Connect:Homes 2.0 Is a Contemporary Customizable and Sustainable Prefabricated Home!

<a href="http://www.connect-homes.com/">Connect:Homes</a> seeks to transform contemporary prefabricated homes, and based on how the company’s <a href="http://www.jetsongreen.com/2012/06/connect-homes-prefab-dwell-design-perera.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+jetson_green+(Jetson+Green)&amp;utm_content=Google+Reader">debut at Dwell on Design</a> went last weekend in Los Angeles, the company is sure on its way with the fantastic Connect 2.0. <a href="http://www.connect-homes.com/about/company">The company’s founders</a> chose DOD to launch their company, and so far they have impressed us with this responsibly built and <a href="http://www.connect-homes.com/about/process">customizable</a> home that could work as a studio, guest house, or even a vacation home.

In a globalized, industrialized economy, housing is arguably the last remaining industry that is still completely localized. But Connect:Homes products can be shipped around the world.

One huge challenge many prefabricated house manufacturers face are the permitting requirements that send the shipping costs of their homes to astronomical levels. The Connect 2.0’s assembly also does not require a 200 to 400 ton crane for install. The base price of the home for now is $105,000.

First, Connect:Home's founders took a step back and looked at the conventional home building industry, which they also spent many years working within. The realized prefab homes needed to be shipped more efficiently and cheaply.

Recycled glass also plays a big part in the house’s content: glass tiles made from 80 percent post consumer glass are in the kitchen while countertops in the bathrooms are molded from a similar material.

Water saving features add to the house’s efficiency. Low flow faucets reduce water waste and the dishwasher only uses 3.8 gallons per cycle compared to the seven to 10 gallons that conventional appliances use.

The interior’s soft colors are in part the result of the sustainable materials used on the floors and walls. Bamboo flooring that are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified are on the inside while the outdoor deck is built out of FSC-sourced cedar. And the primers and paints are all non-VOC.

The Connect 2.0 also scores plenty of natural light. Dual glazed windows allows sunlight to filter in but keeps out the heat.

That same roof has a solar reflex index (SRI) of 107 and reflects 90 percent of the light that shines on it. The composite material comprising the roof is 100 percent recyclable and was attached to the home with a no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) adhesive.

The 640 square foot home packs in a bevy of green building features. Starting on the exterior, a rain water capturing system harvests rain water from the roof for landscape irrigation.

According to Connect:Homes co-founder Gordon Stott, the most important difference their prefabricated houses offer is the ease of shipping. The Connect 2.0’s design allows for it to be tucked into a standard shipping container and be sent anywhere in the world at a low cost.