Modular homes are not just for eco-geeks
In recent years, many modular homes have been touted by eco-geeks as energy efficient, less wasteful to build and a greener alternative to traditional stick built homes. A few large modular homes in Washington, DC are proving that prefabs are reaching beyond the original audience. They are being embraced by the upper middle class/upper class as cheaper, quicker alternatives to traditionally built homes.
The Washington Post published an article by Lisa Rein a few days ago about a Washington, DC couple who had their 7,200 square foot home built in a factory and shipped to their site in 21 separate pieces. The home was assembled in 32 hours and will be completely finished in three months. The stick built home beside it will take an additional 10 months to finish.
This doesn’t mean that the family had to give up any of the fancy touches that upscale stick built homes boast. It just means that the family had to make the majority of their design decisions up front. Special ceilings, molding, kitchen counters, cabinets, and sinks etc. were decided on early and built into the home before it ever arrived.
Some green prefab building involves using discarded storage containers like those designed and built by Recycle Tech Inc. Other green modular designs envision less space with improved insulation, water barrels for rain, and water saving fixtures throughout the house. Green may also mean using only sustainable woods for flooring, low VOC paints, smart home technology and solar or wind power built in.
The 7,200 square foot home mentioned above incorporates many green features since building a modular home in a factory means less waste, more recycling of materials and less chance of mold or mildew. More than likely the home has great insulation and some energy efficient features. But the two features that the owners talked about the most were the lower cost, and reduced build time.
The home was built by Haven Homes. The company has homes that are barely over 1,000 square feet and over 4,000 square feet. The designs are from a variety of architects like the 5,057 square foot Valley Forge from H2 seen above. If none of those tickle your fancy, you can have a home designed to fit your particular family’s needs. Designs range from one floor shotguns to three floor mansions.
No matter what your income bracket is, in this economy where everyone is pinching pennies, its hard to argue with a home that costs less, is well built, and goes up faster. Having green features is just a bonus.
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