In terms of aesthetics, the new Glidehouse is essentially the same – it has a similar floorplan and layout, with a beautiful floor-to-ceiling glass facade, cedar sunshades, solar-passive design and the same clean lines and contemporary flair. The factors that have changed in the Glidehouse 2.0 are the prefab’s basic dimensions and manufacturing process. One complaint about the first incarnation of the Glidehouse was its narrow floorplan, so Blu updated the dimensions and made the rooms wider. With the Blu system, the rooms in the home can be more customized and allow for 2-4 bedrooms, 2-3 full baths and an additional office or bonus space.
Blu also adapted the factory-built house to conform to their folding technology. This means that the whole prefab can be manufactured in a factory and then folded up for transportation to the home’s site. Upon arrival, a specialized team unfolds the home and reassembles it in just a matter of days. They haven’t built a new Glidehouse yet, so these pictures are from the original version, but considering the popularity of the design before, we expect to see some finished projects soon.
The Glidehouse takes advantage of a ton of green building strategies and is designed to meet ENERGY STAR standards for energy efficiency and performance as well as the American Lung Association Health House program — it could even hit LEED certification as well if the client wanted. The homes come ready for photovoltaics or a solar thermal system and include spray foam insulation, energy-efficient windows, non-toxic paints and finishes and water-efficient fixtures. As always, customization is possible, although the basic model starts out at $360,000 and the optional pod starts at $75,000 — sadly, the price hasn’t gone down.
Last year a shock went through the prefab world when Michelle Kaufmann had to close the doors on her famous prefab home design company. Then almost a year ago, up-and-comer, Blu Homes, bought the rights to mK’s designs and gained her expertise for a in
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The new Glidehouse is an updated version of Michelle Kaufmann’s original. The new design is notably wider than the original.
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Blu Homes also adapted the design to conform to their steel and wood hybrid frame and folding technology so it could be manufactured in their factory and delivered more efficiently.
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Blu Homes under the mK Designs brand has just unveiled the updated plans. They have yet to construct a new Glidehouse, but given the popularity of mK’s designs, it likely won’t be long before they are popping these out of their Massachusetts factory.
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The Glidehouse still retains many of the original qualities that made it so popular, including the breezy open feel, floor-to-ceiling energy-efficient windows, cedar shading louvers on the front, solar passive design and the contemporary flair inside.
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Large storage compartments on the inner walls provide tons of built-in storage, so home owners can store away their things while leaving the space open and uncluttered.
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Available with two or three bedrooms and two full baths, the prefab also offers options such as additional bedrooms, carports, garages and fireplaces.
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Consider the update as Glidehouse 2.0 — it’s a better and bigger version of the original classic.
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In the new design, Blu thought it was important to widen the rooms a bit to provide a more spacious feel. Those few extra feet will make a huge difference.
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The standard model comes with two bedrooms and two full baths plus a small office space and starts at $360,000.
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The interior of the home can be altered to provide additional office or closet space or stairs to a lower level or garage.
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An extra pod or studio space can be added to the design and located next to the main house. This could be used as an office, studio, bedroom or living space.
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Blu Homes has worked to design all their homes to high energy efficiency standards — their homes generally use 50-60% less energy than the average home.
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The Glidehouse features a ton of green features and meets ENERGY STAR standards for energy efficiency and performance as well as the American Lung Association Health House standards. The home could also be LEED certified or powered by solar panels if
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