Upon entry, one realizes how thin this building is; the other wall is right in front of you. There is a large mudroom with bench to put all the stuff that invariably comes with cottages and kids.
Continue reading "Muskoka Modern: First Pictures, Interior" »
The lakeside view is almost entirely glass; the balconies were added on site. Architect Martin Kohn of Kohn Shnier designed the building as a sixteen foot deep (maximum module width) wall with every room facing the lake. Because of the grading, he placed the bedrooms on the lower level and the living spaces up on top (This makes a lot of sense in a cottage, where one comes up from swimming and has to change)
Continue reading "Muskoka Modern: First Pictures, Exterior" »
Pictures of installation will be posted on Monday.
That is the term for getting all of the modules outside. Normally they would be completely done and ready to ship, but there are still a few small steps to go.
The last unit is wrapped and ready to go outside.
The modules are stacking up outside, tarped over and ready to go.
We missed yesterday so we are picking up a day later, with the EPDM roofs being installed in the plant. You can see how the excess is draped over the parapet, so that only a cap flashing is needed.
Units are stacking up outside as they are finished. Interior sliding doors and trom are being installed and the walls are being sanded and finished.
After everything else is done in the module, the engineered ash floor is installed. Note how a reveal was left under the ash plywood walls to let the flooring slip under, to minimize the requirement for baseboard that normally covers the ends.
Not a great deal new today, you can see here a corner of an interior with a heat recovery ventilator outlet, ash panelling and waiting for the floor. Note how clean the floor is compared to normal subfloors- it has never been exposed to moisture.
The completed units are beginning to pile up outside, sealed and taped as inside work is finished.
We don't have any pictures from Day 10, our photographer must have taken the day off. Here is an almost completed unit, windows and zinc backer installed.
Continue reading "Day 11: from framing to finish, visible on one day" »
Once the aluminum doors are installed, the units are moved outside; it is July and warm, and there is a lot more light to ensure that the interior work is done perfectly. Inside, the installation of the ash plywood continues.
The interiors are lined with ash plywood throughout, which does not have the forgiveness of drywall and must be installed very carefully, particularly since the idea is to have no trim or casing whatsoever.
On the road side, aluminum windows run full height from floor to ceiling. This presented a problem at first, as Royal usually makes the entire wall in one panel. Here, we left the bottom and top plate until the wall was in place, and cut them out after the wall was fastened down.
It is beginning to look like a house. Interior walls are in, cross-strapping on ceiling, electrical rough-in are proceeding. Green stuff on the exterior is special backing for the zinc cladding.
This radiant heating is really complex! The complicated pattern is based on the need to double every line back on itself (or one end would be cooler than the other) and to get the heat near the exterior where you need it. Lets hope there are no nails through it when the subfloor goes down!
The walls are going up and you can see a real module here, complete with x-bracing where the large openings are and the casters, the steel tracks in the floor, but our real preoccupation is the radiant flooring.
As floor assemblies are finished and the subfloor is installed, they are lifted up and slid lengthwise over to the electrical wiring bay. Here electricians of appropriate height can reach up and do all of the underfloor wiring.
Here is the floor of a module, sitting on the jig. We are limited by code from building more than 16 feet wide, and by our factory and transport limitations to more than 62 feet long, but for this project we are using shorter modules to make them easier to maneuver on the roads.
Now that it is public (in John Bentley May's column in the Globe and Mail) we are proud to show our first pictures of the Modern cottage designed by Martin Kohn of Kohn Shnier Architects, who also designed the Q series. It is designed to house two active families with lots of kids, in a "French farmhouse" plan where the bedrooms are downstairs and the living spaces up. The lake side, shown here, is entirely glass in aluminum sliding frames, with continuous balconies on both levels. The sides and road elevation are clad in zinc, and it is topped off with a green roof.
It is the last show of the season, and I think the most exciting: Cottage Life, Friday through Sunday. For details see Cottage Life
Royal Homes is at the International Home Show at the International Centre over the Thanksgiving weekend. There are some interesting things there this year, including an area called "Green Street" with a lot of ideas for building a more sustainable home. Next up: Cottage Life.
Last year english musician Alan Gubby was googling around looking for a cover for his new track "Prefab Trad" and tripped over Royal Homes. He asked if he could use one of our drawings (from the unbuilt Urban Modern design) for its cover and of course we were honoured. He sent us a copy (real vinyl!)- " It's a funky, futuristic mix reminiscent of Miles Davis, Cabaret Voltaire, Quantic & Mike Paradinas".The DJ's in London love it- "Into Prefab Trad in a big way - a really dope swinging muvver! Very versatile & a good tempo if I want to flip from broken beat to jazz. Tops man !" -Diesler / Tru Thoughts , UK... available from Nanny Tango
One of our favourite websites is Inhabitat, which shows many of the new prefab designs and building ideas. They have been running a series recently on the new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for housing. However, where LEED is dry and boring, Inhabitat makes it clear and comprehensible. The great thing about this week's chapter on energy and atmosphere is how relevant it is to Royal Homes- We insulate, we use good air barriers, low e glass and install heat recovery ventilators in almost every house. Take note of the first section on how you take advantage of your site for passive heating and cooling and you can have it all. Read more at Inhabitat
Read a wonderful article by an experienced carpenter about the problems of conventional construction and the need for change in the industry. "
The incredible surprise is this: Still
today, we erect the frame of a house without any acknowledgment of what
happens next. We open the structure to a free-for-all with as many as a
dozen subcontractors wielding Sawzalls and drills, all vying to get
there first to ensure that they have enough space to get their work
done. After that, we stuff insulation around all the wires and pipes
and between the structural members. (These wires, pipes, and studs
compromise the performance of the insulation, while the insulation has
the potential to trap moisture, putting the durability of the structure
at risk.) Finally, we cover the whole entangled mess with finishes in a
blind hope that nobody will want to make any changes and that nothing
bad will happen in there.
This isn't a system; it's a
bad habit. The process locks in all initial decisions and makes both
short-term and long-term needs for change a nightmare of demolition and
reconstruction. It was good in its time, but it's dysfunctional now." read Fine Homebuilding
Read a Wall Street Journal article about how people are turning to smaller homes like Royal's Q series. "Designers say microhome buyers tend to fall into one of two groups: The majority are looking for a secondary space, either a vacation home or a building near or attached to a primary residence. A minority of buyers are hoping to move into a minihouse full-time, motivated by a desire to simplify their lifestyles or by social and environmental concerns about the amount of living space people need." Wall Street Journal
We have mentioned the exhibition of the Glide House at the National Building Museum in Washington; Laura Bush dropped by to preview it and meet architect Michelle Kaufman. (Michelle is the tall one). The Green House
John Bentley Mays has written many articles about prefab, "and the fascination prefab holds for some contemporary architects." In an article in the Globe and Mail, he discusses comments from Toronto architect Graham Smith of Altius Architecture in which which he criticizes prefab. read the article here and our response to it below.
