DIY Network

Glidehouse: Construction From "Assembly Required" episode DASR-206

Puget Sound's Whidbey Island is the perfect place for Tiffany and Michael Minor's new modular vacation home. The house consists of three 16-foot wide modules that have to get up a 9-foot wide driveway. General contractor Ed Muscat is confident the modules will make it, but he's about the only one.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

The Glidehouse

The Glidehouse is the brainchild of architect Michelle Kaufmann and her builder husband Kevin Cullen. The couple decided to build the sleek one-level, three bedroom house outside San Francisco (figure A). They also wanted it to be "green," so they chose as many eco-friendly products as possible and tried to maximize energy efficiency. Michelle placed huge sliding, or gliding, doors of glass on one side to bring in the light (figure B) and sliding doors made of cedar for media storage on the other side (figure C).

The first house was built onsite by Kevin in eight months. Soon, others wanted their own affordable version of the Glidehouse. Michelle took her design to Blazer Industries, to see if they'd make it modular. The company cranks out 25 modular homes a week and was more than up to the challenge. So far, the company has completed 10 Glidehouses.

The Minor's dreamed of their Puget Sound vacation home being a small bungalow with big windows to maximize their amazing view. One day Tiffany picked up a magazine and saw her dream in the form of the Glidehouse. The couple sat down and started customizing their own version of the factory-made home. They met with sales manager Roger Starkweather to go over the plans and Tiffany decided to make a few last minute changes...big ones. They moved around bedrooms, added skylights, switched a bathroom and moved the custom media bar to maximize their view. Then, the couple green lit the 3-bedroom, 1,750-square-foot design and the factory got to work.

Blazer Industries takes only four weeks to build each Glidehouse. First, they do all the framing and drywall. The electricians and plumbers work from the outside, while a different crew is simultaneously working on the interior finishes. On inspection day, construction supervisor Rock Shetler shows Roger the finished house before it's loaded up and shipped out to the hilltop site (figure D).

	Figure E
	Figure F

Installation

It's installation day for the Minors and general contractor Ed Muscat. Ed discovers he's not only fighting time, but gravity as well. He runs into some problems getting the Glidehouse up the hill. It's 8 am and Tiffany and Michael watch as the biggest of the modules is stuck at the bottom of their driveway. After several attempts to pull the module up, Ed unveils a secret weapon...the backhoe. With the help of the heavy backhoe, Ed and his crew take 35 minutes to pull the Glidehouse up the driveway. On a deadline, Ed worries about finishing the project on time. They only booked the set supervisor Marty Moore for one day.

At the top of the hill, Marty becomes a little impatient waiting for the first module to make its way up. They plan on using a "roll set" to literally roll the modules off the truck and onto the foundation. They use steel beams, wheels and pulleys to accomplish such a feat. Marty finds the "roll set" to be cheaper than bringing in a crane.

However, they still need a module. Tiffany paces nervously and Ed calls for a heavy gravel truck to pull up the 44,000 pound module. The gravel truck does the trick and steadily moves the Glidehouse along, but another disaster is in the making...an overhanging limb! Ed decides to lean the module and squeaks it past the overhanging limb. Three hours behind schedule, the first module makes its entrance on site.

Behind schedule, Marty and his crew realize they have to work at a blistering pace to set the house by day's end. In order to set the Glidehouse, they have to roll the house along steels beams and onto the foundation (figure E), making sure the beams and rollers are level. The crew has to use winches connected to the rollers by steel aircraft cables to guide the modules over the foundation. It's not an easy task for this 20-ton house, but Marty handles it like a pro and successfully places the first Glidehouse module down.

Once the second module arrives, the crew has found its groove and gets it into place. They marry the two modules and wait for the third and final piece to arrive. When it does, they winch the module into place and it fits perfectly. Despite all the obstacles, the crew miraculously sets the Glidehouse in record time (figure F). It took only five hours to install and Marty is proud of his crew for rising to the challenge.

RESOURCES :

Michelle Kaufmann Designs
Website: www.mkd-arc.com

Blazer Industries
Website: www.blazerind.com

7x7 Magazine
Website: www.7x7mag.com/

Wired Magazine
Website: www.wired.com/wired

Builder Magazine
Website: www.builderonline.com

Plenty Magazine
Website: www.plentymag.com

Sunset Magazine
Website: www.sunset.com/sunset/