Page 48 - Green Builder July-August 2017 Issue

SHOW STEALER

At PCBC in San Diego, The Flex House became the toast of the show
floor, winning high praise from both exhibitors and attendees.

BY MATT POWER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EACTION TO THE GREAT UNVEILING of The Flex 3. Power and Water. The presence of a Jinko solar array and
House in June surprised even the Shelter Dynamics complete Nexus graywater system also took visitors by surprise.
team that built it. As the follow-up to the previous Add in the water savings potential from the Rachio smart
year’s “The Arc House,” this design proved even irrigation system, and you have a truly “flexible” turnkey house
R more seductive. Even as we finished installing the with low impact on local infrastructure , with the potential for
last pieces of furniture and patching minor drywall dings, we had off-grid living as well.
other exhibitors and exhibition workers asking for an early tour. 4. Hard Cost. At an estimated $85,000 off the factory
By personally being on hand to answer questions and listen floor, trimmed, finished and ready for occupancy, the house
to comments from visitors, we learned a lot about which buyers immediately caught the imagination of several California
this type of project attracts, both on the pro and homeowner builder-developers. “How long to deliver 100?” one builder
sides. The article on the following pages will get into more detail asked. Many other would-be buyers made serious inquiries into
about design choices for The Flex House, but quickly, here are purchasing a unit. This is the prototype, however. Factory ramp
five things that really resonated with our first several hundred up isn’t likely to happen for a year or so.
visitors. 5. Affordable Luxury. Trimless windows, composite Mohawk
1. Big Impression. Almost universally, visitors would ask floors and the Neolith “sintered stone” countertops in the home
about the square footage of the house at the end of the tour. were carefully selected for their clean modern look, but they’re
When we told them 760 square feet, the response was almost budget busters. The ultra-modern cabinets in the kitchen were
always “Wow. It seems a lot bigger than that.” The high ceilings, off-the-shelf purchases. The overall feeling is custom and luxury,
radiused corners and U-shaped flow of the floorplan definitely but without the price tag.
contributed. Of course, it is the sum of The Flex House, not its individual CREDIT FOR ALL: GREEN BUILDER MEDIA/MATT POWER
2. R-40 Walls. For pros especially, who walk into The Flex parts, that that compelled many visitors to tells us “This is
House assuming it’s a built-to-code manufactured home, the the best thing at the show!” And the story doesn’t end here.
Bayseal closed-cell spray-foamed wall performance is an instant We intend to keep improving and tweaking the house for its
impression changer. This home is far more energy efficient than upcoming exhibition at both Solar Power International and the
a typical factory-built project. Consumer Electronics Show. GB

46 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2017 www.greenbuildermedia.com

46-53 GB 0717 Flex House.indd 46 7/28/17 10:47 AM