Take the best attributes of prefab construction and trick them out with a variety of customized green components – that’s what L.A.-based Sander Architects has been doing for quite some time.  Their Hybrid House concept is home design they’ve developed over the last few years using a prefabricated metal frame, skin and roof.  The design offers major economies by using prefabricated building (warehouse) fabricators to manufacture the most expensive parts of the houses at a fraction of normal costs.  These part prefab,  part custom residences offer a “best of both worlds option” in green home building.

The home featured in this post is the Residence for Briard – the greenest Hybrid House Sander has built.  Green approaches and materials include: greywater systems, passive heating and cooling strategies, cistern to capture rainwater for watering the landscape, recycled blue jean insulation, sunflower seed wall board, bamboo flooring, marmoleum, structural steel frames from recycled steel, and a bunch more.

Residence for a Briard came out of conversations with the owners who found an old bungalow in Culver City which they initially envisioned as a renovation.  After discussions with architect Whitney Sander they realized that they could take advantage of his Hybrid House to build a ground-up duplex for only slightly more than the proposed budget of the renovation.

A big issue – accommodating the design needs of the client’s huge dog (a Briard – for which the home is named) which influenced many of the home’s design components – from stair design to finishing materials.

Project cost:  $500,000 — 3,800sf @ +/- $130sf; (includes site prep, foundation, hookups, all construction hard costs).