PERFECTLY PLEASING PREFABS

One of my wishes for 09?  A perfectly pleasing prefab on a small plot of land.  Why?  Prefab houses are manufactured offsite and can be shipped, often flat, to their destinations.  They cut down on the waste of construction and renovation that typically accounts for 1/3 of the American waste stream.  Plus, they're small, simple, efficient and streamlined. And now the eco-friendly options abound.

One of my favorites is the Wee House by Alchemy Architects. Its wee indeed, as is the price tag. You can customize for green features like green, living roofs and solar or geothermal energy.  Wee hee!

Another is Rocio Romero's LV Home Series. Each is house in a kit is modern, elegant and stunningly simple. Get started here. Or just browse.

And if you're really ready to think outside and live inside a box, SG Blocks has reused shipping container houses I first heard about through the grapevine and then through Inhabitat. Through it's process of value-cycling, it turns one thing on its head--a discarded shipping container--to be another--your new house. Check out these "safe and green" alternative houses here.