ideabox prefab homes

Your Home as an Art Piece

2012-01-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

Have you purchased a piece of art and found it is a topic ofconversation? We think of ideaboxes as large art pieces.

Each element of the home is thoughtful and personalized tomeet the character of the owner. Each ideaboxis a symbol of the owner’s design style, as well as, life style. Their ideabox tells a bigger story than justthe home they live in. It shows what they stand for. Maybe it is to “live offof the grid”, to live with less (space and clutter), or to simply be an “out ofthe box” thinker and doer. Whatever the style, our clients have found that thestory is best told from an ideabox.

People are becoming aware of the varying applicationsavailable in prefab modern living. They are going beyond the interest of living out of the box, and defining their own marketfor modern prefab homes. Each owner’s reason for choosingan ideabox will be different, but the pride will remain the same. Their storyis a part of the home.

Willamette Valley Cheese Co.

2012-01-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

This is the outside of the tasting room

I recently toured theWillamette Valley Cheese Company in West Salem and I had a great experience! Ihad only heard great things about their company, and found all of it was true.When we arrived Marita greeted us in the tasting room with a friendly smile andobvious passion for what she does.

Not knowing much aboutcheese we did not know where to start. She took our group through the mostpopular cheeses and explained how each one differed. We felt welcomed and thatour business was appreciated. We got to take our time tasting with no pressureof time (did I mention that they were free tastings). Seeing the operation oftheir working farm reminded me of what “local” truly means.

Rob Volbeda of Volbeda Farms owns and operates theWillamette Cheese Company. With award winning cheese, emphasis is placed onquality during every step of the process.

Quality every step:

Certified organic pastures and productionfacilities
Raw or Pasteurized Jersey Milk
No Herbicides, Pesticides or CommercialFertilizers
No Product Additives, Preservatives or Hormones
All-Natural & Hand-Crafted Cheeses

Rob graduated with aFood Science degree from Oregon State University, then apprenticed with threedifferent cheese masters in Holland to learn the art and science of cheesemaking. Beyond amazing cheese Rob has built a genuine brand. Willamette ValleyCheese Company does not have customers they have fans. The cheese was the bestI have ever had, but the people made it even more memorable. I would definitelysuggest it for a nice afternoon activity… and remember, show up hungry!

WVCC famous Jersey Cows
photo taken from: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Willamette-Valley-Cheese-Company/146925235346365

The inside of the tasting room, decorated for Christmas

Some of the offerings of their cheese

This was some cheese that was in the back not packaged yet

2012 Here We Come

2011-12-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

The Hustle and bustle of Christmas is finally finished. Withone last push toward the New Year, we are off to 2012. I hope this year has beenfull of laughter, learning, productivity, and enriched relationships, sincethat is where “gifts” really come from. Time moves fast, so take a moment torecognize how far you have made it this year and where you are going next. Ihope you had a Merry Christmas and let us all have a happy New Year!

It is amazing what we can accomplish! I hope you enjoy this video...

The First Vertical Forest

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

In Milan trendsetting not only applies to fashion, butarchitecture. Stefano Boeri the Milan-based architect, created “Bosco Verticale” the world’s first vertical forest. This modern 27 story high apartmentbuilding has the beautiful view of Milan with the serenity of a forest. Eachbalcony has its own mini ecosystem with planted trees and vegetation absorbingCO2, dust, and pollution in exchange for oxygen. The outside oasis will changewith the seasons, allowing shade to be provided in the summer, and letting sunshine show through the bare trees in the winter. The building will have a plant irrigationsystem which will be supported through the filtering and reuse of the grey water produced by thebuilding.

Two buildings are underway (one 365-foot, the other 260-foot). These two towers will have 730 trees, 5,000shrubs and 11,000 ground plants, totaling about one acre of forest. Thisproject is expected to be completed in 2012 and will be the home of human inhabitants,as well as insects and birds.

The “LivingArchitecture” movement has made progress in recent years, in response to urban sprawl and the disconnect between people and nature. The collaborationbetween architects, engineers and botanist possess the key to bringing natureback into the concrete jungle.

Integrating outside space into everyday life is essential for healthy living and critical for the “going green” campaigns. Stefano Boeri is putting action behind voice.

We at ideabox are excited to see how practical andfunctional these spaces are when lived in. If successful, I imagine a new generation of city high rises will be on the horizon.

Living In Tin Can

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is something enchanting about nontraditional homes. I founda picture of a home made from an old grain silo and loved the idea! People havesome amazing stories of how they have turned abandoned metal silos into homes,guest apartments, green houses, vacation rentals, and offices. Whatever theuse, be assured it is creative and unique. You would now have a canned answer for the typical icebreaker, “tell ussomething interesting about yourself”…

People’s interest in nontraditional homes often correlate withdesire to focus on eco-friendly construction, so naturally, a grain silo home is“sustainable”. Used silos can be found for reasonable prices, and can be recycledwhen finished with them.

Constructing a grain silo home is relatively fast and simple.Since the structure already exists, all that is needed is a foundation. Special attention does need to be paid to thedesigning of windows, doors, and cabinets because of the round structure.

Low maintenance is also a benefit of grain silo homes. Manyowners choose not to paint because they like the natural color of the silo.Made from steel, the silos hold up well to the environment. The round structure allows for less surfacearea exposure to the elements compared to traditional rectangular styles. Lessexposure means less volatility from weather and improves the overall durabilityand energy efficiency of the home. The greatest benefit of all is the mystique. Living in asilo home is taking the road less traveled in a big way.

Below are some examples of how people who have re-purposed grain silos.

Pictures from Louise and Vance Ehmke who created an office/apartment on their farm in western Kansas

GrueneHomestead Inn, in New Braunfels Texas offers night accommodations in thisconverted silo home. These pictures showjust how comfy you can make it!

This grain silo was actually converted into a storage area for animal feed and a great example of the use for general storage as well.

2011-09-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

ideabox@camelot! A big time small living in Eugene, OR!

To us, every house we do is a part of the site it will occupy. We've always been about creating solutions that contribute to the entire living environment, so when the opportunity to create a "cluster development" became available, we were very excited.

We were presented with a small build-able lot by a client interested in a design scheme that offered reasonable density of dwellings for people interested in living "smaller." The end use customer would be 55 & over, and because the lot is adjacent to their existing manufactured home community, they wanted the new addition to become a "cooler, hipper, extension of the existing community." Being a big fan on the manufactured home park model of living, (and having lived in a really old park while attending the University of Oregon), we were very excited to get started.

The resulting site plan ended up with 5 tidy building lots and a menu of ideabox houses ranging from 600SF 1BR/1BA to 800 SF 2BR/2BA in size. Each house is arranged on a pseudo zero-lot line placement backing up the driveways and carports taking full advantage of city required parking and creating outdoor living rooms for the houses. Instead of pouring concrete slabs for driveways, each site has oversized concrete "pavers" that allow for grass to grow, cars to park, and barbecues to be had!

Energy and resource efficiency are key features of this mini-project! Small footprint houses is a great start, with each being certified to NW ENERGY STAR Home and eco-rated engineered green home standards. All the appliances and lighting are ENERGY STAR, and we're featuring mini-split ductless heat pumps for extremely efficient heating and cooling. Each site contains all its own ground water, collecting water from roofs and filtering it back through the ground. Even the street is pervious pavement!

The houses are from ideabox, so they are cool. Ultimate in easy living, each modern cottage is more like mini-modern-lofts. Large open living spaces, clever kitchens offering culinary elegance, and creative integration of outdoor "rooms," each house lives well beyond their walls. With the typical ideabox palate of materials and finishes, it's a mini-community of modern efficient living!

Perfectly located in Eugene, Oregon, the site is near practically everything. (I grew up not far from the site, and trust me, it's a great location in a dynamic city).

For more information on the project, visit the following:

http://www.ideabox.us/cottages@camelot.html

http://www.camelotvillage.net

Let us know what you think!

the biggest thing in small living

2011-06-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

it's must reading for the summer!

As you know, we've been very big on using little. Whether it's efficiently using energy, or materials, even square footage, we work hard to create clean, modern, and bright spaces. So when a magazine like House Beautiful calls, we get excited! It's terrific recognition, and kind of fun to casually flip to page 117 while in line at the grocery store! (And probably gasp just loud enough at the amazing house in the upper right corner that everyone hears - at least those in line!)

It's already been a busy summer at ideabox. New models are being worked through and soon to be released. The mini-neighborhood is in development with the street soon to be completed and infrastructure placed. We are fortunate to have a couple of nice houses in construction; as well as one just finished being sited; and another in a week or so. And some exciting new projects in development with creative solutions for terrific sites.

Keep checking in. And check out House Beautiful magazine! (Maybe while at the store, page 117, not that the other pages aren't cool or anything.... just sayin').

Hope all are enjoying a great summer!

Wow! What a Year it is!

2011-06-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Okay... So it's been a few months since our last entry. It's just that we've been busy! New projects, new houses, new capabilities.... I know, there's really no excuse.

We thought 2010 was amazing. We were so honored to be on the NW Natural Street of Dreams, which followed an incredible Portland Home & Garden Show display. It was great to be recognized as one of the top twenty prefabs in the country. Not to mention the wonderful projects we were so fortunate to be a part of.

It's hard to believe 2011 is half over, seems like it just started. The studio at ideabox has been working on some exciting projects on incredible sites. Starting with a couple of new homes on Whidbey Island to wineries in Oregon & Washington, this year is adding to the allure of the modern prefab. The range of solutions our clients and their sites are creating are as exceptional as they are diverse. Imagine modern ideabox houses in vineyards or on a Puget Sound shoreline, presenting views and lifestyles that are uniquely Pacific Northwest. Sites that are very special, and houses that minimize site impacts, live efficiently, and offer a truly cost effective designed solution that maximizes the lifestyle.

ideabox is expanding! We are building to IRC residential building codes (modular) throughout the west - AND - we are shipping to the Rocky Mountain states, including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

And new models. "Tinker " is new, fun, and surprisingly adaptable. Using materials from ranging from IKEA to Duravit, it's a house that is all about fun. Simple, straightforward, and a trip to be in and around, it's the new little wonder house from ideabox. We can even configure two together... it's your imagination, use it!

A new "big" house is almost finished. Really. It's "big" for us, in many ways!

2011 is the year of "cubes". We're doing amazing things with cubes - arranging them in every direction. Our clients are creating cool courtyard houses, "L" configurations, and compact little/big houses. Houses with two and three cubes, all very modern and fun. We'll be posting some of these new configurations as the houses come together.

Ground has broken on our first little mini-development. It will be accepting houses in late July/August. Designed for small footprint living, we've worked to create what is essentially detached mini-lofts, each with small outdoor space and carport. The project is located in the perfect city for modern efficient living! More on that very soon.

Oh... almost forgot..... we've been told we're going to be in another national magazine! Pretty cool, we think. More on that as we know when, which issue, and availability. It's our biggest magazine to date!

Hope you are enjoying a terrific year. We are!

nice end to a great 2010

2010-12-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

What a terrific 2010! Beginning with the Portland H&G Show and the NW Natural Street of Dreams, add some amazing projects working with terrific clients on incredible site, and now named as a top 20 fabulous green prefab on Jetson Green. Really looking forward to 2011, as we have some big things in store!

Happy Holidays to All, and to All a Great Night!

Merry Holiday's to All!

2010-12-22T12:02:00.000-08:00

From all of us at ideabox, wishing all a Happy Christmas & a Merry New Year!

Thank you to everyone who have visited us here at ideabox, the Portland H&G Show, and at the Street of Dreams. And thanks to all of you who visit ideabox.us, call, who write us, it's great to hear from you.

And special thanks to our clients and the amazing projects we are privileged to work on.

Here's to ending a wonderful 2010 & looking forward to an amazing 2011!

Happy Holidays!

It's the Season!

2010-12-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

The Wonderment of Place

Perhaps the best reward of the ideabox "thing" are the sites our houses go, and the people we are so fortunate to work with. Each site is unique, and every project is about creating a new and special living environment. The simple elegance of the architecture and a confident palette of resource efficient materials allows the opportunity to basically custom design the ideal solution.

It's so much fun!

This site is overlooks the Puget Sound and is truly spectacular. Nestled into the trees, the sunlight sparkles off the water and through the branches. What is amazing to me is the quiet, the silence is practically deafening. So close to modern civilization, yet completely away. It's this sense of place that inspires and motivates our efforts for small footprint, Northwest modern influence, ideabox houses.

Hope all are enjoying the best of the holiday season!

Prefab at Your Price Point!

2010-10-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

We're in natural home magazine!

It was a nice trip to the mailbox the other day. First, it was a bright, sunny, perfectly fall day. So any excuse to go outside is a good thing. Then, included in all the mail was a couple copies of natural home magazine. Flipping through the magazine, caught a nice article about an Aspen prefab. To my surprise, on the face page was a picture of... the ideabox fortino! How cool is that? With the headline "Prefab at Your Pricepoint" it is terrific to see ideabox recognized! In a national magazine!

We work hard to continually evolve the entire ideabox portfolio of houses. At every opportunity we look to make our houses healthier, to use less energy, but always be an awesome living experience. Some of the houses currently in production are truly individual designs, expressing the design goals and lifestyles of the client. They are very cool, kind of hoping they too might grace the pages of national magazines like natural home!

Hope all are enjoying an incredible fall! The weather here is amazing!

Okay, So it's Fall!

2010-09-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's the best time of year... well, it's supposed to be!

Finally, the sunshine is out in the Pacific Northwest. It's football season, the leaves are starting to think about changing color, temperatures are cooling (if not a bit tooo much this fall). I keep looking for those warm days and brisk evenings, kind of hoping we get some of that to make up for the summer we didn't quite get.

Lot's going on this fall!

First, last week I was fortunate to participate as a speaker at the Residential Design Forum and as a juror for Futureshack, both events presented by the AIA Seattle. It was an interesting discussion about housing. What will it be. How is it being done now, in an era of challenged financing (construction/development financing & home buyer lending). Is home ownership the big thing it's supposed to be? Or will it become a service product - something to use and move on from - suggesting perhaps ownership isn't as important as livability and portability.... kind of paralleling new models of employment and stability. Is all this a discussion of now, as we approach the end of this challenged economic environment, and will we just return to "normalcy" later?

Futureshack was fun, and compelling, in its second year of existence. To me, any opportunity architects can have to have a public discourse with their community is a cool thing. The fact Futureshack focuses on housing, something everyone can relate to, is the perfect subject matter. AIA Seattle staff and their participating co-chairs did a terrific job organizing the competition and creating public discourse public. During the live public jury presentation at Seattle Center, we were positioned on a brightly lit elevated stage in front of seemingly hundreds of people. Me being gallant and polite, got stuck with this huge modern (very cool) winged chair thing that you sat back inside. Now, I'm not a big guy, so this big chair kind of consumed me, which while very cool for watching football, is not so cool for sitting in front of a bunch of a few hundred people on an elevated stage with bright lights! (Everybody else had practical chairs). It did give me an air of authority however, assuming anyone in the audience could actually see me. It was fun!

I came away thinking housing will evolve more from the holdings of old to something more of a serviceable purpose... a kind of "make my life easier so I can go do stuff..." role. Size, we think, will diminish as we realize the enclosed space we actually use. And design hopefully will take a more prominent role as the concept of house becomes an identifier, kind of like cars, or computers, or the kinds of restaurants we eat at determine who and what we are. We think lives will become simpler, more focused on experiences than acquisition.

What do you think? We, ideabox, just want our houses to be a part of a fun lifestyle. We want our houses to do their part by embracing small footprints, be responsible in use of materials, use very little energy, and be a total blast to live in... and around!

If you're reading this, and in Portland, we'll be at the Street of Dreams house from 10 till noon or so tomorrow. Come by and say Hi!

A Mini Street of ideabox Dreams!

2010-09-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

It's a mini "OPEN HOUSE" of the ideabox Street of Dreams house this weekend. The fortino house is still on location at 95th & Cornell, in NW Portland. We're thinking from 10AM till 4 PM. It's at the Arbor Vista development, who are very cool in allowing us to keep the house there for a little while.

This is the first blog post since we had started the Street of Dreams - which - was amazing. Thousands of people came by, most quite surprised with what they saw. We followed the "big house" of the street, quite a transition from almost 6,000 SF and a $1.7 million price tag to the 1,200 SF $225,000 ish (installed w/ typical lot cost). We were quite pleased with their reaction. The modern design, the clarity of spaces and materials, the idea that houses can live beyond their walls with creatively designed outdoor "rooms" - most were delightfully suprised.

We liked the smiles. (And all those who thought it was the best house on "the Street.")

Special and continued thanks goes to Hip Furniture for their incredibly well received furnishings so elegantly designed by Unleash Design Studio that really showcased how the the house can live. When we designed the fortino, we were going for simple and cool lifestyle, and really got that!

To get in the house, you had to get up to it. And with the incredible landscape design by Schultz & Long that was so quickly and professionally installed by Aspen Creek Landscaping and decks by "Bob-the-deck-Guy" (our name for him). the house truly was an indoor/outdoor experience.

And it's all still there for all to see - free - through the middle of October. Call for an appointment, or come by on the next few weekends!

It's Magic on the Street of Dreams

2010-08-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

You gotta see how cool dreams can be!

The NW Natural Street of Dreams is incredible. Houses and interiors that reflect today's active lifestyle. New green technologies that literally give back - from solar hot water systems to pervious pavers to finish materials - all stuff you can do at home! And incredible design talent from the homes themselves to spectacular interiors and amazing landscapes.

And a pretty cool modern prefab.... gotta see that!

And now you can see "the Street" with a discounted ticket! Print the attached coupon... it's like the Street & a latte!

ideabox on the street

2010-07-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

Getting Better Every Day!

The landscaping has arrived and the crafting of the exterior design begins. Thanks to the hard work by Arbor Homes with the county, decks are finally underway today by Bob the Deck Guy (our name for him). The deck designs by Schultz & Long continue the modern theme begun at the street as seen in the picture above. It will be a magical display!

It's like a giant puzzle, the biggest piece being the ideabox fortino and corresponding pieces going around and within the house itself. It's such a talented design team assembled for the Street of Dreams, the result will change the way you think about residential living.

The installation by Aspen Creek Landscaping is incredible. Baca Metal Works is back with metal planters and his rain catchment system.

More coming tomorrow. The interiors are coming together just as exciting as the exteriors!

The 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams begins Saturday, (and runs though August!)

Come See Us!

ideabox on the street

2010-07-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Getting to Amazing

With each day the transformation continues. The landscape design by Rich Schultz being installed by Aspen Creek continues with incredible support from Arbor Homes, who's support has been above and beyond the call... it's a modern home living environment growing in front of our eyes!

Today is "movement day" as the outdoor environment continues and furnishings begin to arrive for the indoor environment. As we were preparing the inside of the house for today's deliveries, the sun was setting off to the west and the territorial views beyond started to twinkle. The evening's cool breeze was wafting through, it was easy to get excited by just how cool the finished house will be.

The NW Natural Street of Dreams opens on Saturday. We'll be ready! Come see us!

ideabox on the street

2010-07-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Design is a Series of Details

It often begins with a napkin. Or any available medium to sketch out an idea, a thought, a concept. What happens between those initial thoughts and sketches and a completed work is the mystery of the details. The ideabox display at the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams is very much an exercise of thousands of details, from the house itself extending through the landscape.

In our very compressed timeline, the magical transformation of an empty site a week ago to show piece is underway. Hundreds of details coming together at an incredible rate, the creative process in action. We're looking forward to showing you the amazing result.

On my way up to "the Street." More pictures to come - stay tuned!

ideabox on the street

2010-07-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Summer at the "box"

It's an amazing day, exactly what the concept "summer" is all about. Blue cloudless skies, perfect temperature, a light breeze, lots of green vegetation (a result of the never ending rain we had earlier), and wonderful shade only big trees can offer.

It's kind of the calm before the storm. A week from today the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams begins in Portland. It's kind of a big deal for ideabox, being the first prefab ever to be invited on "the Street." So it's a bit of tranquility before the craziness of a show with the magnitude of the Street of Dreams.

I just wanted to share, so I took the picture this morning. A practically perfect day!

A ton of work is going now at the Street of Dreams site. Rick Schultz and Teresa Long (Schultz & Long) have designed another terrific outdoor environment. Decks are under construction, trees and plants are being delivered and placed, it's landscape madness! Aspen Creek is doing a lot of the installation. Daniel Baca will once again be working his wonder with metal. It will be amazing!

Monrovia is providing the plant material for "ideabox on the Street" which we are very excited about.

We're delighted to be working with Unleash Design Studio inside the house. Hip,a local company with a terrific showroom on NW 24th in Portland, is providing furnishings. Design Within Reach is back with lighting & outdoor furniture.

We'll have more on "ideabox on the Street" as next Saturday approaches.

In the meantime, it's another busy and delightfully sunny day at ideabox.

ideabox on the street

2010-07-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

it begins with an amazing site...

The 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams is the premiere home show in Portland. We consider it a real honor to be asked to be on this year's "Street." Working with the Portland HBA and Arbor Homes, a site for the ideabox fortino house was identified "in the neighborhood" in Portland's northwest hills .

The picture above was taken last Friday!

Working with the amazing people at Arbor Homes and Schultz & Long Landscape Architects, a site was created for the house and the amazing landscape scheme forthcoming. The house was delivered on Tuesday and placed on the "building pad" yesterday.

"Shelves" were created that step up from the street creating what will become a dramatic landscaped entry to the house. Because the emphasis of ideabox design is houses that "live beyond the walls," the transformation from building site to an integrated living environment is very exciting. An incredible deck/outdoor living area will project from the double set of sliding glass doors.

The shared living room / master bedroom will share a deck that will step off to a wonderful landscaped path with incredible views. It promises to be a wonderful display on the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams. The "Street" starts a Saturday, July 31.

For more info on the "Street" visit streetofdreamspdx.com - or - visit ideabox.us and click on the Street of Dreams logo!

Stay Tuned! More to come!

On the way to the Street

2010-07-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

ideabox - today's dream house!
You have to ask the question... An ideabox home on the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams? Aren't Street of Dreams houses like a million dollars? And full of opulent materials, the latest trends, incredible appliances, great design, craftsman construction, amazing sites - you know - really expensive houses that we all dream to have?

Yes.... But wait a tick.... ideabox has all that Street of Dreams stuff too! Terrific materials, cool appliances, the latest trends (green), great modern design, craftsman construction. And really, isn't the most amazing site the one you have?

I guess the only thing different is we're not really expensive, and our houses aren't very big. In fact, we're remarkably priced, and we like to think we're right sized! You know, "the right amount of everything!"

We think the reason ideabox was invited to be on the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams is because we're helping make the point that dream houses come in a variety of sizes, types, and cost. This year's "Street" has an eclectic blend of high-end living experiences; from the large and amazing, to an incredible penthouse condo in the Pearl, to the coolest thing in modern prefab. All represent shifting trends in what dream living is all about.

In June, I was honored to be on the jury for AIA Seattle's Futureshack design competition. The competition looks at what housing is becoming, what we want it to be, what is it going to look like? How can we make it better? There was a lot of discussion by very talented and experienced jurors prompting a lot of thought. Housing will surely be different than in recent years, offer different uses and functions, some resulting from different financial environments and individual capabilities.

In many ways, those same observations are behind the thinking in this year's Street of Dreams. Today's dream house will take many forms, offering many different solutions, different sizes, and probably be more about the quality of the living experience. I think houses will be more about design, and contribute to how they will be lived in beyond square footage. I also think the definition of "value" will change - perhaps less about the dollars per square foot and more about the living per square foot.

But that's just me. Come see what your dreams can look like at the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams, starting Saturday, July 31 thru August 29.

Prepare to be amazed!

It's fun building houses!

2010-06-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

I think it's the transformation...

Every ideabox project is a special design exercise. Every site is unique and exceptional in their own ways. Every client has their own dreams and goals. Materials are personal expressions. Wrapping all that up creates a very individual lifestyle solution. From our viewpoint, there is great satisfaction to watch the process unfold before our eyes - from sketches on a table to walking on site and seeing the amazing view from the perfectly placed window. It's the beauty of prefab - engineered building in a controlled environment turning dreams to reality - quickly!

The real fun is watching the transformation occur. Prefab construction is speedy compared to a site built building as the entire production is an engineered process. The house literally comes together as assemblies are put together in succession.... while the floors are finishing the walls are being completed, and as the walls are being placed the roof assembly is built... Within each area rough plumbing and electrical are placed. Once the structure is complete the finish materials - both exterior and interior - are applied and installed.

We're having a lot of fun with the 2010 vintage of ideabox houses. Very cool systems from windows to new siding are adding real personality to the exterior elevations allowing our clients more creative license. The interiors are truly inspired with incredible attention to detail throughout the house. Crisp, virtually flat drywall sets up clean window returns with maple sills. Custom cabinets pick up the maple doors, stainless appliances set off the industrial gray windows, everything is designed compliment an entire living experience.

As much fun as it is to design, the real fun is in the building, seeing the transformation from what's on paper to the full scale experience.

But then there is what happens on site - talk about transformation! Literally one day there's this open space. And the next it's filled with a house. Just that fast the real living experience begins.

ideabox.... all about transformations!

The Sun is Shining! And so is ideabox!

2010-06-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Cool Projects for a Hot Summer!

It's in the air, the whole summer thing. If you're anywhere near the Northwest, you know of the amazing lack of sun and over abundant amount of rain we've "enjoyed" the last several months. The spectacular sunshine and blue skies have re-energized everyone.

We are so excited about the new 2010 vintage of ideabox houses. The entire line has been updated in about every way. Exteriors feature new siding, new window systems, and a new ideabox designed custom entry door. Interiors are incredibly well detailed, starting with new virtually flat drywall, incredible and new all maple cabinet systems, new vertical bamboo floors, new maple window sills, new Kohler baths, new Kitchen-aid appliances, new maple base trim & interior doors, absolutely clean lines.

We've employed new ideabox energy efficiency measures developed with the guys at the NEEM Northwest ENERGY STAR Home/Eco-Rated program. First, we optimized our thermal shells including leading edge efficient glazing systems. Next, we eliminated the ductwork, typically an opportunity for building air leaks. Then, we designed in ductless mini-split heat pumps, the ultimate in efficient heating and cooling. Back up heating is zonal. Doing the math: optimal thermal shell + amazing glazing + latest technology heating/cooling = unparalleled comfort and efficient living! The perfect ideabox environment.

Amazing new houses are coming out of the ideabox design studio. It's so easy to get really excited when you see these mini architectural gems going through production. A couple of all galvalume houses will be incredible - one (pictured) for a vineyard in the wine country with incredible views and windows to take it all in; and the other a 1,400 SF two cube design for Central Oregon's high desert - again with expansive views....

It's exciting times at ideabox this summer. Big news coming soon, cool projects we'll feature, a new model being released.... keep reading!

introducing the urban confluence

2010-04-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

What's Old is New..... Again!

Sort of...

Before we get into that, let's break it down a little.

First - the name "urban confluence."

"Urban" relates to the character of a city. "Confluence" is about the coming together of things, or people. So if you do the math, the new "urban confluence" by ideabox is a practically perfect name. It's a design palate inspired by modern urban influences in a house that brings people together. It's an equation with a very cool ideabox lifestyle solution!

Now - the old being new again thing. The confluence is one of our original designs - and - currently is our most popular house. We thought it was because of the cool name, but more likely because it is a design of balance of space and elements.... so we're told. In this balance we saw an opportunity to bring in cleaner, crisper lines both inside and outside the house. By playing with materials in clever ways, we've taken the best elements of the original and made them new. And fresh. And mostly, fun!

It's a design that simply works. Soaring ceilings take off from the moment you open the front door. Walls of glass frame amazing views typically found on the incredible sites ideabox houses seem to land. An expanse of solid vertical bamboo floors tie the rooms together. Wood cabinets and doors, engineered composite counters, stainless appliances, it's the ideabox notion of living large in small spaces.

We like the idea of blending materials and expressing them in creative ways. A cool new front entry door, clean exteriors, crisp lines, and everything is done with functionality in mind.

The floor plan is all confluence, just a little different. For starters, interiors are finished with our own ideabox "virtuflat" wall treatment. Trim is maple. Quartz composite counters, Kohler baths, and Whirlpool stainless appliances bring elegance to clean modern interiors. Everywhere you look, everything you touch, it's all about the ideabox experience.

So, what is old is indeed new again. While the new urban series is already popular, we are still building houses to the original designs.... and a few using features of both. It's an exciting time at ideabox. With the sensationally well received "fortino" and the new urban series in production, the concept of an affordable prefab design solution is finding an ever growing audience.

ideabox is making small living a very big thing!

Vital Statistics:

Model: ideabox urban confluence

Description: 800 SF, 2BR/2BA, gourmet kitchen, modern baths, ultimate living

Interior: Vertical FSC certified bamboo throughout, maple cabinet/doors/trim, ideabox "virtu-flat" drywall finish, composite quartz/solid surface counters t/o, tile shower w/ glass rolling doors, KOHLER bath fixtures including dual flush toilet / vessel sink & faucet / shower fixtures, front loading washer/dryer

Mechanical: New Ductless Heat Pump primary, zonal back up heating & cooling, tankless hot water system - it's incredibly efficient!

Efficiency: Certified NW ENERGY STAR Home; ENERGY STAR labeled windows, appliances, lighting; ECO-RATED resource efficiency (green construction); Low water use everywhere (toilet/shwr/dishwasher/laundry).

For more information, please visit www.ideabox.us or give us a call... 503.510.4789

ideabox... the right amount of everything

ideabox to speak at Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

2010-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

ideabox out & about

As some of you might already know, ideabox grew out of work in architecture, energy efficiency, and green construction. It was this passion for design and better ways to build and live that became the drive to bring ideabox to the market.

It's the living part that is really special to us. We want every house we design and build to contribute to the users lifestyle. Perhaps more than that, we want houses that are a blast to live in and around. Never mind that every ideabox house is built to energy efficiency and green construction standards.

It's with that enthusiasm (we hope) that ideabox's Jim Russell will be speaking at the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild's "Small, Affordable, & PREFAB" this Wednesday, March 24, 6:30 to 8:30. The presentation will be at the Zion Baptist Chuch's community room at NE 9th & Freemont in northeast Portland.

Jim will be talking about how ideabox came to be, the new fortino house recently displayed at the Portland Home & Garden Show, and the new urban contemporary series for 2010. For more information, please contact intern@ecobuildingpdx.org or tellmemore@ideabox.us

introducing the ideabox urban series - the urban cottage

2010-03-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

the urban cottage

We love cottages! A cottage evokes everything a little house should be. But to be sure, we looked it up (Remember the dictionary? It's an amazing book!) (Remember books?) The word "cottage" is from the late 13th century, but really found its stride in 1765 with a meaning of "small country residence." We thought what a quaint , idyllic quality about a house, but why limit it to the country? Why not extend the cottage's capability to a more urbane existence? Imagine all the lifestyle of a small country residence... but maybe in a city?

Okay, it's a little nuts, (cottages in cities, c'mon... wouldn't it be cool?) But that doesn't mean the clean lines, modern use of materials, open floor plan, and easy living of a cool urban loft couldn't find a home anywhere, even in the country! Right? That's what we thought, so we're introducing the "urban cottage" by ideabox. A small country residence with an urban flair.

The new urban cottage uses the kitchen in a variety of ways. To us, kitchens are the center of our lives, both inside and outside a house. Se we placed it at the end of the house, with windows on all three sides. Think of it as kitchen as observation post! The location allows for generous cabinets, lots of counters, and maintains connected with the primary living areas. We located outdoor access for easy access to the kitchen making outdoor entertaining easier and minimized traffic patterns within the house.

There is a lot of glass - a primary feature of every ideabox - but we've weaved awnings and casements to continue our focus of using natural ventilation and moving air around the house. It's also kind of fun too, you can play with which windows to open.... do you open the lowers on one side and the uppers on the other.. or maybe just the uppers.... or maybe one of each.... the combinations are endless.

You gotta sleep sometime, so we created a bedroom that is separated yet connected. A cool alcove takes a craftsmanlike built-in and opens the room up, an eight foot tall slider opens it out, as in outside! Casement windows perfectly placed provide a nice balance of natural light and ventilation.

The bath has evolved too, now featuring KOHLER vessel sinks, faucets, dual flush push button toilet, and shower head. Speaking of showers, the urban cottage continues with tile and glass roll-by doors. There are also very nice fiberglass tub/showers and "accessible" options.

Now, before I forget, we offer fiber cement shingle siding in place of the more urban "z-channel" urban look. Gotta admit, it's a nice look and is a nice contrast to the corrugated metal. Flooring is FSC certified vertical bamboo with optional marmoleum and cork.

The urban cottage from ideabox - the ultimate "small country residence with urban flair."

Vital Statistics:

Model: ideabox urban cottage

Description: 665 SF, 1 BR / 1BA, idbx euro inspired kitchen, modern bath

Interior: Vertical bamboo throughout, maple cabinet/doors/trim, ideabox "virtu-flat" wall finish, composite quartz/solid surface counters t/o, tile shower w/ glass rolling doors, KOHLER bath fixtures including dual flush toilet / vessel sink & faucet / shower fixtures, front loading washer/dryer

Mechanical: New Ductless Heat Pump primary, zonal back up heating & cooling, tankless hot water system

For more information, please visit www.ideabox.us or give us a call... 503.510.4789

introducing the ideabox urban series

2010-03-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to ideabox, 2010!

What an amazing year 2010 already is. We had an incredible show experience in Portland last month with the introduction of the ideabox fortino, a house that shows how infinitely livable ideabox homes can be. The new fortino also showed where ideabox is going in design, quality of construction, and attention to detail. We are very excited with the response!

With a new year comes a series of new houses and updating of favorites. We're calling it the "urban series" taking design cues from urban lines and materials and applying them in new ways. The result are bolder lines, clever uses of glazing to extend your living experience, and cleaner finishes and materials.... yet keeping all the wonderful aspects that make ideabox.... ideabox!

The first in the new urban series is the studio! It's a delightful living experience. Check it out!

the ideabox urban studio

ideabox makes living small a really big thing. We wanted a small house that lives really large, and also a house with a spunky personality. The studio is all about attitude and simplified living that starts with the front door. We focused on creating views and interactive living The kitchen looks both outside and in, the living reaches out beyond the walls, even the sleeping space is fun with inside/outside access. The result is a little house that's all about everything around it! It's charming, clever, modern, and captures our Northwest lifestyle.

The new urban studio is all about a tiny carbon footprint with a lifestyle like the coolest urban loft - only anywhere you want to be. It is amazing how easy it is to live large in the studio's 580 SF. In fact, the concept behind the urban studio is all about everything that makes a studio such a great living solution - easy, uncomplicated, and totally fun. We just made it easier, complication free, and funner!

The urban studio is all about a designer modern loft. Speaking of loft, the ceiling soars above walls of glass in all directions. A large open living area shares space with a euro inspired kitchen, complete with stainless appliances, modern cabinets, and a very cool island. Your decisions each day will focus on what amazing cuisine is up for dinner each night!

Studio living is all about being open, we kept the sleeping area private from the living area by a clever dual sided cabinet "wall" - a media center & shelving on one side and an ideabox built-in closet system on the other. It's totally functional... it's a wall, a media center, a closet, even a dresser! The fully featured bath offers a relieved underlit maple vanity, KOHLER fixtures, including a dual flush toilet, vessel sink & faucet, and shower controllers. The shower is ceramic tile with glass roll by door, (tub/shwr optional). There's even a front loading ENERGY STAR washer & dryer - you CAN have it all in 580 SF!

Like everything ideabox, how we use our resources is as important to us as design. The new urban studio is certified as a NW ENERGY STAR Home assuring incredibly low energy use. The house is also ECO-RATED certified, reflecting its sensitive use of materials, water saving features, minimal construction waste, and indoor air quality. You can make the house even more efficient with the installation of a ductless heat pump offering state of the art heating/cooling technology and an amazingly low utility costs.

The new urban studio by ideabox. It's the right amount of everything!

Vital Statistics:

Model: ideabox urban studio

Description: 580 SF, Living, Sleeping, Kitchen, Bath

Interior: Vertical bamboo floor throughout, maple cabinet & Whirlpool stainless appliances; KOHLER bath fixtures including dual flush toilet, vessel sink & faucet, shower controller; tile shower w/ glass rolling doors; front loading washer/dryer; media wall/built-in closet dividing "wall"

Mechanical: zonal electric; tankless hot water; optional ductless hp

Efficiency: ENERGY STAR windows, lighting appliances, and home. ECO-RATED resource efficient materials including flooring, cabinets, counters, exterior siding (fiber cement / galvalume), low water use toilet/shwr head/ aerator faucets.

For more information, visit www.ideabox.us or give us a call... 503.510.4789

The Time is Now

2010-02-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

Urban Living... it's about the living!

The Portland Home & Garden Show is underway. Months of planning, thinking, creating, and executing are finally on display, now through Sunday at the Portland Expo. A caring collaboration of designers, installation contractors, Crate & Barrel, and the Portland Home & Garden Show has created a truly dynamic display of garden and home. Imagine an urban sized, 50'x100' lot with a very cool house surrounded by four of the city's most talented landscape designers. Add interiors by the designers from Crate & Barrel. The result is stunning, and on display for all to see!

As best I could, I grabbed some pictures in a veiled attempt to capture just how cool the display turned out. We were blown away by the quality and attention to detail each of the installations required - and then remembering that we went from an empty show hall to "this" in less than a week!

While everything was going on all around the house, some amazing things were going on inside too. Our talented craftsman readied the interior, preparing for the design team from Crate & Barrel to do their thing. And what a thing they did. We have long felt that the design direction we strive for with ideabox was in keeping with the quality of design and expression of materials, colors, and textures of Crate & Barrel. Even with that said, the marriage of house and furnishings offers inspirational living, completing our fundamental goal of designing houses that are all about "the living."

A terrific result of all this great work is the reception by the media in Portland. We spent most of Wednesday with all the local television stations who were all captured by the concept of creating an affordable design solution for smaller urban lots. For me, one of the coolest moments was when after touring the entire display with a TV crew the reporter's eyes lit up, and she said so simply "....you can live in this" Not as in the normal live of keeping up the house and mowing the lawn, but the idea that you can truly live experientially where the house and its landscape are about the interactions of each day. "It's about the living!" It was a great moment.... I hope it came across on TV!

Special thanks has to go out to an incredible design team. Rick Schultz & Teresa Long of Schultz & Long pulled off their ambitious modern architectural landscape of metal, pavers, plantings, fire and water. Truly inpirational. Terry Gibson's landscape as urban garden demonstrates that you can have a designed landscape solution that sustains your stomach as well as your eyes! It's very cool to think you can eat what you're growing, as opposed to just mowing it! Jack Hayes created peaceful serenity with a series of decks, plantings, sculptural elements, and sail cloths. Feeling like a nap just writing about it! And if want a cool place for kids to play, the creative use of rock, sand, and some very cool trees designed by Kristine Hanson of Green Leaf Design is both clever and sustainable!

And special thanks goes to the Portland Home & Garden Show team. They are simply amazing. First for allowing this creative collaboration to come together. And perhaps more than that their tireless efforts making sure everything goes together smoothly. It's a big deal to do these shows, and this one required a lot of attention. Terry and Karin O' Laughlin are incredible, making the work of it all seamless and a terrific job of PR and marketing. Phil Parker was kind of our creative director, seeing the vision and guiding everyone in.

The best thing is to come see it. The time is now! (Well, now through Sunday...) So get down to the Expo. Come by and say Hi!

It's Getting Closer!

2010-02-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

It's Sunny Outside! It's going to be incredible inside!

The showcase gardens at the Portland Home & Garden Show are coming together before our eyes. The entire room is filled with incredible displays by some amazing talent, not to mention our own collaborative group surrounding the new "fortino." The architecture of modern landscape by Schultz & Long is really taking form. You can almost see the harvest from Terry Gibson's urban garden. The fascinating series of deck spaces and plantings by Jack Hayes are terrific. And a very cool kids are being created by Kristine Hanson is really clever!

Tomorrow Crate & Barrel begins the interior transformation from cool shapes and volumes into a modern lifestyle that will truly inspire. We can't wait to see how it all works together!

Thanks to Handyman Bob for his interview with us on "Around the House" yesterday on KXL AM 750. You can hear part of the interview on the ideabox website.. http://www.ideabox.us/pdxH%26G.html

Also special thanks to Mrs. Handyman Bob for the terrific birthday cupcakes making a special day even special'er!

ideabox on the radio

2010-02-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

And it begins! The transformation from empty show hall to an amazing urban living experience is underway! You can see the beginnings of Schultz & Long's ultra modern urban landscape scheme. What you will see when complete is a series of experiences from lush plantings, to moving water, to entertaining spaces, to evenings by the fire!

Of course, the house is pretty cool too!

ideabox on live radio. ideabox's Jim Russell will be live on 750 KXL News Radio, tomorrow (Saturday) from Noon 'till 2:00 on "Around the House" with Handyman Bob. It's always fun to be in-studio and Bob is a great host. Jim will be talking about the Portland Show, the new fortino house, ideabox's new 2010 urban series of houses, and the ideabox optimized energy program. There is so much cool stuff coming from ideabox this year! Lot's to talk about!

ideabox landscape designers in the news!

2010-02-18T23:27:00.000-08:00

Three design firms create gardens for an Ideabox at the Portland Home & Garden Show

By Kym Pokorny, The Oregonian

A great article focusing on the gardens and their designers appeared in today's Oregonian newspaper. The focus of the article was about the amazing landscape designers we are so fortunate to be working with at this years show. These designers are truly talented, their designs are inspirational, and from what I've seen already in their execution are going to be absolutely sensational.

Show Update - the fortino house arrived Tuesday and was installed in the middle of the exhibition hall. An amazing crew finished getting the house ready today. Not long after the arrival of the house the landscape installations began. Rick Schultz and Teresa Long were working with the metal aspects of their design. Terry Gibson began laying out blocks to form his landscape walls. Decks for Jack Hayes garden were underway. Designers from Crate & Barrel came by to check out the house readying their staging plans. So much planning, so much work, and so much talent.

If you love design, you're gonna want to experience this!

The link to Kym's article is above.... or here! http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2010/02/three_design_firms_create_gard.html

The show starts next Wednesday at the Portland Expo Center. Come join us, and make sure to say Hi!

getting ready for a show!

2010-02-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

And what a show it's becoming! I know, I know, we've talked a lot about the upcoming Portland Show here and on our website. It's like enough already! And for those who have been by our office or talked with us, we've probably talked a lot about it too! One can only wax poetic so much I guess, but so what. It's our blog.

But here is my thing about it.... the ideabox experience is really is going to be something special. The "Showcase Gardens" at the Portland Home & Garden Show is one of Portland's best kept secrets. So few people know its there! For many, the show is just another home show. That's what I thought. I didn't know about the Showcase Gardens until we had our home there. And it wasn't until our house was being installed, and until we were watching all the work going on all around us as the entire room was being transformed by these amazing gardens did we realize just how incredible it all was.

These are not just gardens. It's a display hall filled with creatively designed landscape displays that take over a week to build. Concrete trucks, full size trees, cranes, and bobcats running all over the place moving dirt, pavers, all sorts of stuff. As these natural "wonderscapes" come together, lighting scaffolding is being assembled with dozens of lamps of various colors that are raised to the rafters. Perimeter walls of the building are draped with black fabric, suspended with cables that are hardly visible. The entire room is darkened, the walls becoming invisible, and the only light is coming from above. Projection lamps highlight key elements of each garden, making each a theatrical presentation. So much design talent, incredible executions of space and material, resulting in inspired spaces. If you are interested in design of any kind, you want to see the "showcase gardens."

New News! We've added a fourth landscape designer to the "urb appeal" ideabox display. Now the new fortino home will be completely surrounded with gardens by Portland's leading landscape design talent. The resulting collective gardens will be both breathtaking and demonstrate how a house and landscape together can create a truly magical living experience.

The inside is pretty cool too! As previously noted, Crate & Barrel is staging the ideabox fortino model at the show. Yesterday, we saw more of what they are bringing. Gotta say here that design talent is an amazing thing, and the assembly of furnishings and accessories being put together by the designers at Crate & Barrel will be something to see. It's amazing to me how just the right balance of materials and colors can transform a room. We thought we designed some clever spaces, but wow! It's like a showcase interior garden...

We're soon to announce the new urban series! Really, we are. And soon too! For real's. We've had the designs for a little while now, but given we handcraft the design, engineering, and construction of our houses, getting all the details just right is important. And there are some pretty cool details coming - we're making the concept of modern living fun!

It's What's on the Inside that Counts

2010-01-30T15:48:00.001-08:00

That's who's going to be both inside & outside the new ideabox Fortino coming to the Portland Home & Garden Show in February.

While they haven't released their "official" design package yet, we've seen some of the furnishings the Crate&Barrel design team is thinking about. It's going to be incredible. Elegant lines, exceptional materials, and a design vocabulary synonymous with the modern lifestyle of ideabox.

We are very excited... you will be too!

The Crate&Barrel design package will be throughout the house. Furniture, decor, housewares. and outdoor furniture too...

Visit the Crate&Barrel Bridgeport Store

Ask to see a sneak preview of what's going to be in the show!

Tell them ideabox sent you!

idbx in pdx - it's only a month away!

2010-01-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

It's Coming Together Now... Seeing will be Believing!

It's Truly an All Star Lineup at the 2010 Portland H&G Show - February 24 - 28 at the Portland Expo

We are so excited to share our newest house, the fortino, a month seems like almost too far away! The landscape designs surrounding the house are absolutely incredible, they really are. For those who have experienced the Garden Room at the Portland show, you already know how spectacular they can be. And with three of the most talented designers in the city applying their creativity around our house, the concept of what urban living could be will be mind blowing! For us, it's also an exploration in "affordable style." Everything we are doing with this years show is about creative expressions of style that are actually affordable. You can have the house... and the landscape.. it's not out of the realm because all of us have focused on lifestyle solutions you can really have for yourself. The fortino is an incredible assembly of materials and features typically found in higher priced homes. And the same is true with the landscape solutions.

We're All About Urb Appeal - The fortino does just that, and our hope of seeing that vision realized through landscapes is very cool. When asked if we had anything we wanted to see, our answer was do what the design of the house offers. They confirmed our design goals of having a small house that lives well beyond its walls.

It's All About the Lifestyle - Of course, what happens inside is pretty cool too! We are so fortunate and excited to be working with Crate&Barrel and the talented design team from the Bridgeport showroom. We're catching the at the right time, as their new 2010 lineup is hitting their stores... and our house. With an offering that extends beyond just furnishings to just about everything a house could want, it's ideabox lifestyle defined! And consistent with the ideabox philosophy of affordable design, the pricing will delight you!

Speaking of 2010 Lineup's - We have ours too! Coming in the next couple of weeks we will be introducing a new series of houses that reflect new opportunities in design and lifestyle. The 2010 series is very exciting, offering a refreshing new look.

New Energy Stuff Too - With everything going on in the energy and resource efficiency worlds, we called on our years of "in the industry" experience to assemble an ideabox energy system. A combination of increased thermal shell measures and applied uses of heating & cooling technology, the 2010 line up of houses will use much less energy than current NW ENERGY STAR Home and other utility programs require. We think it's just a smart way to live.

Lots of Stuff Happening at ideabox - We're excited about 2010. Cool new houses, cool new technologies, and it all begins at the Portland Home & Garden Show!!!

idbx@pdx 2010.... it's coming!!!

2010-01-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

ideabox fortino is coming to portland - it's going to be incredible!
It's unheard of. Never before in the history of all time has there been such a cooperative creative collaboration. (Okay, maybe just the history of the home show). Five established design entities combining their talents creating one incredible display. The only instructions were to developing solutions that are very cool, truly affordable, and based on an urban sized lot. We want to show how anyone can have an ultimate Northwest lifestyle. It's just about finding the the right house, the right designs, to find the right solutions!

The anchor of this modern experience is the ideabox fortino, the 1,250 SF 2BR/2BA urban modern "loft-like" living green & energy efficient prefab. The house is beyond compare, and represents a new direction in prefab. See the entire ideabox lineup at http://www.ideabox.us
The fortino house is being furnished by Crate&Barrel and will featuring furnishings from their modern collection. With their talented designers and an open floor plan, the resulting interiors promise to inspire at prices that will surprise you. Visit http://www.crateandbarrel.com
The exterior design is led by Schultz & Long and features water collection systems; outdoor fire displays; a series of elevated outdoor "rooms"; walls defined by plates of steel and glass; integrated use of metal and pavers: surrounded by grasses and trees. View examples of their work at http://www.schultzandlong.com

What you will see will amaze you. Imagine a darkened room lit only with rafter mounted projection lamps focusing on key features on the floor below. Imagine lush landscapes with water, outdoor fire features, mature trees and plants. And in the middle of it all find a fully furnished modern house.

The ideabox blog will be featuring more detail as the show approaches. Interviews with the design team, examples of what will be on display, and the newest products from ideabox!

We're excited! We know what is coming! You will be excited too!

The Portland Home & Garden Show is February 24 thru 28 at the Expo!

You will want to be there!

Stay tuned!

it's a brand new year!

2009-12-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

It's a Brand New Year!!! In welcoming 2010, I thought I would do something I've been wanting to do all of 2009... which was to find a way to feature some of the amazing talents we are so fortunate to meet here at ideabox.

One of the incredible opportunities we have at ideabox are the people we meet. We've met Hollywood types, (directors, art directors, costume, script writers, ect...), TV people, Ad Agencies (owners, creatives), Architects, Restaurant Owners, Artists, Bakery Owners, Authors, Artists.... and so many more. If we kept a list it would be not only amazing but very humbling. There is so much talent in the world.

Something I've been wanting to do is introduce you to some of these people and share their amazing abilities. At first I thought I could find a place on the ideabox website, but that didn't work so well. Now we have this blog, and since I get to write it, I think this is a great place to share from!

The graphic above is an example of something pretty cool. It is a painting by Jim Morehead of Morehead Studios in Newberg Oregon. The painting is not on a canvas, but on a piece of wood where the fundamental composition is done by wood-burning, the color added on top of the wood. It's remarkable. We have a couple of Jim's pieces here at ideabox, and featured them in last years Portland Home & Garden Show. Much of Jim's work is "re-working" the masters employing the wood-burning technique. The piece above is an original from a day at the beach watching a fishing boat readying its launch off the shore. Active in the art community, Jim's work can be seen at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, located on the Central Oregon Coast in Lincoln City. Learn more about the gallery and its member artists at coastalartisans.com. Jim can be reached at moreheadstudios@msn.com or by phone 503.332.1329.

What an exciting year 2009 was! Here's to a how incredible 2010 will be!

'tis the season

2009-12-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

Just in Time for the Holidays

2009-12-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

Looking for a new twist on the whole "home for the holidays" thing? Well twist you will when you see the new design from ideabox. The new ideabox "urban cottage" comes with one bedroom or two and ranges in size from 670 SF to 910 SF. It's the perfect present for under the Christmas tree - well - actually the tree would probably need to go inside the "present" (ie new house from ideabox). The fresh new design features cool new materials, more efficient energy efficiency, and a fun new floor plan that takes a small footprint and dynamically expands your lifestyle.

We're adding new efficiency opportunities. We've always been fans of zonal heating, and we're adding mini-split heat pumps for heating and cooling. It's looking at simple, proven efficiency technologies we know deliver comfortable conditioning using minimal energy. Cool new materials offer a clean modern look we're pretty excited about. And true to an ideabox house, natural light comes in from everywhere through another fun combination of windows, (with new glazing technologies making them more efficient than before!)

We're very close to releasing our new little gem, (maybe just in time for Christmas!)

Happy Holidays!

the next big thing in small living

2009-11-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

It began back in 2005. It was a small decision - well - sort of small but big in what we were deciding. We were putting the concept of what ideabox was going to be together. We looked at the markets and realized there had to be an end to the mcmansion philosophy of housing. We saw crazy financing of houses by people who couldn't afford them. And we sensed at some point quality of life would become more important than mass consumption.

(For all of our sensing we didn't sense the almost complete erosion of the economy). But that's okay, because we made a literally small decision that day back in 2005.

Our "small" decision was that ideabox would become "the next big thing in small living." ideabox would focus on small spaces that are modern, easy, and a delight to be inside and outside (as we think about how our houses interact on their sites. Outdoor "rooms" are as important to us as the indoor ones!) Every house would be energy efficient and built to green standards. We wanted a simplistic modern lifestyle.

The ideas behind ideabox came from a career ranging from architectural design, energy & resource efficiency, and commercial design and marketing. We were inspired by real, actual energy savings our programs were realizing. We saw opportunities to use resources more efficiently by creatively using cool building materials. And we saw that we could create an identifiable brand that represented our beliefs about design and living more responsibly.

And perhaps most important, we figured out construction methods that allow us to build incredible houses at reasonable costs without compromising quality. It's kind of exciting.

So you can see - ideabox is the next big thing in small living!

Our first house was 400 SF in size.... and you wouldn't know when standing inside. Our houses are the resolution of details coming together. Blending "the right amount of everything" to create spaces that are truly delightful. Careful use of glazing to cast your eyes beyond the walls. Simple lines that ebb and flow allowing an ideabox to nestle in its surroundings making each home a unique living experience. Our biggest house is just over 1,200 SF, and it seems huge.

It's practically perfect!

ideabox houses live beyond their walls. Our houses are crafted and real. Each and every one is a unique build, not a product out of inventory or on a lot somewhere. They're not the result of a fad or trying to be like something else. They are the result of a career looking for solutions that better peoples lives.

It's why ideabox is the next big thing in small living!

2009-11-11T14:07:00.001-08:00

it began with a bike travel trailer

2009-11-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

Over the years, especially lately with the new "fortino" in Seattle, we've been asked about where ideabox came from. To answer the questions, we thought we'd use this blog to sort of tell the story. This is Chapter One, or maybe a prologue.... we'll see.

The ideabox story - we think - goes way back to a pivotal event in my childhood, which was the day we created the "bike travel trailer". I was about ten. I had already built a tree fort, and a back yard fort. The idea of a fort on wheels, a fort I could take anywhere with my bike, now that was a cool concept of a fort. So with the limit of materials my dad said I could use (plywood, 4x4's, a ton of nails, some tar paper, and an old awning thing for sides) the design was created. A couple of days in construction the first prefab fort (otherwise known as a bike travel trailer) was complete. It was very cool, complete with working blinkers controlled from the bike's handle bars, interior lights with switches, a radio with two speakers, all powered from a 6 volt battery. There was a sleeping loft above the main level. To save weight, we cut the awning cloth material to make the sides. The new prefab fort was designed to attach to a sting ray bike with the banana seat (easier connection).

I called the City with for applicable permits, (none required). Two red flyer wagons were required, so we thought. (They were my sisters wagons, which was great because they weren't my wagon). Wagons affixed, "hitch" attached to the sting ray banana seat, blinkers attached to the handlebar and tested, we were ready to go. The goal of the inaugural journey was a county park along the river, several miles away. We had a long journey ahead of us.

The first journey quickly became the only journey. The prefab fort/bike travel trailer was heavy. Really heavy. (My dad thought it might have been the thousands of nails we hammered into anything that would take a nail). The idea of pulling via the stingray was jettisoned in favor of a push assist from the back of the unit. But that was okay, cuz we could see where we were turning because of the blinkers. The journey was epic, we knew we were doing something way ahead of its time. All the neighborhood kids were gathered to watch. My sisters were even okay with using their red flyer wagons.

We were off. About 25 yards from our driveway, the first wagon lost its wheels, the metal flattened and the rubber part shredded due to the weight of the prefab fort. Not to be deterred, another wagon was summoned (my wagon). This worked... for about fifty yards when the second wagon lost its wheels - again flattened. My sisters were already calling for mom. This wasn't going to end well.

By the time we made it to the corner of our street, all the wagons and all their wheels were flattened. It was metal on pavement. It wasn't pretty. The executive decision was made to return to the production facility (my backyard) using the hopelessly flattened wagon wheels. It was embarrassing. All the neighborhood kids watched our less than triumphant return. My sisters were crying. My mom was mad. And dad wasn't even home yet (but he was due soon, as the 100 yard journey took most of the day).

The prefab fort lost its bike travel trailer status, finding a home on top of a couple of saw horses. We added a sterno stove and an old coleman cooler creating a kitchen. It was starting to get very cool. We had the only elevated prefabricated fort with blinkers, lights, a working radio with speakers, and now a kitchen, in the neighborhood.

And what was to be ideabox was born.

Next - the more recent story.

Jim to speak at Urban Land Institute Fall Meeting

2009-11-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

ideabox co-founder and chief design guy Jim Russell was invited to speak at the Urban Land Institute's Fall Meeting, starting today in San Francisco. The annual meeting expects over 5,600 attendees over its four days and speaks to ULI's relevance to current real estate concerns in a rebuilding economy.

Jim was asked to talk about his design and energy efficiency experience, and about the ideabox solution to small, designed, green and energy efficient prefab housing and its place in urban environments. Of particular interest is Jim's thoughts on "right sized" density applications and a reexamination of existing development models such as parks and land based condominium solutions. "We are looking forward to a lively discussion, there a lot of bright minds at ULI," Jim said. "Even in a challenging economy, we think good reality based design will result. There are a lot of people who are looking for a terrific lifestyle and a housing solution that is more about living than about keeping up a house."

Jim's session is on Wednesday. "It's terrific an organization like the Urban Land Institute recognizes what ideabox is doing. It speaks to our market relevance."

Hope to have interesting thoughts to write about after the presentation. Enjoy the week!

wow! it's good to be fortino in seattle!

2009-10-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who came to the Seattle show - there are a lot of you! While we were excited to introduce the new "fortino" to the world, we were a little nervous too... being a new design and all... you never know! Not to worry, the design and the quality of our new house was so well received, we are more excited by the response!

We want to thank in harmony for their outstanding landscaping, let them re-introduce you to nature through your own backyard! Also, big thanks goes to modern design sofa who not only did a beautiful job with furnishings and artwork, they are also comfortably priced. Thanks to decks by jrw who made getting in and out of the house and gardens easy!

Also special thanks to the seattle home show who always does such a terrific job. It's always a well planned, well presented event. Seattle is lucky to have their spring and fall shows!

Introductory show pricing on the new "fortino" extends for orders received by December 15, 2009. It's a great price and if you're even close take advantage!

THANK YOU SEATTLE! Look for upcoming cool stuff from ideabox.

it was the night before the home show....

2009-10-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

... and all through and all around the house, a lot of activity was stirring, fortunately nothing requiring a bouse, but almost! (look it up) The new fortino house from ideabox is simply amazing, it truly is a modern home that lives well beyond its small footprint. Surrounded by a wonderful landscape designed and installed by Seattle's In Harmony, we've created a little oasis in the heart of the city. The interior features furniture and artwork from Modern Design Sofa, bringing out the livability of the spaces.

It is a house that needs to be seen. The house is.... well.... it's really nice.

The Seattle Home Show is now - we can't wait to show you our new house!

ideabox announces show pricing

2009-10-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

ideabox announces pricing for the new "fortino" model, set to debut this week at the Seattle Home Show. The new 1,250 SF 2BR/2BA model, with the typical ideabox "its all in there" palette of materials and finishes, is being offered at $148,750. For orders placed by December 15, we're offering special show pricing at $142,250. Further, for a $5,000 reservation deposit received at the show, we'll add an additional $1,000 toward furnishing your new ideabox with furniture from our Seattle Show furniture partner, modern design sofa.

For more information, come see us at the Seattle Home Show starting Thursday, October 22, 10:00 AM, at Qwest Field. If you can't make it to the show and are interested in all the details, email us at tellmemore@ideabox.us or better yet, call 503.510.4789.

We hope you can see new "fortino" at the Seattle Home Show. We can't wait to show it to you!

It's Monday of Show Week!

2009-10-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

If you have visited our website lately you hopefully saw the countdown clock on the front page. At first it was kind of fun, one of those cool website features that makes the site more fun. When it went it up the novelty was great! "Look at our countdown clock....!" we would exclaim. Back then, the infamous little clock thing was counting down from sixty days. Time was on our side. It was fun!

Today I took a look and it's like TWO days away.... and the emphasis has shifted from "how cool is this" to "wow, it's only TWO days away!"

We are so excited to present this house. The "fortino" represents a new urban emphasis for ideabox with a design that works as easily on a tight infill lot as it does on a site with territorial views. It's why we worked with the Seattle Home Show to present it. It's why we have such a great team demonstrating what you can do with landscape, decks, and furnishings..

We look forward to seeing you "at the show!"

urb-appeal enroute

2009-10-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's on its way! The newest dwelling from ideabox left this morning bright and early and has now literally arrived Seattle. Tomorrow it will move into the Qwest Field conference center next to the stadium. Of course, the Seahawks need to play their game first - but once they're done, we're moving in. A lot of activity begins both inside and outside the house - but in a couple of days it's like the house was always there, except for the whole living in Qwest Conference Center thing.

It is an amazing transformation. First, the house in installed by Ivy Construction who put the two pieces together and make it a complete house. Our guys get everything all ready on the inside. All the while, landscaping by In Harmony will be taking shape around the outside. Decks will be built by Decks by JRW. Then the modern furniture from Modern Design Sofas will complete the installation. The whole thing is orchestrated by Mike Kalian and the Seattle Home Show crew who have an amazing ability to handle any and everything.

And then it's on with the show! More to follow, stay tuned...

The new "fortino" by ideabox. We can't wait to show it to you!

Are you ready? We are!

2009-10-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

It's almost showtime! A new generation of ideabox is about to begin with The Seattle Home Show and the official introduction of our new house. It's exciting for us who have lived with the design from the initial concepts through design development to walking through the finished product.

In the last week the quartz composite kitchen & bath counters and the concrete and broken glass island counters were installed. Following that the stainless Kitchenaid appliances completed the kitchen and the Kohler Ying Yang vessel sinks and fixtures were installed in the baths. The finishing touches to a northwest modern design.

With our incredible fall weather of bright blue skies, crispy air, and changing colors we've had all six of the 8' tall sliding glass doors open swallowing it all up! We can't wait to get the decks off all the rooms, the very cool landscaping surrounding the house by in harmony sustainable landscapes, and interiorscape by modern design sofas.

And if that isn't enough, (I mean you would think that is enough already), we are planning on some exciting "purchasing opportunities" we'll be announcing shortly.

A quick aside - I had a couple of meetings in Seattle yesterday - one of those quick up and back days on I-5. Except that yesterday offered a truly breathtaking fall sunrise, cascading layers of fog and sun, and the color of the trees coming to life as the sun rose higher in the sky. And then leaving Seattle to catch that awe inspiring vision of Mt. Rainier against a foreground of changing leaves glistening in the afternoon sun. Then, almost like nature's own sequel, equal views of Mt. Saint Helen against the later evening sky.

It's that stuff that makes life.... life!

Terrific turnout from Green+Solar Tour

2009-10-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday provided a bright and crisp fall day for the Salem Green+Solar Tour. It was a terrific soft opening for the new ideabox fortino modern prefab. The new house was universally received beyond expectation. (Especially because the house isn't finished yet!) We are looking forward to the "official" debut in Seattle, October 22-25, at Qwest Field.

I want to thank all of you who came to see the new house. Not only is it great to see you, your comments contribute to the development of our models. Hoping those of you who we pointed in the direction of our local wineries found them!

Also want to thank Cindy, Taylor, Greg, Buzz and Black Rock Salem for sharing your time, talents, and coffee with our guests.

Saturday was our third year participating on the Salem tour. You can see in the questions, comments, and conversations that the conceptual aspects of living more efficiently is moving past concept and to reality. Awareness and education has certainly grown. More people were working on new construction or remodeling projects employing improved thermal shell applications and active solar technologies. As solar PV production increases in Oregon plants and newer technologies find their way to the market, the reality of site power generation could be entering into its renaissance.

Exciting times.

fortino SNEAK PEEK 09

2009-10-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

We're very excited to offer a sneak peek of the new fortino, tomorrow (October 3) from 11 to 4. The house isn't completely finished yet, but enough that you can walk through, experience the spaces, and see what green modern living can be like. Black Rock Coffee of Salem is sponsoring what we are now calling, "sneak peek 09" offering free coffee drinks at its Lancaster location (w/ coupon).

Saturday will be a great day to enjoy a brisk fall afternoon in Oregon. Visit Salem, see the next big thing in small living from ideabox, enjoy a Black Rock coffee drink, maybe check out a few wineries or a pumpkin patch, (find some of those apple cinnamon donuts...). For information, please call 503.510.4789 or visit http://www.ideabox.us

PREVIEW "fortino" SATURDAY OCT 3 in Salem

2009-09-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

While it won't be completely finished, the new fortino will be close enough to have a PREVIEW OPEN HOUSE. In conjunction with the Salem Green+Solar Home Tour, Saturday, October 3, from 11 to 4, both the ideabox campus and the fortino will be open.

We are very excited to preview the new fortino as it finishes up for its debut at the Seattle Home Show. For more information, directions, or questions, call us at 503.510.4789 or email at tellmemore@ideabox.us

it's about passion

2009-09-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

ideabox is a concept derived from passion. A passion for designing houses that make living in and around them fun. About putting together a house that uses very little energy. Finding the right blend of materials. And mostly about bringing a little smile to your face every time you open the front door!

A lot of that little smile comes from a passion for design. Looking for solutions that find a balance of space, playing with natural light, finding forms that speak to the lifestyle inside & out! It's also a passion to integrate both energy & resource efficiency with style and presence. And a passion to deliver a very cool solution cost effectively mixing terrific products and appropriate pricing.

All that passion is only as good as its execution. For that you need a passionate construction team. A team of craftsman who take the time to do it right - the first time, every time. Engineering that performs, materials solutions that answer crazy design requirements, and a building team that is all over the crafting of a home.

The new "fortino" house is an incredible example of a design solution realized. You have to check it out - it will amaze you. It amazes us! And we're around it a lot! Seattle can't come soon enough..... we can't wait to show it to you.

Thoughts from a Home Show

2009-09-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

If you follow ideabox, (and this blog), you'll know we were at the recently completed Portland Home & Garden Show. It was a great show, this year being a combined event featuring boats, RV's, and home and garden. A very professionally presented show featuring terrific displays by all the vendors, creative features including a room decorating competition, landscaping displays and plant sales, all surrounded by RV motor homes, trailers, and water craft.

I am always amazed by the amount of talent and innovation found at shows like these. Among the big product manufacturers were weaved landscape design and installation firms, interior designers, craftsman builders, and an ever widening array of new products by the larger manufacturers. There was a display by the ever clever smart car in one area of the show, and not far away an $800K motor mansion on wheels. Something we keyed into and will explore is a prefabricated shed roofed carport with a roof of PV panels - a terrific solution to proper solar orientation combined with a terrific use.

But the real reason for this post is to quickly comment on how positive the audience was. You couldn't help but get a sense of more confidence in the economy - more people searching for solutions, more enthusiasm for doing things, a better feel for where things are going.

Also wanted to thank all of you who came by our little booth in Portland. The response to the drawings of the new house was incredible. (I literally just left the production facility and have to admit "fortino" will be even more special than drawings can depict. Look out Seattle!)

New fortino being well received in Portland

2009-09-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

We are delighted with the response to the soft unveiling of the new "fortino" at the Portland Home & Garden Show, running through Sunday at the Portland Expo. Though we've brought poster graphics and flyers for the new house at our booth here at the show, the reaction has been terrific. The house itself is under construction, on schedule for its debut coming up in Seattle.

It's been an encouraging show as people have a lot more confidence in their own economic position. More discussions about projects, more excitement in the air.

If you're looking for something "cool" to do this weekend, get out of the heat at the air conditioned Portland Expo. Come see us at booth 814 for a sneak peek!

It's Sunday at the Portland Home Show. It's been a great four days, people are excited, looking forward to Seattle!

2009-09-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

Visit our booth at the Portland Home & Garden Show, today thru Sunday at the Expo. We have drawings & info on the new "fortino" house now underway!

2009-09-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

new fortino underway

2009-09-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Construction has begun on the next big thing in small living. "fortino" by ideabox explores a new design direction. A little more modern, some new materials, fortino continues our quest of offering green built energy efficient prefab homes that are all about an active lifestyle.

The two pictures show a section of the "fortino" floor in its early stages of construction. The 2x8 floor framing is being insulated after the engineered insulated duct work and plumbing lines have been placed. While the floor was being built, the interior and exterior walls and the roof were under construction in another location. The second image shows the same floor, now with the walls and roof in place.

A couple quick observations... note the lack of waste material. At every opportunity building materials are ordered to length and size with little to no excess. Being built to ENERGY STAR and eco-rated standards, the insulation is carefully placed and will be fully lofted before sheathing is placed.

Keep checking - we'll continue to add images as the house comes together.

ideabox booth at portland's fall home & garden show

2009-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

While we won't have a house with us at the upcoming Portland Fall Home & Garden Show, (September 10 - 13, at the Portland Expo), we will have a cool booth with big graphics and renderings of the new "fortino" model, as well as drawings of all our houses.

We are very excited about the new fortino house. Completely new, fortino offers terrific "urb" appeal, an urban loft like lifestyle anywhere you want to be. Retaining ideabox energy & resource efficiency, the new design lives inside out, equally perfect for a small urban lot or a country view property.

The Portland Fall Home & Garden Show will be the first time we show this new house in any form. Kind of a "soft" unveiling. We'd love to show it to you. And if you're in the market for a new house, come see us about introductory pricing.

The whole thing is fun, forward thinking, and we're looking forward to sharing the new fortino.

the next generation

2009-08-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

reaching out

2009-08-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

There is so much going on in the world of ideabox. As indicated in the previous blog post, we're excited by the continued interest in our houses and the very cool applications and projects people have for them. What is more interesting to me is all of the cool things our visitors are doing, what they're about, the places they are going or have been to, the lives being lived. It's a very cool world.

So this is a quick blog entry to simply say we are working on sharing all of this cool stuff via the web social communication stuff. The website is a given, so we added this blog. We're a little late in the blog game, but in short order it will be cool. We've also become part of the facebook community. And now the twitter community.

We're hoping to build the same experiences we have here at the ideabox world headquarters on the web. The sharing of cool stories. The amazing things we all do.

Stay tuned - there is some cool stuff coming from ideabox in the very near future.... But more on that later.....

A Summer of Possibilities

2009-08-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

We want to thank all the people who are coming by the ideabox world headquarters this summer. It's been a little warm in the heart of the Willamette Valley, making it very "cool" to see all of you. Keep coming!

What a summer it has been. With the range, diversity and creativity of projects we are working on, it's exciting to see all the possibilities out there. From Southern California to British Columbia, and some incredible locations in between, ideabox offers unique product applications that perfectly adapt to a wide variety of lifestyle solutions. It's exciting.

All this activity speaks to continuing trends in lifestyle choices. We're seeing more people who are realizing there are better, cooler, more interesting ways to live. At the center is where people want to live, how much "house" they want to manage, and how the definition of space is more important than how much space... all the stuff ideabox has been focusing on for years.

It seems everywhere you look people are caring more about where things come from. We want to know what went into a product, who created it, what was the thought process, why is it cool.

There seems to be a renaissance of meaning, a value system to make decisions by. In this age of instant information via electronic delivery systems, it's the human element reasserting itself.

"Meaning" speaks to the questions and observations we experience at ideabox. People are finding value in the "how" ideabox came to be - that it's an effort that grew out of a desire to blend architecture, energy efficiency, green materials and methods, and prefab construction. Another observation we hear a lot is an appreciation that ideabox is a small company - not some large corporately owned entity following a market trend.

Anyway - it's the "Summer of Possibilities!" It's very exciting!

speaking of summer

2009-07-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you go to places and realize just what a great thing life is. Imagine waking up to this view! And on a business trip no less. Should you ever want to go fishing in Canada, let us know and we'll steer you here! I'm on Vancouver Island, in Beautiful British Columbia, on the western shore. Summer in Canada - they tell me it's like this all the time! I'm telling you, this ideabox thing goes to amazing places....

Report from Orcas

2009-07-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

Summer + ideabox + Orcas Island = Amazing! The Pacific Northwest is a special place. Nothing exemplifies this more than Orcas Island. For ideabox, we feel privileged to have the cottage house located on this idyllic site. The design works perfectly, capturing the incredible views of the waters and islands beyond. Add the expansive deck, the house literally extends the living space beyond the walls. You become a part of your surroundings, and being on Orcas Island that's a great thing!

summer in ideaboxland

2009-06-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... it's summer and houses are finding their sites. And more are on the way! Here are two new ideabox confluence installations, both engaging their remarkable sites. For us seeing our houses integrated on to their sites and becoming their own unique places is the real fun of ideabox.

June in the San Juans

2009-06-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Nothing better when the sun is shining in the San Juan Islands. Blue skies, green trees, the waters of the sound, in one of the worlds more unique locations, can life be any more perfect than this???

Here are a couple of preview shots of an ideabox cottage on Orcas Island. With all the glass, the house takes in the incredible views created by this incredible place. The deck practically reaches outside to the views beyond making the living experience truly special.

We will post more of some of the incredible places ideabox homes get to go!

Hope you are enjoying a terrific beginning to Summer 2009!

just walking down the street

2009-05-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's amazing weather. And coffee is... well... necessary. So, it makes sense to get out and take a walk. The Blue Pepper in downtown Salem has a cool sign, and great coffee. With the blue sky, the old building, and the aforementioned sign, just had to take the picture! If you're looking for great coffee while visiting our state capital, check them out....

that was quick!

2009-05-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Wow! Bring in a house, add a deck, maybe a garden and look out! The ideabox @ port townsend is really looking nice. A new geo deck leads to a garden beyond that truly brings living inside an ideabox outside. All within a small lot that defines big modern living in a small carbon footprint.

If you're in the Port Townsend area and want to visit, do so soon! Contact Charlie Arthur, RE/MAX First, 360.344.3930. Charlie has other lots in the Port Townsend area perfect for creating your easy living ideabox solution!

spring at the box!

2009-05-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us. The sun is shining, and it looks like it might even be warm! A perfect weekend for wine tasting and visiting the coolest modern prefab in the northwest! We're here this weekend. Call for your own appointment (503.510.4789).... Come see us!

sunshine!

2009-05-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

The sun is out in force - what an amazing weekend in the Pacific Northwest. With all this sunshine comes energy and excitement. Our trees all around us here at the ideabox campus are filled with chirping birds, it's a great time to be in Oregon.

All sorts of ideabox activity with houses under construction, houses being installed, new exciting houses coming soon, and projects in development.

If you are in the area, please stop by. Look for the table on the deck, if it's there we're there! (With the sunshine we're trying to ride bikes... you know, do our part, get in shape, enjoy the weather...)

The Next Phase

2009-05-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

ideabox + cube is supported to new FEMA 100 Year Flood standards. Ironically, much like most of the early homes built in the valley. Perimeter structural walls are next , and hopefully spring like weather!

installation begins

2009-05-05T16:08:00.001-07:00

With the confluence + cube on site and positioned, the installation process begins. The pieces are fastened together, the foundation system is placed and soon after services are connected. Because the house is virtually complete when it arrives, the transition from a grass field to livable home happens quickly.

coming together

2009-05-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

With incredible precision, the ideabox cube is positioned into place alongside the main confluence house.

cube delivery

2009-05-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

It's delivery day. A new ideabox confluence + cube is brought to its building site awaiting installation. The building site, a grassy field located in a small rural Oregon town, will quickly transform into a new modern garden home.

been awhile

2009-04-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile!

So much has changed in a couple of years. We have a line-up of houses, ranging from the 400 SF park model of our first post, to the "cottage," the "confluence", and "cubes." Each model offers big time living in small space - and each is built to resource and energy efficient standards. We have some terrific projects installed, ranging from the north rim of the Grand Canyon to Orcas Island. And some terrific projects coming. As they come together we'll post them.

With the economy presenting its obvious challenges, the ideabox concept of living has really taken form. More people realize that with a cool small scale home solution available, the concept of downsizing is very doable. Combined with materials that are both green and easy maintenance, you can live without the hassles of a full blown house. Another huge benefit of the ideabox lifestyle is true savings in energy efficiency by virtue of our certified ENERGY STAR and EARTH ADVANTAGE construction..... not to mention smaller footprint.

As we get pictures of cool installations we will post them - we have some amazing houses on very cool sites with views that are nothing short of amazing. All take advantage of the lifestyles around them - from the wine country of Oregon to island living in the San Juan's. It's all very fun and very active.

More to come! Get out there and enjoy this amazing spring!

2007-06-20T21:31:00.001-07:00

the new confluence modern is ready. the first units are through production, and the real thing is better than the design! check it out at www.ideabox.us and look for announcements an introductory pricing!

ideabox - the new modern prefab

2007-04-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

ideabox is a whole new approach to bringing modern prefab homes to the market. "right sized" living, using resource & energy efficient materials and construction, ideabox homes are complete on arrival offering instant living. ideabox lives large, but requires little space. sustainable & green, but bright and entertaining.

we are now in production and shipping on the west coast. check us out at www.ideabox.us and if you are in Oregon, come visit us at our display.

and check back often. new projects & installations are sure to grow the ideabox story.

thanks