The LV Home is Available!

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Author	Topic: The LV Home is Available!
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-19-2003 11:30 AM I know many people have been waiting patiently for production of the LV Home by Rocio Romero. Today is the day you have been waiting for. The LV Home is available immediately. Rocio Romero, LLC has contracted with me to facilitate sales of the LV Home. Customers can visit my website (if you can't see it, click the link immediately to the left), email me, or call me at 415.722.7171. Be among the first to live in this elegant yet affordable house. Marshall [This message has been edited by marshallmayer (edited 09-19-2003).]
Senninha Member	posted 09-19-2003 01:52 PM Woo Hoo! This is gonna make a lot of people happy! Good luck with the venture Marshall. I'm considering an LV for my office space. I'll be sure and check out your site.
cfcek2 Member	posted 09-19-2003 03:26 PM could you please let us know as soon as floorplan images are available for the actual production model? i am curious as to how it differs from the prototype. thanks! i am so excited! :: christy ::
michael@fabprefab Member	posted 09-19-2003 03:32 PM That's exciting Marshall. It will be interesting to see what your sales cycle looks like. There would seem to be some pent up demand. Now the rubber hits the road... Michael www.fabprefab.com modernist prefab dwellings
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-21-2003 03:24 PM Christy, As soon as I get the floorplan image for the LV Show Home in Perryville, MO, I'll put them on the LiveModern site. In the meantime, you should know that there is one big difference between the production model and the prototype: the LV Home Kit comes with no interior. It is up to the buyer of the LV Home to specify and build whatever interior they want, with one exception: the wall between what is the living space and the bedroom area is a structural wall, and must remain. Otherwise, there are no walls on the interior. That way the buyer/builder has maximum flexibility to get exactly the interior they want. Many will do something similar to what is speced in the floorplan, but the decision is up to you on how to modify it. Marshall
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-22-2003 12:53 PM Rocio Romero will host the first open house for the LV Home at her show home near St. Louis, MO on Saturday afternoon, October 18th. Make your reservation now. Rocio Romero and Marshall Mayer of LiveModern will be on hand to lead you through the LV Show Home, as well as answer your questions about how it was built and how you can build your own LV Home. Make your reservation ASAP to be sure you can be among the first to tour the latest modern prefab to be produced in North America. To make your reservation, contact Marshall Mayer by lvhome@livemodern.com or call 415.722.7171. [This message has been edited by marshallmayer (edited 09-22-2003).]
joe b Member	posted 09-22-2003 04:22 PM Sounds great! [This message has been edited by joe b (edited 09-22-2003).]
joe b Member	posted 09-22-2003 04:59 PM [This message has been edited by joe b (edited 09-22-2003).]
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-22-2003 06:01 PM Joe, Do you know when the last modern prefab was produced in North America, in any quantity? I know there were a bunch of different models produced a while a go, but it seems that it's been many years since a modern home was produced and sold as a prefab. Marshall [This message has been edited by marshallmayer (edited 09-22-2003).]
TalentWave Junior Member	posted 09-22-2003 10:02 PM Is this really the day we have been waiting for? I just went to the FAQ (http://livemodern.com/resources/LVHomeFAQ/view) on Marshall's website and was disappointd to find out that the LV Home has no floor, no roof, no windows, no plumbing, no electricity, and no warranty. So what I want to know is how does this qualify as a prefabricated home. All of our homes are to some extent in 2003 prefabricated, probably at about the same percentage as this home. We are told on that site that we should expect to pay between 40 to 95k more than the 30K price. That doesn't seem like much of a deal. Here in CA it would cost at least $120 sq ft and it's not even modular. What's so great about that? Am I the only one who doesn't get this? Maybe I'm really naive but I feel somewhat mislead by the hoopla and hype about this fabulous 30k house that could revolutionize the whole housing market. Please comment on this and help me feel better about Rocio Romero and her supposed effort at providing lower cost housing to the world. What's up, Marshall? Thanks, Jim [This message has been edited by TalentWave (edited 09-22-2003).] [This message has been edited by TalentWave (edited 09-22-2003).] [This message has been edited by TalentWave (edited 09-22-2003).]
joe b Member	posted 09-23-2003 12:34 AM MM: Cliff May built 18,000 from 1951-56. Karl Koch for Techbuilt built about 7,000 from 1953 to the mid-60s. Charles Goodman had designs for several large prefab companies in the 50s and early 60s. Several thousand were built. I have articles, brochures, and ads of other companies from the mid-50s to mid-60s. From 1954 to 1961, prefab was 10-11% of the housing market in the US. Over 100,000 built per year. Many of these were of modern design. The LV is a welcome product!
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-23-2003 11:32 AM Joe, OK, so the LV Home is the first in 40 years. I did not realize the gap was that long. Thanks for the history lesson. Marshall
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-23-2003 12:00 PM Jim, Rocio built a house for her mother in Chile 5 years ago, and that is where the $30k figure started -- and ended. True, she estimated at the time that all other things being equal a similar house would cost $50k to build in the US, the price accounting only for the differential in labor costs. These numbers are still widely quoted (see Newsweek, September 15, 2003 - ugh!), but do not reflect current reality. The LV Home as it is now produced is quite different from the 5 year-old prototype. It's larger, by about 20%. It's build to a very strict building code, so there are many elements that were not included in the prototype. The exterior finish (Galvalume) is of much higher quality. There was no documentation of any time (plans or instructional materials) included with the prototype. To name just a few. The cost of the LV Home is kept low because every element of the structure that can be built for less and shipped from MO has been included in the kit. With a general contractor finishing the rest of the structure (at a lower cost than could be prefabricated), you get an LV Home, a great design at an affordable price. Of course, affordablitiy is in the eye of the beholder, but in almost any market you can have what looks like a custom built modern home for less cost than comparable, traditional construction. Marshall
modernlover Member	posted 09-23-2003 12:37 PM It still costs too much. I'd rather build it myself from scratch, from the plans. That's not going to happen, so I guess that's out.
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-23-2003 02:52 PM Christy, The floorplan for the LV Show Home at Perryville, MO is now published at LiveModern (click to the left of this if you can't see the link). Marshall [This message has been edited by marshallmayer (edited 09-23-2003).]
alistair Member	posted 09-23-2003 03:57 PM I'm actually pretty happy with how the LV house turned out. At 970 square feet, the prototype was just a little too small. The fact that the plans have been designed with Los Angeles county code in mind significantly reduces the potential headaches. I'm putting some serious thought into the LV home. I need to find a buildable lot that I can afford (a rather tall order in Los Angeles, but I've found an area I like with a number of promising lots). I figure that it can be done for not much more than $100/sq. ft., even at a fairly high level of finish. It should come in for less than the cost of a comparably sized condo here. It may not make as much sense in other parts of the country, but I can have one for under $200k including land and construction, I'll be quite pleased.
Jcuene Junior Member	posted 09-24-2003 12:11 AM I think an important point to remember is that the thing got built and, one can assume, sold. That's a big deal in and of itself. There's a lot of industry history stacked against the launch of a new, small, independent company. So, before we start picking apart the price, let's take a deep breath and consider the improbability of getting the venture to this point. As for the price for the total package, I think it's fair, though not as low as I expected it to be. But still, in Minneapolis, where I live, I'd guess something similiar and stick-built would probably be close to 50% higher than her high estimates.
GaryR50 Member	posted 09-24-2003 06:40 AM True. Not only must we consider that it has obviously sold, but that the market for further sales has also been established or proven. If it had not, we would not be seeing this happening at all. So, that's definitely encouraging. Gary
cfcek2 Member	posted 09-24-2003 08:44 AM Marshall - I like the layout changes - It seems to make better use of the space. But as you mentioned before the only interior wall that must be there is the one separating the living space from the smaller bedroom and bath correct? :: christy ::
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-24-2003 09:10 AM Yep. The wall goes through the center of the house, and supports the 48 foot span of roof (end to end). Marshall
TalentWave Junior Member	posted 09-24-2003 09:57 PM Marshall, I'm very sorry if I came off negative. I certainly not interested in throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Apparently from the comments subsequent to mine, I was indeed somewhat naive thinking that the house would have a roof, a floor, windows etc. I don't know the history of these projects as well as many on these sites and was simply expressing my frustration regarding my anticipation to buy a house for $30-$50k and finding out that the actuality is more than twice that price. Thank you for your response. I'm sure there is much more to all of this than meets the eye. Jim
marshallmayer Member	posted 09-26-2003 01:48 PM Jim, Apology accepted (sorry it took so long, busy over here!). The history of these projects remains largely to be written -- primarily because the future has not happened! I think there will be many stories to tell in a few years where different approaches to making modernism affordable are tried, some successful and some not so succcessful. What I admire most about many modernist innovators is that they are doing something to address your need. And I think the issue of affordability will become more acute, as housing price increases continue to outpace inflation and as interest rates continue to rise. It's an opening that modernism can address by being be a solution instead of just a a style. Marshall
matthewk Member	posted 10-14-2003 08:54 PM I'm going to echo some of the statements made here already. Aesthetically speaking, I like the house alot, and the layout seems pretty good. When you talk to people who have gone through building a house about your dreams of building one for yourself they always say something like "Plan on it costing AT LEAST 150% more than your original budget!" My concern with this kit (really it is a kit) is that there are so many unknowns that the budget could balloon out of control quickly. I would much rather a true prefab house that included more in the "kit" like windows, hvac ducting etc. I have never built a house, yet I have built many things before. It is what I do. I know that the little details of something is fabricated make a huge difference in how long it takes to build it and how well it goes together. I'd be much more interested in buying one of these if the details were more solid. thoughts?
Kevin_in_Denver Member	posted 10-15-2003 01:38 AM Hang back for a few months and inspect the LV homes of the first four schmucks who have to work out all the unknowns.
GaryR50 Member	posted 10-15-2003 07:23 AM I tend to agree with Matthew on this. The more "fab" in the "prefab," the better; i.e., the more that is included in a kit home kit, the fewer unknown variables there are to contend with. I believe one of the chief reasons Lindal Cedar Homes has been so successful for so long is that they include every single necessary part in their kit package. The only thing the owner and builder contribute is the foundation and the lot. That's the way it must eventually be for any modern prefab to be truly successful. I don't know if Lindal went through an initial period of testing to find out how complete their kits needed to be, and exactly what they needed to include in them. I rather doubt it. I think they probably anticipated exactly what was required, from the beginning, and supplied it, right from the start. There are certain components that obviously should be included with any LV home kit, and not including them can only reflect badly upon the manufacturer, thus reducing the probability of Rocio Romero's long term success. It just makes sense that, if you're going to sell prefabricated homes, you should supply everything necessary to build them. It should be a complete kit of parts. Gary
Kevin_in_Denver Member	posted 10-15-2003 02:39 PM The Lindal kit is only a finished shell with interior partitions and doors. According to the local dealer, there are no floor coverings, HVAC, drywall, cabinets, shingles, insulation. Around $35/sq. ft. which is pretty much what all the kit houses run. And if you use the rule of thumb and don't go overboard on the finishes, the total cost will be $105/ sq. ft.
Bob Member	posted 10-16-2003 07:59 PM I was just looking at the m-house at www.m-house.org This is what I was expecting the LV to come like. Completely or almost completely finished. The m-house is way too expensive ( but so is the LV when it's finished ) , but it is a true prefab. It's ready to move into the day it arrives. From what I can see on the LV website, the materials that arrive from the LV factory could be built on site in a weekend for a fraction of the price. I think the the LV home is a great looking house but I think they have taken the wrong route to bring it to market. I think most people were expecting a complete house and I now think most people are going to be very disapointed. I think the purchaser takes on too much of the risk ( infact all the risk ) and too many unknowns. You're getting a load of unfinished wall panels and a set of plans and not even any help when it comes to chooseing windows and doors and all the systems required. It seems like they are saying " thanks for the check, here is a load of some of the materials you'll need, and good luck. They are selling a set of plans and $10 000 worth of materials. I don't mean to sound pesimistic but thats what I think I see here.
chrisv999 Junior Member	posted 10-27-2003 03:16 PM Wow, where can i find out more information about the history of these homes? Thanks! quote: Originally posted by joe b: MM: Cliff May built 18,000 from 1951-56. Karl Koch for Techbuilt built about 7,000 from 1953 to the mid-60s. Charles Goodman had designs for several large prefab companies in the 50s and early 60s. Several thousand were built. I have articles, brochures, and ads of other companies from the mid-50s to mid-60s. From 1954 to 1961, prefab was 10-11% of the housing market in the US. Over 100,000 built per year. Many of these were of modern design. The LV is a welcome product!
pbreit Member	posted 11-10-2003 03:50 PM bob, I think it's a better offering than that. Firstly, I would strongly challenge this statement: "the materials that arrive from the LV factory could be built on site in a weekend for a fraction of the price" I suspect that over time, she wil be able to produce a more complete kit. I think at this stage, it makes sense to go to market with an incomplete kit which allows for some customization, learning, innovation, etc. You can figure out in 15 minutes at the LV site pretty much what you are getting.
marshallmayer Member	posted 11-23-2003 11:28 AM I put some new photographs of the finished exterior of the LV Home online at http://livemodern.com: http://livemodern.com/Members/Marshall/LVHomeFolder/lvhomeexteriorphotos Marshall
marshallmayer Member	posted 12-08-2003 09:42 AM Rocio Romero, architect of the LV Home, is also building the "fish camp," which she describes as an "adult tree house." Available this spring, I've published photographs at http://livemodern.com/fishcamp . Details about the product will be made available in February. Marshall
pbreit Member	posted 12-08-2003 03:18 PM I really like the LV, especially as a second home at the shore, country-side or mountains. I cannot, however, figure out what the intended use of the Fish Camp is.
marshallmayer Member	posted 12-08-2003 07:12 PM The Fish Camp could have many uses, depending on the owner. Rocio and her husband use it for entertaining and relaxing. It's near their LV Home, and is next to a creek. It's quite comfortable, espeically in warm weather. But someone could also use it as a studio, or a guest room. Marshall
pbreit Member	posted 12-08-2003 09:48 PM I guess in that context it might compete with the Lindal/Target/Graves "Pavillions". Will the Fish Camp be in the $10k-25k range?
marshallmayer Member	posted 12-09-2003 03:29 PM quote: Originally posted by pbreit: I guess in that context it might compete with the Lindal/Target/Graves "Pavillions". Will the Fish Camp be in the $10k-25k range? That's a pretty wide range! Pricing details won't be available until February, but the price will be competitive. Marshall
lavardera Member	posted 12-09-2003 04:27 PM I'm having a deja vu? http://fabprefab.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?p=335#335 Marshall - did you plant this person to ask you this question, or, well if not.. pbriet, if you are looking for your glasses, they are on you nose! [This message has been edited by lavardera (edited 12-09-2003).]
marshallmayer Member	posted 12-09-2003 05:12 PM [QUOTE]Originally posted by lavardera: [B]I'm having a deja vu? http://fabprefab.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?p=335#335 Marshall - did you plant this person to ask you this question, or, well if not.. pbriet, if you are looking for your glasses, they are on you nose! It's real deja vu. I posted it here in case someone did not see it on fabprefab.com. Marshall [This message has been edited by marshallmayer (edited 12-09-2003).]
michael@fabprefab Member	posted 12-09-2003 06:22 PM Greg - at least you know your memory works for 12 days or so (the deja-vu delay in this instance). Marshall we're all looking forward to some more LV photos when you have them. Are you waiting for a sunny day in MO?!
pbreit Member	posted 12-09-2003 06:58 PM There were two threads, I posted twice. Not sure what would be a better course of action.
lavardera Member	posted 12-09-2003 07:25 PM I'm just joking with you pbriet! I'm double posting things between here and livemodern a lot too.

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