Blu Home photo courtesy of PR Newswire.
California-based precision home builder, Blu Homes (www.bluhomes.com), said it has sold and will be manufacturing the first Blu home personalized entirely online in 3-D by a consumer.
The two-bedroom Element 48 home was designed by Cathy and Walter Pearlman, using the Blu | 3-D Configurator, which allows users to go online to style, visualize and spend time in their own Blu Home before it is ever built.
Blu Homes demonstrated the Configurator at the ShowStoppers @ CES 2012 media event in Las Vegas yesterday. Blu builds each home from the client's 3-D custom model, using precision tooling and trained craftsman in its climate-controlled factory in Vallejo, CA.
After choosing the Element, one of Blu's seven eco-friendly, architect-designed home designs, the Pearlmans were able to personalize everything for their new Pembroke, Mass., home - from exterior siding and kitchen appliances to bathroom fixtures and cabinetry finishes - all in an easy-to-use, realistic 3-D environment. The Pearlmans then sent their design to their dedicated Blu representative. After just one meeting to confirm their selections – with only one minor change to the bathroom tile – they were ready to purchase their home at a fixed, pre-agreed upon price, according to the company.
"At first, designing our home online seemed so high-tech that it felt more like something our kids' generation would do. Once we tried it ourselves, we realized how fun and easy it is - especially since everyone at Blu was standing by to help us," said Cathy Pearlman. "It turns out designing your home online - and then having it built straight from the online designs - is something anyone can do."
"Designing and building homes has historically been an expensive, arduous and time consuming process. This is particularly true for architect-designed homes that typically require months of costly design effort and numerous in-person meetings that can be stressful for all parties," added Bill Haney, Blu Homes co-founder and president. "With the Configurator and our proprietary IP, Blu is leveraging all of the benefits of online retail, such as lower selling costs, a more convenient shopping experience, reduced need for brick and mortar presence, and streamlined sales and building processes."
Since its October 2011 launch, almost 6000 home designs have been saved with the Configurator. Anyone can access the Blu Configurator for free at bluhomes.com/configurator and begin customizing a Blu home today.
Blu Homes' core design and engineering technology - and the technology behind the 3-D home designs in the Configurator - is Blu | 3-D, a proprietary design software similar to that used by automotive and aeronautical designers and engineers at companies like Boeing and Volvo. To create the Configurator, Blu Homes worked with UI experts and game developers to design a consumer-friendly user interface.
