Want to build the energy efficient home of your dreams without the hassle, high cost, and long wait of the traditional material and building process? Then you’ll love getting your hands on one of these amazingly stylish eco-friendly modular homes.
Due to the endless choices of building materials and customizations, the propensity for going over budget, the oftentimes arduous building process, and other unforeseen delays such as inclement weather, permitting problems, and sometimes erratic contractor availability, building a new home from the ground up may feel like it’s taking a lifetime to complete.
However, modular prefab homes, which means mobile, or easily transportable, factory fabricated homes, are quite the opposite. With a narrowed down, yet attractive, list of design options, and a well-honed and efficient manufacturing and site assembly process, it’s not uncommon for an eco-friendly modular home to be completed in just six short months, or six to twelve months sooner than a site built home.
Additionally, these little (or large) gems are really designed to please the gamut of clients wishing for something within their budgets, relatively fast, eco-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing. Some modern fabrication systems can reduce the building waste in a prefab home by up to 50 percent and may even use 50 percent less energy than existing homes. Plus, the premium materials and casework, in tandem with some very well thought out design details, offer clients the ability to make the home their own without feeling lost in a sea of never ending options.
Ranging from around $37,000 to $775,000 and up, there’s sure to be an eco-friendly modular home within your budget from one of these five manufacturers.
1. Eco Cottages
Starting at $37,000, these miniature homes, ranging from 250 to 513 square feet, would work well as tiny abodes, or as studios, offices, guest homes, vacation bungalows, and even workshops. Each Eco-Cottage is built to local residential codes or to RV code for use in a park or resort. Owned by Nationwide Homes, each of the prefab homes offered has a minimum standard of sustainable features which meet the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) Bronze certification and the Energy Star Certified program requirements.
2.GreenPod
GreenPod’s modular home collection begins at $60,000 for around 300 square feet, but can exceed $175,000 depending on the model and features. Beautifully designed, these small dwellings are as versatile as they are eco-friendly. Things like efficient design, minimal site disruption, durable materials, energy and water efficiency, passive solar design, and non-toxic and recycled materials all contribute to the company’s high standards for sustainable living.
3. maModular
Homes from this prefab builder will run you about $150 per square foot, making some of these houses even cheaper than the aforementioned. With seven plans to choose from, these contemporary abodes are perfect for the modern family or individual. Bamboo flooring options, low-voc paint, Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KMCA) cabinet certification, and energy star appliances are some of the eco-friendly features found within these homes. maModular also notes that the prefab homes can go from “zero-to-house in 180 days.”
4. Blu Homes
The economical Origin Pod’s California base price starts at $195,000, while the other available prefab home models continue to climb in price into the high $700,000 range. These homes are brimming with eco-friendly features such as motion sense faucets, FSC and Greenguard certified products, LED lights, zoned heating and cooling, and so much more. Blu Homes even offers a prefab garage for all of your stylish storage needs.
5. Method Homes
With eight different homes series, there is something to fit traditional, rustic, and contemporary tastes. $130,000 will buy you the smallest turnkey modular home from Method. Prices can climb well into the $600,000 bracket for larger and more luxurious options. According to the company, sustainable design is a core value for Method. The residential dwellings can be “built to obtain LEED, Energy Star, Living Building Challenge, Passive House, and other environmental certification standards.” Additionally, building these homes off-site allows the business to minimize construction waste to less than 10 percent.
Now that you’ve gotten the dirt on where to find your new digs, we want to hear from you. What’s your favorite feature of a prefab home – size, style, affordability, or something else? Are eco-friendly modular homes a good fit for you? Or would you rather go through the traditional site built home process? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page!
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Image of Modular Cabin Home via Method Homes