Blu® Homes Takes Home the Gold in Two Categories in the Professional Builder 2014 Design Awards

MARE ISLAND, VALLEJO, Calif., March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Blu® Homes, Inc. ("Blu"), America's leading provider of premium prefab homes, is proud to announce that two of its homes were awarded Gold Medals in the 2014 Professional Builder Design Awards, which highlight beautifully designed projects that embrace and display new market trends.

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Blu Homes' Vashon Island, WA, Glidehouse and Pod was recognized with Gold in the category of Systems-Built/Modular Homes. This elegant Glidehouse and Pod was built for a married couple who purchased the property nearly 30 years ago. The stunning location features views of Mt. Rainier and the Pacific Ocean. On the verge of retirement, the couple decided to build an eco prefab house that maximized the views and minimized maintenance and energy costs. After careful planning, the Blu Homes Glidehouse and accompanying Pod were delivered via ferry across Puget Sound to Vashon Island.

The second home to receive the gold in the Professional Builder 2014 Design Awards is the Severna Park, MD, Breezehouse, in the category of Green Homes. This Chesapeake Bay home was recognized for both its family friendly and eco-oriented features. The home's indoor-outdoor connections were especially important to the clients, who are avid gardeners and kayakers and eventually plan to make this home their retirement residence. Green features that were highlighted in the Design Awards include non-off-gassing materials; low- or no-VOC paints; formaldehyde-free materials; FSC-certified wood products, including flooring; a high-efficiency HVAC system; energy-efficient appliances; water-conserving fixtures; dual-pane, low-E windows and doors; and recycled countertops. Solar PV is planned for a future installation.

Now in its third year, the annual Professional Builder Design Awards honor the best of the best in residential design. The program highlights beautifully designed projects that embrace and display new market trends. According to the three judges, who included William Barbour of TK Design and Associates; Donald F. Evans of The Evans Group; and Larry W. Garnett of Larry Garnett Designs, this year's winners exhibited many common features including multiple flex spaces, private outdoor living areas, community walkability, and low-maintenance materials and finishes, to name just a few.

Submissions were evaluated not only according to design excellence, but also on a home's sales and marketing success, construction quality, and cost efficiency. The winners demonstrate a wide range of innovative practices needed to meet the demands of today's dynamic homebuyers.

For more information on Blu Homes, email [email protected]. Or, visit www.bluhomes.com, follow Blu on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bluhomes) and Twitter (@BluHomes).

About Blu Homes

Blu Homes is the leading provider of premium prefab homes in North America.  Designed in California and built in half the time of conventional custom homes, Blu homes feature soaring ceilings, walls of glass "letting the outdoors in," luxury quality finishes, and integrated high performance technologies for convenient and comfortable living. Blu's proprietary information technology enables customers to create their unique home design online in 3-D, and receive a clear, fixed price.  Skilled craftsmanship and unique steel-reinforced building technology allow Blu to build beautiful, open-plan designs, ship them efficiently and complete them quickly for a simple one-stop process for its customers. Built in its 250,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Northern California, Blu's inspired and nationally recognized products can be found from New York to the Colorado Mountains and the Pacific Coast. Visit www.bluhomes.com.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64411-blu-homes-professional-builder-2014-design-awards

SOURCE Blu Homes, Inc.