Massachusetts EcoSteel Plat House update

Today we received a few new photos of the Massachusetts Plat House project from EcoSteel. It is far along from the last update we got and its amazing to see it all closed in with windows, looking very much like the Plat House.

Please click through to see a few more photos in a photo browser.

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Mass. EcoSteel Plat House - steel rising

The assembly of the frame has begun in earnest at the Massachusetts EcoSteel Plat House. More photos of the frame going up after the fold. With good access all around the house the work can be done with the all terrain fork lift, saving the expense of a crane.

Technorati Tags: 6030 House, 6040 House, ecosteel, modern design, modern house, prefab house

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Mass. EcoSteel Plat House - steel on site

Its time to build the house. All the steel pieces for the Massachusetts EcoSteel House arrived on site this week. We've watched these go up here before and they generally happen very fast. I'll be posting progress photos in the coming weeks as fast as I receive new photos so stay tuned! Here is the slab layout ready to receive the steel framing. The garage is in the foreground and the house beyond with the home office at the far end of the photo. More pictures in a photo browser below the link.

Technorati Tags: ecosteel, modern design, modern house, Plat House, prefab house

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Upcoming Project Round-Up

Things are going to start getting pretty interesting around here as several projects start to happen. Here is a quick round-up of what will be coming later this summer. Our first bona fide shipping container based project is well into the design phase with intrepid client John Unger. John is an adept metal artist and will be fitting out much of the house himself. 3 stories, 6 boxes, including a 2 bedroom home, office, and workshop. A complete and modern renovation to a Virginia Farm House. Yes, that is a big honking window in the side of the existing house and its going to take a bit of exposed structural steel hoonage to hold it up. Yup, and to hold up one of those sexy hanging fireplaces too. A new compact, and efficient EcoSteel house, should be going in the ground late summer in Maryland. This is the one I think, the one that has some legs, the promise of being anybodies affordable prefab. The new 3030 House: 30ft x 30ft plus porch footprint, just under 2000 sqft, 3 bedrooms, and a nice open plan living space. Fits on narrow in-fill lots, or in new compact communities. No onesies though. We want to sell these in bunches. And the Massachusetts EcoSteel Plat House which started last fall is rolling again. The steel order is in and due on site at the end of the month. So keep your eyes peeled for these projects coming soon.

Technorati Tags: ecosteel, modern design, modern house, Plat House, prefab house

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Mass. EcoSteel Plat House - foundation work proceeding

Just a quick update today on the EcoSteel Plat House project in Massachusetts. The digging is done and the footings have been poured. The vertical formwork is going in place. Without checking the code book I'm guessing we are looking at a 48" frost line up there so the footings are deeper than what we have seen on any of the other EcoSteel houses shown in our blog here. After the jump is the photo stream from Flickr. And for reference you will find more info on the EcoSteel system at http://www.ecosteel.com/

Technorati Tags: ecosteel, modern design, modern house, Plat House, prefab house

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Mass. EcoSteel Plat House - a new EcoSteel project

I am always happy to introduce a new project in the blog. It means things are getting built, that more modern houses are in the ground, and that we are getting somewhere. This time there is an extra dimension to it because this time it is the first project that is a mix of two worlds - the modern stock plan world of house designs I've been creating and selling for the past years, and the EcoSteel world where I been collaborating with Northern Steel, now EcoSteel, to create steel houses for the past few years. Its the first project to emerge from both efforts - an EcoSteel Plat House. At the outset of my collaboration with EcoSteel we endeavored to market several of my stock plans as EcoSteel solutions. It seemed like a great idea, the plans were already proving popular, and more than a few people were interested in having them in a pre-fab product. Eventually that seemed to give way to demand for customized solutions, but not before this project got under way. Never the less it is a highly modified Plat House. Here is a summary of some of the outstanding differences. First off we have an extended screened porch on one side of the house. There is also the elimination of the central doors in the living space as the screened porch to the side is the main outdoor living space. A semi detached garage will live to one side of the house connected by a covered walkway. This is joined by an entry door on the arrival side of the house - also a departure from the original. At the other far side of the house there is a library and home office which is connected by an enclosed conditioned walkway. So the Plat House here has really grown into a small compound of structures. And the work on site has begun. See a photo browser of the site work after the jump. The excavation was completed last week, and the formwork for the footings is almost all in place. Concrete should be place shortly. Again we are posting everything we receive from the owner to share with you here via a Flickr slide show. But be sure to check out all the EcoSteel projects in our Flickr set and the EcoSteel photo pool. Continue reading "Mass. EcoSteel Plat House - a new EcoSteel project"