Photo at left is from a Yestermorrow course in building tree houses.
Yestermorrow is a school for building in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The school’s founder, architect John Connell and Giocondo Susini are teaching a 5-day course starting April 17th on building with prefabricated components, “Putting the Fab back in Pre-fab.”
“New developments in factory-built housing now make it possible to design custom, environmentally enlightened homes that meet the needs and pocketbooks of normal homeowners. Healthy and green, these buildings can be less expensive to build and operate even while looking historic, vernacular or contemporary. But only if you understand the entire process and work with the right manufacturers. This course will enumerate the dos and don’ts of building with prefabricated house parts by taking students through a design process focused on their own individual projects. In addition to appropriate siting, Energy Star and LEED design principles, we will cover how to shop for a manufacturer, what to ask, how to price your home, and what to expect as the construction process unfolds. There will be field trips to fabrication plants, and we will demonstrate how to vet different manufacturers.”