Unlike traditional stick-built wooden houses, Blu’s strong and durable steel frames make them suited for many high-wind areas, including the U.S. coastline now bracing for the impact of hurricane Earl.  On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, category 1 hurricanes have sustained winds of 74 – 95 mph and are capable of producing significant damage to homes, while category 5 hurricanes have sustained winds of more than 155 mph and are “catastrophic,” causing widespread destruction. Standard Blu and mkDesigns homes can currently withstand wind intensities of a category 3 hurricane, and can be engineered to withstand the devastating winds up to a category 5. (For a complete overview of The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, visit the National Hurricane Center website at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/sshws.pdf).

Blu’s team utilizes state of the art 3D modeling to assess each individual building site to determine its loading needs based on its location and ground topography, regardless of published wind loads. For extra protection, Blu’s homes can also be outfitted with high performance hurricane-resistant windows.

Blu Homes will deliver its first homes to St. Croix, in the Caribbean, in 2011, where hurricane-force wind concerns are high. Lorraine Soucy, COO of Indigo Island Homes and distributor of Blu|Homes in the Caribbean region, explains “We were excited to discover Blu|Homes, as their heavy duty framing system creates a safer haven for families on our island. Their proprietary steel framing system also allows us to ship inexpensively to the Caribbean, making these products an obvious choice for this environment.”

“Hurricanes can huff and puff but they won’t blow a Blu Home down!” said Maura McCarthy, co-founder and VP of sales & marketing. “With hurricane Earl around the corner, and storms Fiona and Gaston brewing in the tropics, Blu’s uniquely solid construction gives homeowners peace of mind during even the most extreme weather conditions.”

Visit the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml) or Stormpulse (http://www.stormpulse.com) to keep tab on current hurricanes.

About Blu

Blu Homes, Inc. has a variety of residential and commercial eco-friendly, green prefabricated home designs and has delivered homes to families and businesses across the U.S., from New York to the Colorado mountains and the California coast. With the application of Blu’s folding technology, mkDesigns are now available across the country, beginning with the Glidehouse. For more information on Blu Homes or mkDesigns , contact info@bluhomes.com, or visit www.bluhomes.comor www.mkd-arc.com.

As anyone who lives on the coast can tell you, hurricanes are intense. Just how intense is measured by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale which classifies hurricanes into 5 general categories – with category 1 (often written as H1) being least intense and category 5, most – based on the observed or estimated maximum wind speed.

To give you a sense, on the “low end” of the scale, category 1 hurricanes have sustained winds of 74 – 95 mph and are capable of producing significant damage to windows, roof shingles, gutters, siding and porch coverings and can uproot shallow trees. On the other end of the scale, Category 5 storms have sustained winds of over 155 mph and can only be described as “catastrophic” with high rates of injury and death and widespread destruction to homes, buildings and societal infrastructures. For a complete overview of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, visit the National Hurricane Center website at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/sshws.pdf.

As coastal dwellers, we at Blu are keenly aware of the wrath that hurricanes bring and the worry and stress they cause homeowners eager to protect their families and their property.

Blu home products are designed and engineered with extreme weather conditions in mind.

Built with specialized, unique structural steel framing, our standard Blu and mkDesigns homes are engineered to withstand wind loads of up to 120 mph – this is the mid-range of a category 3 hurricane – and can be custom engineered to withstand wind loads of up to 180 mph! In addition, our homes can be outfitted with high performance hurricane resistant windows, if the homeowner chooses this option.

When you build with Blu, we look at each individual site to determine what its loading needs are based on its location and ground topography, regardless of what the published wind loads state. In this way, you could say that our homes are “over-engineered.” But given the fluctuating rhythms of the earth and changes in weather patterns, our strong frames provide homeowners with the reassurance of knowing that their investment will be protected, no matter which way the wind blows.

And on that note, if any of you are storm chasers like us, check out the Stormpulse website – http://www.stormpulse.com – to see what’s brewing in the Pacific and Atlantic. It seems like it’s going to be a busy season!

Blu Homes continues to dominate the green prefab world.  Today the company announced the relaunch of Glidehouse, a gorgeous home originally made famous by Michelle Kaufmann.  Glidehouse will be available nationally and built in Blu’s own factory using the company’s proprietary steel and wood framing system.  The new Glidehouse retains all of the signature features of the old design and can be purchased for $360,000+.

When constructed, Glidehouse will be airtight, energy efficient, and built to the standards of the American Lung Association Healthy House program.  More specifically, green elements include no-VOC paints, dual-pane windows and doors, FSC certified woods, bamboo flooring, PaperStone countertops, etc. 

Massive window walls give Glidehouse fabulous panoramic views, while retractable cedar sunshades can be used to filter light and air as needed. 

The home is available with 2-4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, and anywhere from 1,632-2,244 square feet.  Moreover, an optional pod is available from $75,000. 

Pricing includes the house, standard materials and finishes, delivery, set up, and finish work by Blu Homes.  Pricing does not include permits, excavation, foundation, finish painting, outdoor elements, and some engineering aspects. 

“The Glidehouse is an elegant and innovative green design, and we are delighted to offer this spectacular home,” said Bill Haney, CEO of Blu Homes, Inc. “Artfully harmonizing indoor and outdoor living, the Glidehouse truly proves that sustainability can be both beautiful and cost-effective.”

Starting at $360,000, the Glidehouse is designed for clean, green, contemporary living. Using the most modern and environmentally friendly building methods and materials, the Glidehouse is now constructed entirely in Blu’s state-of-the-art 80,000 square-foot Massachusetts factory. The Glidehouse is now also built with Blu’s proprietary steel and wood hybrid framing, making it more spacious than ever before, able to handle the most challenging weather conditions and quickly and conveniently completed on site. Available with two or three bedrooms and two full baths, and with optional features including additional bedrooms, carports, garages and fireplaces, the Glidehouse brings custom-home beauty and features to prefab in this single floor home.

Glidehouse signature features are:

• Sleek storage bars to keep clutter at bay
• Breathtaking, energy-efficient glass “walls” that create panoramic views
• Extraordinarily wide, open and spacious rooms
• Clever window placement to draw in fresh air and natural light
• Exquisite cedar sunshades, and other optional extras, that allow for desired light and air flow

Healthy and efficient for green and affordable living

This high performance home is airtight, energy efficient, and built in a controlled factory environment to maintain the highest construction standards. In addition, non-VOC paints, clean and beautiful glazing like Andersen® or NanaWall® windows and doors, FSC certified wood and bamboo flooring, water-saving fixtures by Kohler®, and Paperstone countertops are a few of the high-quality, eco-friendly finishes the Glidehouse features.

The Glidehouse also uses water-saving plumbing fixtures, on-demand water heaters, and a mechanical ventilation system that is significantly more efficient than typical forced-air systems. Optional radiant hot water flooring is the standard for colder climates.

The Glidehouse meets the Energy Star® program standards for energy efficient homes and the performance standards of the American Lung Association Health House program. Blu can work with your local green rating program, as well.

Each Glidehouse home is solar ready. Other renewable energy systems such as geothermal, wind generator or hybrid systems can also be added to your Glidehouse design.

Blu Homes’ advantaged business model

Blu is a team of architects, designers, engineers, construction professionals and business folks working to build the highest quality, beautiful green homes. We design and engineer our homes ourselves, then build in our own factory and ship to you. Blu employees then come to your site to finish your home on your foundation, offering unmatched service to ensure your satisfaction. With this full range of control, Blu can offer a guaranteed price as well as free architectural consultation on customizing your Blu home.

If you are interested in owning your own Glidehouse home, please contact us at info@bluhomes.com.

When: Sunday, August 8

Informational Seminar: 10 a.m. – 12 noon, Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hall of Fame Ave., Springfield, Mass.

Factory Open House & Tour: 12 noon – 4 p.m., 330 Chestnut St, East Longmeadow, Mass.

Come and you will:

• See two Blu│Element homes in the building process
• Get a first-hand look at our cutting-edge folding technology
• Meet members of our vibrant team and get all of your questions answered!

Please RSVP to events@bluhomes.com if you plan to join us – and please let us know if you will be attending the informational seminar or open house – or both!

Stay tuned for West Coast events coming soon!

Every MKD home is solar ready and is designed to take maximum advantage of solar energy. Should you decide to include a solar system in your home design, we will work with you and our consultant to design and install your solar system. We also orient your home on your site for optimal solar orientation.

Because every delivery is different, the actual delivery and installation charges will be estimated early in your process.

The good news is that all MKD homes are built using our proprietary folding technology which allows us to ship for far less than a traditional modular home, saving you money!