PREFAB FRIDAY: Blu Homes

We've long been fans of architect <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/michelle-kaufmann/">Michelle Kaufmann</a>'s iconic <a href="http://inhabitat.com/blu-homes-updating-iconic-breezehouse-to-be-2012-sunset-idea-house/">Breezehouse</a> prefab home ever since we first <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sunset-breezehouse/">wrote about it back in 2005</a> (yes, we're getting old). The Breezehouse was one of Kaufmann's groundbreaking modern green prefab homes that helped generate interest and momentum in the prefab movement in the past decade. Kaufmann eventually <a href="http://inhabitat.com/breaking-news-blu-homes-acquires-michelle-kaufman-prefab-designs/">sold her company and her home designs</a> to prefab manufacturer <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/blu-homes/">Blu Homes</a> in 2009, and they've been <a href="http://inhabitat.com/blu-homes-updating-iconic-breezehouse-to-be-2012-sunset-idea-house/">expanding on Michelle's original vision</a> in the past few years by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/next-generation-sunset-breezehouse-opens-to-the-public-for-tours-this-week/">re-engineering the California designed home</a> to function in cold east coast climates, due to demand from East Coast homeowners. Now, we're thrilled to report that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/blu-homes-updating-iconic-breezehouse-to-be-2012-sunset-idea-house/">Blu Homes</a> just opened the first ever <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/projects/featured-developments/copake-new-york/">Breezehouse on the East Coast</a>, in an upstate New York town called <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/projects/featured-developments/copake-new-york/">Copake</a>.

This weekend we got the chance to tour the <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/projects/featured-developments/copake-new-york/">brand new home</a>, located in picturesque <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/projects/featured-developments/copake-new-york/">Copake</a>, which is near the Hudson Valley, and the city of Hudson in upstate New York. This gorgeous new green prefab house is the model home for an innovative new <a href="http://inhabitat.com/waterfront-ijdock-mixed-use-complex-nearing-completion-in-amsterdam/">eco-development</a> that consists of 12 sites with stunning views overlooking the Berkshires. With the spirit of California modern, together with the intention to create a space that melds the indoors with the outdoors and some high-tech precision engineering, the Breezhouse creates an elegant and harmonious connection between the occupant and inimitable natural surroundings, and saves a pretty penny on energy with a host of high tech green systems. Scroll through the gallery to see our exclusive photos of the stunning design.

Local developer Neil Costa partnered with <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/">Blu Homes</a> and conservancy groups to sustainably develop the project, which is part of 12 sites, ranging from 6.8 to 24 acres, set amid woods, streams and ponds.

Measuring 2,420 square-feet, the three-bedroom, three-bath <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/projects/featured-developments/copake-new-york/">Breezehouse</a> boasts 14 foot walls and an open floor plan that allows for a spacious,<a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-cobble-hills-newest-leed-gold-condos-up-for-sale-we-tour-the-brooklyn-digs/"> light-filled rooms</a>. 

In addition to eco-friendly fixtures and and non-toxic finishes, the home also boasts built-in cabinetry built from beautiful, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/elegant-wine-boxes-constructed-from-canadian-fsc-forested-wood/">sustainably forested woods</a>. Maximizing energy efficiency where possible was also of the utmost importance, and the home uses high-performance materials and systems to keep the interior climate comfortable and reduce monthly energy costs - including super comfortable and toasty radiant floor heating!

Each of the four interior corners of the <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/homes/breezehouse/#http://www.bluhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/br-p-CA-11-0029-ext-001-590x443.jpg">Breezehouse</a> wings features glass doors that open onto the front and back courtyards to increase natural light and airflow to the kitchen and bedrooms. Pulling in the outside landscape of the Hudson River Valley and making it a part of the interior aesthetic is at the heart of the Breezehouse's design.

The <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/homes/breezehouse/#http://www.bluhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/br-p-CA-11-0029-ext-001-590x443.jpg">Breezehouse</a>'s structural recycled steel framing and advanced building science make it possible for the home to withstand <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2012-was-the-hottest-year-ever-for-the-contiguous-united-states/">extreme weather conditions</a>, including high snow loads and wind gusts of up to 110 mph — the house is pretty much suited for any environment in the US.

All Blu Homes are <a href="http://new.usgbc.org/">LEED Silver certifiable</a> upon leaving the factory and are solar-power-ready. They can even be setup to achieve <a href="http://inhabitat.com/national-institute-of-standards-and-technologys-net-zero-energy-test-house-is-inhabited-by-a-virtual-family/">net zero energy</a> status, Energy Star rating and higher LEED certifications.

Like all pre-manufactured <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/">Blu Homes</a>, the <a href="http://www.bluhomes.com/homes/breezehouse/#http://www.bluhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/br-p-CA-11-0029-ext-001-590x443.jpg">Breezehouse</a> was built in the company’s state-of-the-art Vallejo, CA factory in approximately eight weeks, transported by truck across country and then “unfolded” on site.

The factory assembly makes for a super-tight, precision built house, and when I visited the house, I could tell how well made it was by how warm and toasty the home was (even with all that glass) on a 15 degree Fahrenheit day.

Blu Homes Breezehouse, Living Room

Copake Breezehouse baby room

Copake Breezehouse dining room

Copake Breezehouse kid's bedroom

Copake Breezehouse master bedroom

Copake Breezehouse bathroom

Copake Breezehouse bedroom

Blu Homes Breezehouse housing plan

Blu Homes' floor plan

Copake Breezehouse deck

Copake Breezehouse side angle

Blu Homes Breezehouse in Copake, NY

Blu Homes Breezehouse in Copake, NY

Blu Homes Breezehouse in Copake, NY

Blu Homes Breezehouse in snowy Copake, NY

Blu Homes Breezehouse in Copake, NY

Blu Homes Breezehouse in Copake, NY