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Country Lifehome garden LOS ANGELES (MCT) — The low-slung structure tucked among the unearthly boulders of Joshua Tree looks vaguely like many other modern prefab homes from the last decade — streamlined sil- houette, eco-chic materi- als, indoor-outdoor appeal — but with one key differ- ence. It has Mickey Mouse in its corner. gloved figurine sitting in the front window is the first — and during a recent sneak peek, the only — hint the owner is Tim Dis- ney, great-nephew of Walt and a prefab believer. Dis- ney is a board member and investor in prefab builder Blu Homes, and the Joshua Tree house, to be opened to the public for the first time Sept. 15, is Blu's first in Southern Cal- ifornia. It's also part of the company's national push to fulfill prefab's decades- long promise of modern, efficient, affordable hous- es for the masses. Many have tried before. A line of prefab houses branded with the Dwell name and promoted in the popular magazine stopped production in 2008. Michelle Kaufmann, a well-regarded Bay Area architect whose smart designs have been used as Sunset magazine show houses, shut down her pre- fab business in 2009. Oth- ers who have stayed in the prefab game have been largely focused on the high end of the market — prefab houses that are so large and so highly cus- tomized, they cost as much as architect-designed dream homes. "It's a great idea that's been around for a long time, but no one has really cracked it," Disney said. But with the housing A globe-eared, white- market showing inklings of a recovery, earlier this year The Times reported on another prefab design: the C6, touted as an affordable modern offer- ing from the Santa Moni- ca, Calif., company Liv- ingHomes. For its part, Blu Homes has moved its manufacturing facility from Massachusetts to Vallejo, Calif., and raised next summer? Here's what you'll get for your money. Not bad: custom add- ons sales down nearly 75 per- cent last year from their 2004 peak, the industry is pushing pool owners to add fancy extras like cas- cading fountains (around $1,500 each) and decora- tive water jets that cost $8,000 or so. For audio- phile swimmers, there are underwater speakers that sync with an outdoor stereo so the music does- n't stop when you dive under. With inground pool Looking to cool down & Ahouse with some assembly required Top 5 ways to become efficient MCT photo A scenic view of Joshua Tree is viewed from the site-built wood frame-living room connector, which connects two 48-feet long, 20- feet wide, 10-feet high tubular steel prefab modules at Tim Disney's Joshua Tree prefab weekend retreat house. $37.5 million in capital investment to continue preaching the prefab gospel. factory, transported by truck, craned into place and bolted together have long promised reduced construction waste, faster completion time, better quality control and limited exposure to the elements (and thus less threat of mold and weather-weak- ened materials). What has changed to make Disney believe that Blu can suc- ceed in a way that others have not? Houses constructed in a market created opportuni- ty," Disney said, adding that a backlash against overly large, inefficient and costly McMansions has spurred many people to consider the merits of more modest, scaled- down, efficient homes. "There are all sorts of sociological studies that show people don't feel comfortable in big open spaces," he said, laughing. "Seriously, it's more rational to live in manage- able spaces — less dis- tance to walk from room to room, less cleaning, less energy. It just makes more sense." The Joshua Tree house First, timing. "The downturn in the cealed under tile, terraces or even dance floors. Press a button, and the floor lowers to the desired depth and automatically fills with an underground cache of pool water. So far, residential hidden pools are most common in also stands apart in that it's built of steel-framed mod- ules that can fold for trans- port and unfold on site. The proprietary design means the company can expand the envelope of the building, allowing for wider and taller rooms to be transported on standard shipping-container trucks. "The ceiling height is substantially higher, and there are a lot of windows, so it feels large, bright and airy," Disney said. "The Blu homes are relatively small, but the ceiling height changes one's per- ception of space." Blu has six architectur- al models, each available in different sizes and con- figurations, with a palette of fixtures and finishes. Prices for design consulta- tion, construction and installation start at $125,000 for a 432- square-foot studio with fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, and rise to more than $500,000 for a 3,024- square-foot house with butterfly roof, rooms as wide as 25 feet and floor plans that can accommo- date as many as five bed- rooms. won't be for everyone. It uses Blu Homes' most modest modules, 18-foot- wide boxes with tight bed- The Joshua Tree house Taking the pool plunge Europe, but a spokesper- son for Indianapolis-based company Natare Corp. says it's open to installing the secret swimming holes for U.S. homeowners — provided they're ready to invest "upwards of $100,000." Annual Fall Plant Sale Wyntour Gardens September 21st thru September 30th Getting fancy now: swim spas Wish you could fit an Olympic-size pool in the garage? So-called swim spas offer the benefits of a large lap pool in a small space, letting owners swim against a current that circulates through a fiberglass shell, which can be installed either above or below ground. Prices start around $20,000, but higher-end models have features like built-in hot tubs, dual currents and underwater treadmills. Life-changing: hidden pools These James Bond- worthy pools can be con- Limited to stock on hand. Not good with any other offer. No returns, exchanges or guarantees on sale items. Planted containers not included. from 1-gallon to our largest trees! ALL SALES FINAL 40% Off ALL PLANTS "Fall is for Planting" 8026 Airport Road, Redding I-5 North, Exit #673, Rt. on Knighton, Rt on Airport Located 1 mile south of the Airport (Next to Kents Mkt) Open Mon-Sat 8-5 & Sunday's 10-4 WYNTOUR GARDENS 365-2256 wyntourgardens.com inform@wyntourgardens.com rooms and even tighter bathrooms. walk-through, Blu Homes West Coast Project Man- ager Jeffrey Morter point- ed out features that might appeal to the modern home buyer: abundant windows connecting to the landscape, glass doors with sliding cedar-slat shades, radiant-heat bam- boo flooring, ash kitchen cabinetry. But during a recent prospective buyers, a spokeswoman said, is fixed pricing. Whereas tra- ditional construction takes three times as long and costs twice as much as originally expected, the adage goes, Blu prefab buyers are quoted a num- ber that won't change. Construction cost over- runs, she said, are extremely rare when building in a controlled environment with set materials and crew. What may finally sell Those who head out to the high desert for a peek may be intrigued not only by the house but also by its site in Joshua Tree. "It's this amazing combination of extremely remote and yet accessible," Disney said — a seemingly unat- tainable combination that echoes the challenges of prefab itself. In last month's edition of Project: ECO Home, we reviewed a few sim- ple ways you could introduce a little efficiency into your home. This week, we'll fin- ish that discus- sion, with some more ways to become efficient (again, in no particular order): Turn down your program- mable thermo- stat. Assuming you already have one, this really couldn't be any easier. Simply adjust your ther- mostat so it doesn't kick on when the home is empty. Using this product correctly will definitely help you save energy when you're home. You + Vacation = Sean Murphy Project Home to this one, since we installed one in our home a couple of sum- mers ago. We still love it and the glori- ous amount of natural light it produces. And the holiday season would be the ideal time to consid- er this. With fewer daylight hours and the very real pos- sibility of gray clouds hang- ing over us for weeks, the inside of sun tunnels con- tains tiny mir- rors that reflect and Turn off water heater thermostat. When you leave town for the holi- days, why keep your water heater thermostat at its normal levels? Sure, you won't be home to run water that needs to be heated. But while you're gone, your water heater will turn on and reheat the reservoir about every 30 minutes. For a three-day week- end, this translates to getting clicked on well over 100 times. To save gas and money, turn your heater off (or to vacation mode if it's an option). Replace air filters. maximize whatever light is present. Finally, educate your- self on saving energy. It's ultimately your deci- sion to become more efficient or not. And if you're unsure how to do it (or even if it's worth it), arm yourself with knowledge. Here are just a few sites we found: • Business.gov fea- tures an energy-saving calculator so you can estimate how much ener- gy and money you can save in more than 20 dif- ferent product cate- gories. Saturday, September 22, 2012 – Daily News 3B How often do you think this should be done? Once, twice, three times a year? How about four? Maximize your heating and cooling filters by replacing them every three months. Doing this will increase the sys- tem's efficiency, and provide cleaner air. And that's healthy for you, your wallet and your heating and cooling sys- tem. Use a skylight or sun tunnel. I'm very partial • Home Energy Saver similarly calculates ener- gy usage and possible savings by asking about your home itself (square footage, insulation lev- els, energy prices, etc.). • DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Effi- ciency) includes lists of federal and state finan- cial incentives for installing energy-effi- cient products in your home and business. Until next time, Happy Home Improving! Sean Murphy is a copywriter for Build.com in Chico. Visit the company's website for more home improvement tips at www.build.com. Upcoming Event Sept 30, 2012 What: Hydrotherapy Instruction With: Bonnie (RN) & Joe Hillebert (RPT) When: Sunday, Sept. 30th. @ 2:00pm Where: Red Bluff Seventh-day Adventist Church 720 So. Jackson St., Red Bluff Cost: $5.00 for the 28 page handout (opt.) Joe Hillebert, RPT has been using hydrotherapy for 30+ years. He presently works for Feather River Hosp. Home Health as a physical therapist. Bonny Hillebert, RN has been using and teaching hydrotherapy & massage for 30+ yrs. and works part time as a critical care nurse. Registration Required By Wed., Sept. 26 Call Loree @ (530) 527-5077 or (530) 526-5077