Monday, December 31, 2007

To go along with our Prairie Style theme this month I wanted to show you some of the other design capabilities of Image Design. Besides designing homes we enjoy designing many other facet of the home including Stained Glass or Art Glass as some call it. Shown here is a example Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stained glass we designed for the Prairie Style home featured below. Locally we prefer to work with Tom Blackburn of Pristine Glass Company there are one of the leading studios in the Great Lakes area. I have worked with him on numerous window and door projects over the years and their work has been flawless. Please visit there web-site. If you would like to find out more about our stained glass designs please contact us.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

This month we will feature a example of Prairie Style Architecture. Those of you that know me, know that I am a big fan of this style. This award winning home was influenced by the prairie-style architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, evident in the roofline as well as in the materials and organic building form. With a shallow pitched hip roofs with large overhangs these home are perfect for Passive Solar heating and cooling, the large overhangs shade the home's in the summer from direct sunlight and in the winter they let the sun light in to warm the home; large casement windows and a clear story in the middle of the house provide plenty of daylight for a comfortable interior. At 2,890 square feet, the house is not small, but the experience of being in it feels quite intimate. There’s extraordinary focus on detail and quality craftsmanship throughout, creating an incomparable home of both remarkable comfort and timeless character. As with most of our prairie style homes we used custom stained glass thru-out the home. If you would like to find out more about this project or other plans we have in this style please contact us.

Monday, December 10, 2007

In October and November we polled our blog reader on "What are the most important design features they were looking for in a new home". And the following were the results of our poll.

  • Lifetime Design 43%
  • Sustainable (Green) Design 58%
  • Not So Big House Design 49%
  • Passive Solar Design 45%
  • None of the above 6%

I want to thank everyone that took part in the poll we had over 100 responses, it will help us in our marketing research. I believe that all of the features above should be standard on all new homes! If you would like to find out more about any of the above features please email me or call. Also please check out the new poll on "What your favorite home style".

This Saturday Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes (TM) and I went down to Ann Arbor for the annual GLREA (Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association) membership meeting. Where Team Hybrid won the GLREA 2007 Exemplary Project Award for the Onekama Hybrid Show House!

The GLREA handed us 17 plaques for each of the Team Hybrid Members who were vital to the project's success. It is important to remember, that there were several projects nominated from the Great Lakes Region.

The award reads:
"In recognition of the Onekama Hybrid Home, demonstrating the most innovative and practical use of renewable energy technologies and methods"

We are more than thrilled to win this award as a Team!

The members recognized were:

Hybrid Homes, LLC
Image Design, LLC
The Homeowners
Bauer Power
Sky Stream (wind generator)
Schucco (Solar Hot Water System)
Galaxy Electric
H and H plumbing and heating
Andersen Windows
Shaw Flooring

CertainTeed (Cement Board Siding)
R-Value Concrete Structures
Team Elmers
(Concrete Supplier)
Onekama Building Supply
Standale Lumber

Alliance for Environmental Sustainability
Wall Tech Products (ICF Supplier)