This is the Blanco River House by Austin-based Ma Modular.  The home, located in Wimberley, Texas, has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,400 square feet, and tons of outdoor deck space.  Ma Modular delivered the prefab home with 2×6 exterior wall construction, Gerkin windows with thermally broken frames, a Galvalume double-lock standing-seam metal roof, and an Energy Star heating and cooling system, etc.  All together, this home was built for $140 per square foot.

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• Very green but not chasing LEED.
• Now might be a good time to downsize.
• Builders concerned about cost of going green.
• Building green homes that don’t cost a lot of money.
• Multifamily building lead US construction gains.
• Missouri expects the first Active House in U.S.
• In a green home, living off the grid.

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This is C6, the first low-cost LivingHome and the only “Zero Energy, Zero Carbon production home ever to feature a LEED Platinum level environmental program and Cradle-to-Cradle inspired materials,” according to California-based green prefab company, LivingHomes.  It was designed by LivingHomes in collaboration with Make It Right, which was founded by Brad Pitt and Bill McDonough, and will open for tours this month in Palm Springs, California (and there’s also one in Long Beach).

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Dutch-based Lemnis Lighting is hitting the LED scene with a cut-rate, basic light bulb selling for $4.95 — the Pharox 200 Blu.  It uses 5 watts, has a 2700 K color temperature, has a CRI of 85, lasts about 15,000 hours, and outputs 240 lumens.  The bulb could replace 25W incandescents and is suitable for task lights, accent lights, and other ambient illumination.

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Okay, really the only connection to Valentine’s Day is the color of the home, but check out this bold, industrial container home in Lille, France.  Designed by Patrick Partouche with eight intermodal shipping container units, the home has about 2,200 square feet with great views through large windows and light through polycarbonate panels.  Maison Container Lille installed by crane in three days of site work.

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