Logan Ashley has been working on homebuilding sites since his early childhood. He and his friends would go door to door and inquire if the neighbors “needed any work done”. He grew up in the trades working for his father, who was a renovator and drywaller, as well as his uncles who worked in various other areas such as roofing, flooring, electrical, and carpentry throughout high school. Today, he is leading his own team as the Co-Founder of Adaptive Homes, a prefab designer and builder of quality-built, sustainable homes based in British Columbia.
The prefab home design and build process has been gaining momentum in the last several years as it allows homes to be built in a more precise and controlled environment, which greatly reduces the time and cost to build. Adaptive Homes has a unique take on the prefab industry. Founded in 2018 to serve “living enthusiasts” searching for thoughtfully designed “modern, minimalistic, and natural” homes, Adaptive Homes adapts to the environment its homes are built in, incorporating structural and energy-efficient design.
Logan, a member of an indigenous First Nation tribe from Northern Alberta, Canada, has long had a passion for building homes that change the way we live. Together with his business partner and Co-Founder, Jocoah Sorensen-Begin, the two have leveraged their upbringing in, and knowledge of, more rural areas and extreme climates to build homes more suited to the environment. This guides construction design that meets the various structural requirements of the Pacific Northwest and delivers energy efficient features, such as passive solar heating methodologies, highly insulated building envelope, air tightness, and efficient ventilation systems. Additional off-grid systems, like rainwater catchment, help reduce the cost of infrastructure and monthly living costs. Adaptive Homes are net zero ready, which means that they have the ability to produce as much renewable energy as they consume, leaving the owners with a net zero energy bill.
An Adaptive Homes design not only saves on the cost to build, but the time to manufacture as well. The company adheres to a systematic process of design and construction that leverages pre-determined combinations of modules and panels. With this approach, they can reduce material waste; solve for labor, which is typically difficult to procure with the right skillset in remote areas for traditional home construction; and deliver turnkey solutions in a fraction of the time it takes to build a traditionally built home. Logan said that the average factory time is four months, with installation at the home site taking no more than a week or two. The company also draws on their library of building science to create efficient home designs.
The ability to construct a high quality, lower cost home in a much shorter time makes Adaptive Homes solutions ideal for workforce housing. But Logan adds they also target “living enthusiasts” who appreciate that a simplified building process can also deliver a high quality, sustainable home built with craftsmanship. Logan sees these consumers as innovators themselves who don’t buy things because of how they are marketed but rather the performance they deliver and the return on investment they provide.
Looking ahead to the future, the company hopes to be able to expand their reach and offer their products from coast to coast in North America. This will require manufacturing facilities in key locations to continue to use local products and deliver home solutions that reduce environmental impact in sourcing, construction, and shipping. The company continues to emphasize a laser focus on building homes for people and not solely for profit. “Our homes improve people’s quality of life because they look good, are comfortable because their temperature doesn’t fluctuate, prevent poor air quality from mold/toxins, and reduce associated energy living costs,” said Logan. He added, “We want to create a prosperous future for our communities and believe that creating a healthy home is ground zero for that.”
For more information on Adaptive Homes, visit their website at https://adaptivehomes.org.
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