Page 19 - Green Builder May-June 2017 Issue

Factory Built. Fully Customizable. Affordable.

CREDIT: ALIGN3D

Flex spaces. The living room and office space in this floor plan could be combined into a single great room.

No More; No Less Multi-Faceted Flexibility
Though still a small-footprint home, The Flex House, at 760 square Flexibility may well become the new buzzword when it comes to
feet, is significantly larger than The Arc House. The prototype desirable housing. With the changing architecture of families and
includes a master bedroom, smaller bedroom or office, bathroom, the workplace, house design that can accommodate changing needs
two living areas, a full kitchen and a flexible “niche” space. Despite will have an edge.
its high craftsmanship and customizable design, The Flex House was The Flex House is flexible on several fronts. The initial prototype
designed to be affordable. Mark Gautreaux, CEO of Shelter Dynamics, was designed to represent a “sweet spot” in square footage. But
estimates the base model will range from $85,000 to $100,000. More new modules—a “bedroom module” or “home office module,” for
than a tiny house, The Flex House represents a realistic alternative to example—can also be added to expand the home, should occupants’
today’s oversized homes—a solution that could work for any number needs change. A second-story module can serve as either an extra
of customers, from young millennial families to empty nesters. bedroom, office or “getaway” space.
While the size of the average American home keeps growing, The The Flex House also has another unique feature. When constructed
Flex House speaks to the concept of right-sized living, or using good in the factory, the floors are installed first, before the interior walls.
design to make the best use of every square foot. This way, the dwelling can accommodate any number of different
“We live big here in America, but at the same time there’s a growing customized floorplans and wall configurations, and construction can
awareness around resource conservation,” says Green Builder Media begin before the design is finalized.
®
CEO Sara Gutterman. “What I like about The Flex House is we’re Finally, The Flex House is aesthetically flexible.
not asking people to sacrifice; we’re just asking people to not use “Jim Gregory conceived of the idea of design flexibility, so that
any more than they need.” The Flex House can be adapted to any number of styles,” says

www.greenbuildermedia.com May/June 2017 GREEN BUILDER 17

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