I was blown away when I found out about this online blog at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  It’s called From the Ground Up and the journal is tracking Jason Hammond’s quest to build a unique, modern home in the Twin Cities.  The blog also includes information from the project’s architect, Michael Huber, and the project’s builder, Corey Benedict.  From the Ground Up has become a huge success, with people of all backgrounds and interests chiming in to figure out what it takes to live in something modern + green.  What I really like about the blog, however, is the pragmatic approach to building green.  For many of us, myself included, it’s expensive to get into a well-designed, green home.  So the process from beginning to end must be comprehensive and calculated, especially if you don’t want to waste money.  From the Ground Up will "consider the balance between [Hammond's] family’s needs, the project costs, and the environmental considerations that go along with new home building."  I already like what I see and can’t wait to continue reading about their home as it approaches completion.  Via rolu | dsgn. 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to put a Michelle Kaufmann Designs home on your piece of land?  Now you can do it, and you’re going to love this.  Here’s what you do:

1. Step 1:  Go to the Google 3D Warehouse and type in "MKD."  You should see designs for the mkSolaire, Sunset Breezehouse, and Glidehouse.  Nice.  These files are for use with SketchUp.  Download the design you want for your home. 
2. Step 2:  Download a free copy of Google SketchUp and use SketchUp to open the file you downloaded in Step 1.  Using SketchUp, modify the landscape of your home.  (I must admit, I’m still learning how to use this program and do this step). 
3. Step 3:  Download a free copy of Google Earth.  Find the location of your site.  Plop your SketchUp model on the site that you’ve located.

That’s the process.  It’s a pretty cool mashup allowing you to envision the land of your dreams with the home of your dreams.  If anyone does anything cool, drop a line below. 

[Run time: 1:09 min.]I found this blog dinking around with my Blackberry’s feedreader software.  David Hunter has a blog called "Nashville Modern Prefab," and he’s documenting his experience trying to build a modern Hive Modular home near downtown Nashville.  For anyone that’s interested in some of the hurdles of getting approvals, etc., for a non-traditional home, this is a great blog to scan over.  Check the video above, which is a 3D rendering of Hunter’s future home.  Hope the approvals finally come through!  For those of you that like Hive Modular’s work, you may enjoy some of the videos and links below. 

Good Links:
+Hive Modular [website]
+Hive Modular on HGTV [Youtube]
+Hive Modular + Rosenlof/Lucas Video [Youtube]