It's fun building houses!

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!

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

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

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

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

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 

introducing the ideabox urban series

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

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!