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A new home, but a home with history and a story that needs to be shared. Architect Michelle Kaufmann started her own company MKD (Michelle Kaufmann Design) in the East Bay with the passion of showing the world that building “architecturally interesting” (aka Modern) homes can be made affordably and reliably through the correct implementation of modular construction. By the mid 2000s MKD had built a few homes and was beginning to generate a buzz within the industry because the Breezehouse as it was called struck a chord with everyone who saw it.

In 2006 Sunset magazine decided to feed the fire by building a Breezehouse model home in Menlo Park nearby their headquarters. This became a huge media launch for MKD and showcased how modular construction would be the next wave of residential homes because it was easier to control cost of supplies, labor, and offered more predictable schedules than build-in-place methods. This launch party was a huge success and the Freeman Rd owners decided to order a Breezehouse.

Soon after the media event was finished, Michelle Kaufmann reached out to the Freeman Rd owners, explaining that the buyers of the Menlo Park Breezehouse model home could not take delivery and offered this model home to them instead of waiting for another one to be built in the factory. They jumped on it!

So the house was moved from Menlo Park and 3367 Freeman Rd is now the actual model home that Sunset Magazine sponsored to launch the whole modular construction era. This home is a piece of history. It has a serial number 3006005.

The timing of the housing crisis and economic downturn were too much for MKD to withstand and so Michelle’s dream company had to close due to financial issues (from what I understand). However, upstart Blu Homes quickly jumped on the opportunity to buy the assets of MKD, which included the Breezehouse design plans. Thankfully Breezehouse lives on as a very successful part of the growing Blu Homes portfolio.  

Features:

2044sf living space

8432sf lot size

3 bedrooms, 2 bath built in 2006

2 car garage

prefab modular construction

Michelle Kaufmann architect

butterfly roof design

two huge 18ft Nanawall glass doors

fu tung cheng (cheng designs, Berkeley) concrete kitchen island, decking, planter boxes

Joni Jenecki Landscape Architect

Central forced air heat/AC

18 Sharp Solar panels (3.5KW system)

Viking professional range and hood, outdoor bbq and fridge

Sonos wireless sound system inside and out

 

Open House: 5/24-25 from 1 to 4pm.

Listing Agent: Mark Easterday 408-887-1821