"HOME OF THE MONTH"
Milan and I have a creative background ranging from healing arts to graphic design. One of our areas of specialty is Feng Shui; having been consultants for a number of years. When it came time to build our home, we decided that a traditional, conventional square home was not for us for many reasons including appearance, style, and of course the Feng Shui. However, because of the nature of our lot, we were limited to the width of home we could place on it, so we matched a round structure with some conventional framing. The result is balanced, harmonious and beautiful structure.
We were surprised once our home arrived and with the help of the Mindful Living on-site technical support, how easy the shell was to put up! The extra tall walls were a good choice, making the ceilings high and maximizing the views. Extended eaves and extra insulation were important to us because our location, although in the high mountain desert, has a rainy season and several feet of snow. One wood stove is enough to heat the entire 1700 square foot home; mainly because the round great room holds the heat so well, compared to a structure with corners.
The best feature of the round home is the amount of light! Both the windows and the skylight are a substantial size. It's bright and cheery and we can even start plants early indoors in small pots because the dining room windows face south and get a ton of sunlight.
Thank you Mindful Living :-)
Elissa & Milan
|
Factory-Built Housing's Bright Future
This industry is growing swiftly - From the late 1930's when modern engineered home building companies started emerging in New England and the Midwest, HUD-Code, modular and panelized home companies have grown to considerably and now produce 63% of all single-family homes and low-rise apartments. This does not count the industrialization of site-built homes where 96% use factory made roof trusses, and rapidly growing number use pre-hung doors, floor trusses, wall panels and other components.
Why the Fast Growth?
Faster construction time, lower costs and better quality. While stick builders may need from six to 12 months or even more to build a house at a job site, industrialized builders need only one to three months to finish a componentized home, six to eight weeks to finish a panelized package home, and only one to three weeks to finish a double-section HUD-Code or modular home! Speed means fewer material cost increases and less or even no cost for construction loan money. Precision factory fabrication methods also delivers vastly better quality in construction.
Interview with Award Winning Interior Designer Kathy LaMontagne
Excellent information concerning decorating round homes. Click here.
Letter of the Month
"We love it, we're just crazy about it. People are constantly amazed and blown away by the building. The final product exceeded my expectations. We're very pleased with the materials that were used.
I think it is the open feel and light that make the yurt so easy to live in. We're totally thrilled with the house."
Jane & Alan
Decatur, WA
Want to read more testimonials? Click here.
|
OPEN HOUSE
An Open House was held in honor of Oregon Yurtworks name change to Mindful Living. It was held on January 14th and was open to the public.
Attendees were pleasantly suprised to know how many pre-fabricated homes Mindful Living has produced and shipped both within the United States and abroad.
Many attendees commented about the new name being a more clear and true impression of the homes which are being designed and that they feel that people are generally focused and concerned about the environment, striving for energy-efficiency in their housing, and concerned about the affordability of quality homes.
Attendees with resort property developments were probably the most verbal about the opportunities this offers them to incorporate Mindful Living round structures because of the misunderstandings that financial institutions have voiced regarding lending on structures known as "Yurts".
The future of Mindful Living is bright! We wish to thank all of those who attended the Open House and wish to extend an invitation to all out-of-state clients who would like to visit the showroom and take part in a drive-by tour of MindfuL Living homes to call us at 800-211-8470. Customer Service agents are avilable to meet with you on weekends by appointment. Click Here
The Future Opportunities of Housing
Too often we look to the technology and government to solve our problems. As Americans we need to change our lifestyle, for example, while shifting your incandescent light-bulbs to flourescents is a good conservation measure, turning the lights off when not in use is an even better answer. Using natural sunlight to light your homes during the day with a skylight is one advantage Mindful Living homes have been using for the last 25 years.
With climate changes a hot debate, we need to look for alternatives to square homes, which have limited wind resistance. A round structure allows the wind to pass around the home. Instead of rebuilding square homes in tornado zones, we should be looking to build homes with a natural ability to withstand high winds without suffering significant damage.
We need to look at renewable energy sources to create the majority of our energy needs. This means using solar panels, radiant heat, and significantly improving the energy efficiency of our homes from the ground floor to the rooftops. Also using windows that have higher efficiency ratings and reduce our heating and cooling costs will help lessen our individual carbon footprint.
|
|