to build the Greenbelt 2. I e-mailed a link to the Wieler Homes site to Ron the builder.
"GREENER" PASTURES
"I LOVE this!" Ron beamed on the telephone the next day. Because Wieler Homes was based out of North Carolina, I noted that it would be impractical for us to have the modulars built through Wieler. The costs would have been beyond prohibitive. Then we briefly discussed the notion of doing our own knock-off version. But the problem is that none of the local modular builders have ever built a house like this, and there would be huge costs and delays incurred through engineering and New York state approval (all modular houseplans in NY must be reviewed and approved by the state). And that is assuming that any modular company would be willing to take on such an unusual house made of such unusual materials (like polygal, EPDM, galvalume, etc.). Ron the builder assured me that it could be site-built using panelized components. But he said that he would get back to me later in the day.
Later in the day Ron called me to tell ask me how much I would be willing to pay for design work? I wasn't quite prepared for this. I knew what Resolution 4 would get, so I knew I didn't have money in my budget for those kinds of fees. I gave him a low-ball number. When I asked why he was asking this question, he replied that he was in the process of negotiating a design deal with Nate Wieler at Wieler Homes. He said that he would call me back later.
A few minutes later Ron called me to tell me that Wieler countered with a nominally higher sum, but the deal would include the following: a single license to build the design, the floorplans and elevations, hours of design consultation with Rapson Architects, and when my building permit is issued, a signed drawing of my customized house by Ralph Rapson himself. It was an offer I couldn't pass up. However, the catch to all of this is that I had to agree to allow the house to be photographed for promotional purposes after it is built. That was all fine and dandy.
HOW "GREEN" WAS MY GREENBELT
For some time Ron the builder had been working with the local Southampton building officials to convince them to accept foundation walls constructed from Super Walls (http://www.swhv.com), which are precast concrete panels that are craned into position at the job site. Since we were not working within the constraints of modulars I decided that I wanted to incorporate the concrete walls into the design of the Greenbelt 2. First and foremost, I have always loved the look of concrete in residential applications. But I also liked the notion of being able to leave it unfinished and never having to paint it or maintain it. It is also extremely durable, sustainable and extremely thick. However, my primary concern was whether the Rapsons (Ralph and Toby, his son) would be receptive to this idea. After all, here is the stock Greebelt 2 image from the Wieler Homes website:
"Alternate text shown when the browser is unable to load the image":img:/Members/hejiranyc/wieler
Anyway, I was very relieved to learn that they had actually considered precast concrete panels for the Greenbelt 2. Out of the blue, Toby sent me the following image that Ralph had sketched with the first floor of the Greenbelt 2 done in precast concrete panels, and the second floor finished with T&G cedar boards. In addition, he suggested the use of curved Kalwall or some other polycarbonate for a domed roof over the greenbelt. I'm not doing it (cost prohibitive), but it looks really neat! But I am definitely doing the semi-detached garage. Ralph felt that an attached garage would have appeared too "monolithic."
"Alternate text shown when the browser is unable to load the image":img:/Members/hejiranyc/rapson
STILL TO COME... THE FINAL CUSTOMIZED GREENBELT 2 PLANS...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Cite/Attribute Resource.
A find indeed!
Ron was literally the first (and last) builder to contact me. As before, I went with my gut. I never felt the need to shop around or evaluate other builders. Even without speaking about dollars or terms, I knew I was dealing with someone whose motive was not strictly financial; he obviously cared deeply about his work. And most significantly, he always maintained a can-do attitude, even where I was feeling somewhat unsure or pessmistic. And even though we've been through countless iterations of various ideas, he never felt like throwing in the towel.
By the way, he (and his business partner's) website is http://www.masterplanconstruction.com . His primary business is to build mansions, but it is a means to fuel his more creative endeavors like my house.
Modular here
..in Maine usually means double wides ;-) I think you've found the ideal solution, a modular builder who will adapt a modern plan. I hope when we are ready to build, I can do something along those lines. I love the Glidehouse and the iT house, but it would far be more expensive to get a prefab at this point, than to stickbuild the same design up here. Keep the posts coming - Cheers from a fellow proud Democrat
Panelization!
Thanks snowdog. In a way, one of my goals is to try to establish panelization as being an option that costs equal to or less than modularization. There is some more sitework, but the components are easier to ship, there's greater design flexibility and there are fewer regulatory hurdles to jump through. And ultimately, the owner/builder has the opportunity to monitor the construction at each step rather than being surprised by the semi-finished product at the end.
My lofty goal is to keep building costs at or below $110/sf. However, this assumes that I will be doing as much of the DIY aspects myself, such as painting, flooring, tiling, etc. If I survive all of that, I will have some money left over for my chiropractor!
You're probably right
especially in your case as you found a good builder. The Greenbelt is such a cool house, I hope you'll post pix here during the process.
SIP
If you are going panelized and you are in the NorthEast, you really should look into SIPs. You can't beat the insulation quality, and a 4.5" wall would have the same R-Value as a 2x6 stick-framed wall.
SIPs
Yes, I think SIPs are probably the best way to go for a lot of reasons. However, any time you try something "new," there is a certain degree of risk involved. Quite simply, there aren't a lot of builders who have had experiences building with SIPs (my builder included), let alone the electrical and plumbing trades. There is a lot of coordination and preplanning involved (dimensions, cutting wire chases, etc.) that one cannot truly understand unless he/she has worked with them before.
SIPs
Look into ThermoCore's products. ThermoCore.com. I'm working with them on a couple of projects now. They run 1/2" conduit in the panels, so electrical is a breeze. You HAVE to design the plumbing around the panels, as you can't run plumbing or vent stacks in the panels, but that is easy enough, assuming your plumber knows how to plumb a sink in a kitchen island. Thermocore erects their panels themselves, and have a very reasonable price to do so. They would make a great sub-contractor addition to any SIPs project.
You're on the right track!
It looks like the design process is really working for you - your house is evolving into something that will work well and look good. Keep refining it, and pay those good designers well - it well be so worth it in the long run!
FYI
This house was designed by Ralph Rapson, one of the last remaining mid-century masters. He designed one of the Case Study Houses (#4), also called the Greenbelt House, in 1945. Although unbuilt, the original Greenbelt is considered by many to be the most innovative of the Case Study Houses. We came very close to buying one of these updates (based on his entry to the Dwell House competition, but the roof pitch restrictions enforced by the city where our lot is made that impossible. Ralph actually did a few sketches of the house with various acceptable roof treatments, but they all were pretty horrible.
Should be Superior Walls not Super Walls
We found them hard to work with, but I still think they are great for foundations.
Depends on the set crew
Thanks for catching my typo. Apparently the success of the Superior Wall installation is largely dependent upon the experience/ability of the set crew. The crew that Ron the builder has used on another one of his houses seems to be quite good. So good (and reasonably priced) that he has hired them to frame the entire house. Of course I am hoping to have the same set crew next month, although if this weather keeps up, the ground may be frozen solid until March.
So how was your experience?
Ron the builder
Ron the builder sounds like a real find. You are so lucky to have found someone with an open mind and experience building modern...I don't know whether I missed the description of how you found him.