A number of years ago, when I was fresh out of college and earning next to nothing, I lived for a time in a cheap, single-wide mobile home. It was like a metal oven in the summer and a bit too drafty on cold winter nights, and the only thing about it that even approached being "green" was the fading exterior paint. I don't know if it was that experience alone or my perception that mobile homes are always the first dwellings to blow (or wash) away in a natural disaster, but I've never found the idea of owning a factory-made home to be very appealing. I want my dream house built on site, with a permanent foundation, good insulation and earth-friendly accoutrements.

That's why I'm rather amazed to find myself seriously considering a pre-fab house. My husband and I made a list of all of the things that are important to us in a home: that it be light, airy and not too big; use passive and active solar heating; and have low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials and bamboo floors, among other things. We wanted to build our home in the most environmentally friendly way possible, but we soon found that all of those little, green "extras" can really add to the price of building a home. About that time, I opened a copy of Sunset magazine and came across an article about the Glidehouse, and my perspective on pre-fab was changed forever.

Building green: Michelle Kaufmann, a former associate of renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, has become a sort of icon in the world of sustainable building design. By incorporating ecological design principles into the production of modular, factory-built homes, Kaufmann has found a way to make the pre-fab home low on environmental impact and high on style. Both the original Glidehouse and her latest design, the Breezehouse, are built using nontoxic paints, sustainably harvested wood, bamboo flooring, Richlite countertops made from recycled paper, formaldehyde-free cabinets, dual-flush toilets and on-demand hot water.

The homes are built in factories and brought to the building site. This reduces construction waste, minimizes environmental impact to the building site and virtually eliminates the potential for mold growth during the building process. The buildings are designed to accommodate a variety of alternative energy sources, including solar. The "butterfly" roof design of the Breezehouse not only conceals solar panels, it also cuts an artful, contemporary profile. The homes, which are delivered to the building site on trucks, do require foundations (yes, these pre-fab homes are solidly attached to the ground), and the designs, which are based on standard-sized modules, can be customized.

How do they look? Both the Glidehouse and the Breezehouse are strikingly beautiful (see resources). Strategically placed windows not only wash the homes with natural light, but also allow for cross-ventilation and natural cooling. The earthy materials and open floor plans provide a sense of continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces. The Glidehouse is named for its series of gliding panels. On the exterior of the home, they glide across windows to provide shade on sunny days, and on the interior, glide to cover and reveal areas of wall storage and display. The Breezehouse incorporates a centralized glass-enclosed living area, which can be opened to create an indoor-outdoor space and provide fresh air on warm days. Its stone floor absorbs heat from the sun and acts as a thermal mass to provide warmth during cooler months.

What's the cost? The designs are both modern and sensible, with standard floor plans ranging from around 1300 square feet for a two-bedroom home to 2500 square feet for a two-story with four bedrooms. The costs are quite a bit higher than your standard manufactured home; however, they do reflect the use of premium materials. Michelle Kaufmann Designs lists factory costs at $132 - $225 per square foot, depending on floor plan and options, to which you must add the cost of transport and installation, as well as site-specific costs for foundation, utility hookups and local permits. Obviously, these costs vary depending on your location, but could add an additional $60 - $100 per square foot to the total price. So the low-end for a standard 1344-square-foot Glidehouse is around $235,000, and a 1730-square-foot Breezehouse is around $346,000, not including your lot.

Not all pre-fabs are created equal: Few incorporate eco-conscious approaches to the extent of the Glidehouse and Breezehouse. Kaufmann's green designs are being touted as visionary, and I find that encouraging, because these homes not only represent a new approach to pre-fab architecture, they also convey the important message of environmentally friendly building and living.

I don't know if we'll own a Glidehouse or Breezehouse someday, but my eyes have been opened to the possibilities. Thanks to Michelle Kaufmann and her team of environmentally minded architects and visionaries, these green factory-built homes make the benefits of sustainable architecture more accessible to people who may not otherwise have the time and resources to invest in a custom, eco-friendly home.

Find green building resources, photos, blogs and information on Glidehouses in Chelan and Vashon Island, Washington: www.livemodern.com

Jennifer Allen Newton is a freelance writer and consultant living in southern Oregon with her artist husband, Jamie, and shaggy dog, Baxter (who wishes they would hurry up and build a house with a dog door and a decent bit of land to run around on).

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