Hello everyone!
I am excited to announce that we will be starting our next project on August 18th! This project will be built in Southwest Michigan and we will once again be filming this project for weekly web-i-sodes and also as part of a pilot for television that showcases underground homes.
The project's name is: The Puddingstone Cottage Project, and the house is a true flat terrain earth shelter, with full berms on three of the four sides of the house. This is a system that I have designed and is part of a series of homes that we are designing and building that feature an earth shelter design in one way or another.
The Puddingstone Cottage Project will use Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) for all exterior walls and the retaining walls. There will be an entrance door and windows on the south facing wall of the house, which will be the only wall that does not have a full berm.
What is a Puddingstone? Is it possible to build a house from start to finish in just a few months? Can anyone install ICFs? Stay tuned to our videos and I will answer these questions and more each week...
I will post more information soon on this interesting and exciting project, stay tuned!
There are rumors going around that I am enrolled in a Masters Degree Program for Green Building...well, the rumors are true! I was accepted into the San Francisco Institute of Architecture earlier this year and have worked very efficiently to achieve one of my life goals. I will be finished with the program this week. What will I plan to do with my Masters of Science in Green Building Degree? For now, I will hang it on the wall.
The Masters Degree education has been a great compliment to my practical experience. I look forward to teaching soon and also to take my career to the next level..
More on the new project and degree coming soon.
All the best!
Adam
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
State of the State of Hybrid Homes
Greetings and happy 2014 to everyone!
I am happy to report that we have made a great move forward after taking 3 years off to build the world's largest off the grid Earth Shelter. One of my original reasons for taking the earth shelter project was to transition out of building, that is a true statement. I had reached a point that I was disgusted with the way things were going, I was disgusted with myself, and I felt like I was not living out my purpose anymore. I started building again because I felt there is still a need for someone to think outside of the box. Too many others have took only one step and are doing well enough to be comfortable and complacent..in so many words, I packed up our camp and set off for the unknown once again! I salute any of your who wonder what's over the next hill and actually set out to see! SALUTE!!
With that said, I made it known to the world through the book I wrote, 'Build Green, Make Green, Save Green' that I had built several types of homes and that I wanted to share that information with the world. I did not even think about the fact that we would be in almost every library in Michigan and in libraries all over the country. This exposure open us up to a nation wide market! Wow. So, writing the book was a great idea not only for spreading the word about green building, but also for our business.
I decided that we would start installing our own ICFs, and that turned out to be a great idea. We did not have the problems associated with other companies installing our ICFs. That part of the process went very well for us. So much so, that I have decided to invest more this year into our ICF part of the business, more on that in coming months.
2013 was a great year for meeting new people and creating working relationships with them. My decision to start designing houses has re-invigorated me. I have always loved to draw houses, now I get to draw them then build them! The process is so much more fluid. I will be investing in upgraded CAD software this year so the end product is 'tighter'. I am working with people all over the country now, so even thou we can't build the houses in other states (some day we will), I can still draw the houses and help the homeowners find the right companies to help them out!
This is a short message, or better yet, a more to the point message. Hybrid Homes and our design business is growing rapidly once again. I have the help of several people who are helping me to make the correct decisions to ensure we have positive growth and less liabilities. We will be actively recruiting people to work with us and for us. I am hoping to add more team members in 2014 and to slowly increase our workload.
I have openly made the statement that I do not know how much longer I want to build. That is a true statement. I have always wanted to be part of something special, and when the day comes that I no longer feel that way, then I will have to go on to my other purposes in life. That is not in the foreseeable future, as we have multiple projects that we are working on that are amazing in every way!
The state of the state of Hybrid Homes is good and growing..and after the road we have traveled, that is something to be proud of! Here's to another great year!
Thank you everyone for the support and if you are looking for something special in your home and/or the design of your home, email me and lets talk!
All the best!
AB
I am happy to report that we have made a great move forward after taking 3 years off to build the world's largest off the grid Earth Shelter. One of my original reasons for taking the earth shelter project was to transition out of building, that is a true statement. I had reached a point that I was disgusted with the way things were going, I was disgusted with myself, and I felt like I was not living out my purpose anymore. I started building again because I felt there is still a need for someone to think outside of the box. Too many others have took only one step and are doing well enough to be comfortable and complacent..in so many words, I packed up our camp and set off for the unknown once again! I salute any of your who wonder what's over the next hill and actually set out to see! SALUTE!!
With that said, I made it known to the world through the book I wrote, 'Build Green, Make Green, Save Green' that I had built several types of homes and that I wanted to share that information with the world. I did not even think about the fact that we would be in almost every library in Michigan and in libraries all over the country. This exposure open us up to a nation wide market! Wow. So, writing the book was a great idea not only for spreading the word about green building, but also for our business.
I decided that we would start installing our own ICFs, and that turned out to be a great idea. We did not have the problems associated with other companies installing our ICFs. That part of the process went very well for us. So much so, that I have decided to invest more this year into our ICF part of the business, more on that in coming months.
2013 was a great year for meeting new people and creating working relationships with them. My decision to start designing houses has re-invigorated me. I have always loved to draw houses, now I get to draw them then build them! The process is so much more fluid. I will be investing in upgraded CAD software this year so the end product is 'tighter'. I am working with people all over the country now, so even thou we can't build the houses in other states (some day we will), I can still draw the houses and help the homeowners find the right companies to help them out!
This is a short message, or better yet, a more to the point message. Hybrid Homes and our design business is growing rapidly once again. I have the help of several people who are helping me to make the correct decisions to ensure we have positive growth and less liabilities. We will be actively recruiting people to work with us and for us. I am hoping to add more team members in 2014 and to slowly increase our workload.
I have openly made the statement that I do not know how much longer I want to build. That is a true statement. I have always wanted to be part of something special, and when the day comes that I no longer feel that way, then I will have to go on to my other purposes in life. That is not in the foreseeable future, as we have multiple projects that we are working on that are amazing in every way!
The state of the state of Hybrid Homes is good and growing..and after the road we have traveled, that is something to be proud of! Here's to another great year!
Thank you everyone for the support and if you are looking for something special in your home and/or the design of your home, email me and lets talk!
All the best!
AB
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Hybrid Homes Expands its Services
I am excited to announce that Hybrid Homes has put a few more arrows into our quiver.
For the longest time, I had a problem with metal roofs, because I never met a company that did a great job installing metal roof. Recently, I made the call to hire a metal roof instructor to teach us how to install metal roofing because I really like metal roofs and have designed many homes that will have metal roofs. Once the word got out that we are installing metal roofs, the phone is ringing off the hook. We are currently booking up with installs of steel roofs for other builders and homeowners. What an exciting thing to get into! The metal roof industry has been ready for some new blood for many years, and here we are! We have a crew that will handle the metal roof installs, I hope that I am allowed to work on more metal roofs, because I think it is very fun and such a great skill set to have. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about our metal roof services..
Originally, Hybrid Homes built just ICF houses and installed all the ICFs for our projects ourselves until we got busy and had to hire outside installers to do our ICF work. Much like metal roofs, I was never perfectly happy with the work that was being done with regards to ICFs, so, I have made the decision (actually I made it last year) that we would invest in the equipment we needed to once again install our own ICFs. This has been a very important part of our business for many years, and to ensure that our reputation for high quality and our solid back bone in business continues at our high standards, we have a crew set up to install ICFs for us and for others too! We have been booked installing ICFs around the state and soon, we will start installing ICFs in other States also. If you are a homeowner looking to use ICFs, get in touch with me so we can talk! You will be amazed at what we will talk about!
Last year, I got really serious about designing homes for others. This part of the business has completely blown up for us. I am very happy about this! I love drawing houses and have been involved with and loving architecture since my very first architecture class over 20 years ago. I originally wanted to be an architect, but my young mind was wrapped around everything but architecture, so I took another route. Now, I get to draw houses again, and this time, I have the knowledge of building dozens of cutting edge houses, so the designs come easier than they ever have! Let me know if you need help getting an idea onto paper, we are never too busy to talk!
I have just started to discuss the possibility of a recruiting program. This program would be designed to find future stars for our company. I hope to find a handful of hardworking, passionate people who would like to learn an exciting trade. We would take our recruits through the building process and teach them not just how to do things, but why. More on this later, let me know if you know someone who would be interested in learning more about our recruiting..
It amuses me and concerns me greatly to see people writing about topics that they don't entirely know about. This has happened for as long as there has been a medium to write on. Remember, the world is flat conversation? The Internet is both good and bad, the bad part of the Internet, is that anyone can seem like an expert (a word I steer away from) by writing about topics. We are continuously learning with our design and build projects and it is very difficult to write about any topics without speaking about all sides of the story. I believe that comparing technologies, like I did in my book, can only be done by building them, seeing how they work, learning from each house, then improving on them. If I were asked what system is better to build with, ICFs, SIPs, Advanced Framing, Conventional Framing, Earth Shelter/Berming, Straw Bale, etc etc etc, My answer would be, "It depends". If you are writing about topics from within a tiny box, please understand that people read what you write and will see what you are writing as one sided and lacking in content. Please keep an open mind and realize that our job is to gather information from our customers and help them make educated decisions that help them to realize THEIR dreams, not ours.
There is more to cover, but that is for another post..
I hope everyone is doing great!
A B
For the longest time, I had a problem with metal roofs, because I never met a company that did a great job installing metal roof. Recently, I made the call to hire a metal roof instructor to teach us how to install metal roofing because I really like metal roofs and have designed many homes that will have metal roofs. Once the word got out that we are installing metal roofs, the phone is ringing off the hook. We are currently booking up with installs of steel roofs for other builders and homeowners. What an exciting thing to get into! The metal roof industry has been ready for some new blood for many years, and here we are! We have a crew that will handle the metal roof installs, I hope that I am allowed to work on more metal roofs, because I think it is very fun and such a great skill set to have. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about our metal roof services..
Originally, Hybrid Homes built just ICF houses and installed all the ICFs for our projects ourselves until we got busy and had to hire outside installers to do our ICF work. Much like metal roofs, I was never perfectly happy with the work that was being done with regards to ICFs, so, I have made the decision (actually I made it last year) that we would invest in the equipment we needed to once again install our own ICFs. This has been a very important part of our business for many years, and to ensure that our reputation for high quality and our solid back bone in business continues at our high standards, we have a crew set up to install ICFs for us and for others too! We have been booked installing ICFs around the state and soon, we will start installing ICFs in other States also. If you are a homeowner looking to use ICFs, get in touch with me so we can talk! You will be amazed at what we will talk about!
Last year, I got really serious about designing homes for others. This part of the business has completely blown up for us. I am very happy about this! I love drawing houses and have been involved with and loving architecture since my very first architecture class over 20 years ago. I originally wanted to be an architect, but my young mind was wrapped around everything but architecture, so I took another route. Now, I get to draw houses again, and this time, I have the knowledge of building dozens of cutting edge houses, so the designs come easier than they ever have! Let me know if you need help getting an idea onto paper, we are never too busy to talk!
I have just started to discuss the possibility of a recruiting program. This program would be designed to find future stars for our company. I hope to find a handful of hardworking, passionate people who would like to learn an exciting trade. We would take our recruits through the building process and teach them not just how to do things, but why. More on this later, let me know if you know someone who would be interested in learning more about our recruiting..
It amuses me and concerns me greatly to see people writing about topics that they don't entirely know about. This has happened for as long as there has been a medium to write on. Remember, the world is flat conversation? The Internet is both good and bad, the bad part of the Internet, is that anyone can seem like an expert (a word I steer away from) by writing about topics. We are continuously learning with our design and build projects and it is very difficult to write about any topics without speaking about all sides of the story. I believe that comparing technologies, like I did in my book, can only be done by building them, seeing how they work, learning from each house, then improving on them. If I were asked what system is better to build with, ICFs, SIPs, Advanced Framing, Conventional Framing, Earth Shelter/Berming, Straw Bale, etc etc etc, My answer would be, "It depends". If you are writing about topics from within a tiny box, please understand that people read what you write and will see what you are writing as one sided and lacking in content. Please keep an open mind and realize that our job is to gather information from our customers and help them make educated decisions that help them to realize THEIR dreams, not ours.
There is more to cover, but that is for another post..
I hope everyone is doing great!
A B
Sunday, August 4, 2013
The latest Birch Perch Project Video
If you have not seen the latest Birch Perch Project video, here is the link! This episode shows you what we have been up to. Currently, we are siding the house with cement board siding and getting ready to have the inside of the house drywalled! The project is moving right along!
https://vimeo.com/70726010
https://vimeo.com/70726010
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Green Unplugged
I am honored to announce that our Documentary "Sheltered: Underground and Off the Grid" has been accepted into the online film festival "Green Unplugged'. This global film festival reaches 60+ million viewers in over 3,900 cities and 230+ countries and territories around the world. More information coming, for now, this is the type of coverage we were hoping for to reach the entire world with the message to give more than you take and to use less energy.
I was contacted a few months ago by one of the people who put on this film festival to see if we would be willing to take part in this film festival. I jumped at the chance. I am excited to see the emails and messages from countries I never knew existed.
More information coming about this exciting opportunity
Adam
I was contacted a few months ago by one of the people who put on this film festival to see if we would be willing to take part in this film festival. I jumped at the chance. I am excited to see the emails and messages from countries I never knew existed.
More information coming about this exciting opportunity
Adam
Sunday, June 2, 2013
An international quote...
Greetings,
I have been asked to share a comment that I wrote to a senior official of an international group that is focusing on green building around the world. It is interesting to see how information is translated to other languages and cultures. I have held strong to my belief that we need to share information to create higher performance dwellings around the world. Even more than that, I have asked focus to be put upon the things that make the human race thrive: safe food, safe water, safe air quality, lower dependence on things like fossil fuels, etc.
Here is the quote...see what you think:
"...As with anything in life, there has to be someone who brings awareness that a problem exists. Once someone is aware of a problem or issue, they then can become more motivated to take action. Most people simply do not know, or worse yet, don't care that they or their dwellings are using extremely high amounts of energy! With the price of fuel sources going up, people from all over the world are now concerned about spending less on fuel. The 'green building craze' that is going on right now is a wonderful thing for prolonging our existence on this planet, but make no mistake, it is a very necessary thing for prolonging the time we have left using fossil fuel. We hope to leave for our future generations more than we took, but this is not possible at the current pace...
I have taught many classes on the history of building and in those classes, I talk about how civilizations built many thousands of years ago. They built on necessity and with what little resources they had back then. In the past 10 years, a city was discovered in Syria that is dated to over 6,000 years old and the buildings in the city were cited for passive solar (shading of the living areas during the hot months and allowing sun in during the cool months) and the buildings had cavity walls which helped to cool the dwellings during the hot days. That is simply amazing!! Why now are we applauded for using this technology that was used so many thousands of years ago? I believe that everything we need to know is written down somewhere, AND I believe that it is the responsibility of people like us to write down our findings and share those findings with future generations so that they can improve upon our findings. I take the primitive forms of these designs that archaeologists have found and use the technology of our age to improve upon the original ideas. Much like a song writer or musician will discover an ancient melody or ancient words and adapt those findings into a chart topping song! I believe it is detrimental to our world to hold onto information that can help our existence and livelihood as a specie. There should be no boundary such as competition, culture, etc. This applies only to Green Building, as what your topics are about. Everything else in this world needs to be handled by a higher power and is well beyond my knowledge or ability!!
Another great topic Ali, well done!
All the best!
Adam"
AB
I have been asked to share a comment that I wrote to a senior official of an international group that is focusing on green building around the world. It is interesting to see how information is translated to other languages and cultures. I have held strong to my belief that we need to share information to create higher performance dwellings around the world. Even more than that, I have asked focus to be put upon the things that make the human race thrive: safe food, safe water, safe air quality, lower dependence on things like fossil fuels, etc.
Here is the quote...see what you think:
"...As with anything in life, there has to be someone who brings awareness that a problem exists. Once someone is aware of a problem or issue, they then can become more motivated to take action. Most people simply do not know, or worse yet, don't care that they or their dwellings are using extremely high amounts of energy! With the price of fuel sources going up, people from all over the world are now concerned about spending less on fuel. The 'green building craze' that is going on right now is a wonderful thing for prolonging our existence on this planet, but make no mistake, it is a very necessary thing for prolonging the time we have left using fossil fuel. We hope to leave for our future generations more than we took, but this is not possible at the current pace...
I have taught many classes on the history of building and in those classes, I talk about how civilizations built many thousands of years ago. They built on necessity and with what little resources they had back then. In the past 10 years, a city was discovered in Syria that is dated to over 6,000 years old and the buildings in the city were cited for passive solar (shading of the living areas during the hot months and allowing sun in during the cool months) and the buildings had cavity walls which helped to cool the dwellings during the hot days. That is simply amazing!! Why now are we applauded for using this technology that was used so many thousands of years ago? I believe that everything we need to know is written down somewhere, AND I believe that it is the responsibility of people like us to write down our findings and share those findings with future generations so that they can improve upon our findings. I take the primitive forms of these designs that archaeologists have found and use the technology of our age to improve upon the original ideas. Much like a song writer or musician will discover an ancient melody or ancient words and adapt those findings into a chart topping song! I believe it is detrimental to our world to hold onto information that can help our existence and livelihood as a specie. There should be no boundary such as competition, culture, etc. This applies only to Green Building, as what your topics are about. Everything else in this world needs to be handled by a higher power and is well beyond my knowledge or ability!!
Another great topic Ali, well done!
All the best!
Adam"
AB
Saturday, June 1, 2013
From concept to reality...
Greetings!!!
As a big fan of marketing and trying to understand why people do what they do, I try to pay attention to 'tag lines' that companies choose to use. From concept to reality is one of those phrases that caught my attention, especially now that we design and build homes and other structures. When you are sitting at a computer and/or a drawing board, it can be difficult to understand exactly how room sizes and house placement can make or break a project. Taking a concept to reality can be a very rewarding process for everyone...it can also be a disappointing process if homeowners select the wrong people to work with...
We have had the pleasure to design and build multiple houses now. The dynamics are different in a design and build situation versus bringing a set of prints to a builder who seems to understand the grand vision. The difference I see is that every step is different now. When I design a house, I get to virtually build the house and go through changes multiple times, so that by the time we break ground, I understand the house and process so much more. Some builders/people may say, a house is a house and every house is built the same...that is when I would speak up and say that that is the difference right there! A house is not just a house! A house is a home to the individuals who live in them and they are as unique as the people who exist in them!
It is really amazing to design a house for a specific site, to go out and stake out the building site, and to make sure the house ends up looking like it grew right out of the ground. The design process can take several months, but when the excavators start and the building process begins, everything starts to make sense! I lead the team that builds each house that I design. Sometimes, the crew looks at me strangely because I say, 'Can't you see it?, Don't you understand that the house has to look like this?' To which someone on the crew will say, 'You're doing it again'. What I am doing is recalling the many, many hours of designing and drawings as I have had a unique, multi-angle view of the house we are building for several months prior to breaking ground. That is an incredible advantage! When we dig a hole for a foundation, that first scoop of dirt can have an effect on what something up on the roof would look like, or better yet, the view of the lake might not be as great if the foundation hole is not dug correctly!
I guess what I am getting at, is that having the leader of a team that has also developed the home plans, makes the building process go more smoothly and helps to dial the original ideas of the homeowners in. Most of the times, a designer will turn out a design that is a signature of theirs, and some people like that. It happens all the time. Issues can arise in that process, as the house is not tuned to the occupants energy, life style, and needs to thrive, it is tuned to getting the cover of a magazine or a design award. Those things help bring awareness to things and are great for marketing, but when the dust clears, the homeowners have to live in the home and that is when they start noticing the small things in their home that don't gel with their lifestyle.
If you follow me on Facebook, you will notice a daily picture of what we are building. This picture is taken from the same spot everyday so that the viewers can see our progress, and so that I can see how the house is shaping up versus the design an original ideas. Taking a concept to reality takes more than a crafty punch line, it takes commitment, strategy, passion, and empathy, among other things. What we design and build is intended to last forever and to give it's occupants an amazing, safe environment in which to thrive!
Enjoy your day and try to give more than you take today....
Adam
As a big fan of marketing and trying to understand why people do what they do, I try to pay attention to 'tag lines' that companies choose to use. From concept to reality is one of those phrases that caught my attention, especially now that we design and build homes and other structures. When you are sitting at a computer and/or a drawing board, it can be difficult to understand exactly how room sizes and house placement can make or break a project. Taking a concept to reality can be a very rewarding process for everyone...it can also be a disappointing process if homeowners select the wrong people to work with...
We have had the pleasure to design and build multiple houses now. The dynamics are different in a design and build situation versus bringing a set of prints to a builder who seems to understand the grand vision. The difference I see is that every step is different now. When I design a house, I get to virtually build the house and go through changes multiple times, so that by the time we break ground, I understand the house and process so much more. Some builders/people may say, a house is a house and every house is built the same...that is when I would speak up and say that that is the difference right there! A house is not just a house! A house is a home to the individuals who live in them and they are as unique as the people who exist in them!
It is really amazing to design a house for a specific site, to go out and stake out the building site, and to make sure the house ends up looking like it grew right out of the ground. The design process can take several months, but when the excavators start and the building process begins, everything starts to make sense! I lead the team that builds each house that I design. Sometimes, the crew looks at me strangely because I say, 'Can't you see it?, Don't you understand that the house has to look like this?' To which someone on the crew will say, 'You're doing it again'. What I am doing is recalling the many, many hours of designing and drawings as I have had a unique, multi-angle view of the house we are building for several months prior to breaking ground. That is an incredible advantage! When we dig a hole for a foundation, that first scoop of dirt can have an effect on what something up on the roof would look like, or better yet, the view of the lake might not be as great if the foundation hole is not dug correctly!
I guess what I am getting at, is that having the leader of a team that has also developed the home plans, makes the building process go more smoothly and helps to dial the original ideas of the homeowners in. Most of the times, a designer will turn out a design that is a signature of theirs, and some people like that. It happens all the time. Issues can arise in that process, as the house is not tuned to the occupants energy, life style, and needs to thrive, it is tuned to getting the cover of a magazine or a design award. Those things help bring awareness to things and are great for marketing, but when the dust clears, the homeowners have to live in the home and that is when they start noticing the small things in their home that don't gel with their lifestyle.
If you follow me on Facebook, you will notice a daily picture of what we are building. This picture is taken from the same spot everyday so that the viewers can see our progress, and so that I can see how the house is shaping up versus the design an original ideas. Taking a concept to reality takes more than a crafty punch line, it takes commitment, strategy, passion, and empathy, among other things. What we design and build is intended to last forever and to give it's occupants an amazing, safe environment in which to thrive!
Enjoy your day and try to give more than you take today....
Adam
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