It seems everyone’s going green these days; let’s acknowledge our Seattle roots (pun intended) and take a look at today’s version of the prefab home and their emphasis on sustainable living.
Prefabricated homes aren’t new – they’ve been around since the early 1900s, thanks to Mr. Richard W. Sears and his handy mail-order Modern Homes program. 
The buzz word in the early 20th century was “convenience;” today it’s “energy efficient” (I think convenience is an assumption – few of us want to revert back to the days of outhouses and kerosene lamps).
Then there were those crazy dome-shaped Dymaxion houses of the early 40s, which thankfully, never took off. The late 40s, early 50s ushered in the short-lived Lustron homes, followed by the successful venture of mobile homes.
The key to a prefab home is that it is constructed in factories and rebuilt on-site. They are considered more economical than traditional homes and can be moved offsite if needed.
Ah but today, there’s a new kid in town, namely the “modular” home, by companies such as GreenFab, founded in 2008, who focus on the sustainability of homeownership.
Let’s take a moment for a VOCABULARY BREAK:
Sustainability is providing for the best for people and the environment both now and in the indefinite future. Another way to put it: Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Per GreenFab, some of the benefits to building a modular home are:
- Shorter construction time frame
- Cost efficient construction process
- Use of healthy materials in a safe working environment
- Higher quality construction with regular quality control checks
- 50-70% less waste
- Reduction of carbon footprint
- More responsible to natural resources
- Makes homes more affordable
So who knows? Maybe the GreenFab folks are on to something. Perhaps we’re heading towards a workable, feasible, trend in housing. For more information about GreenFab’s current project in the works check the Everett Herald.
You may be asking, “But Joni, where do you come in?”
I thought you’d never ask.
I am a real estate agent; I specialize in connecting homeowners with their future homes. Since every home needs a piece of land, I’ve got experience in making that happen. If you’ve got the modular home bug and want to talk about land, feel free to contact me, Joni Kerley, at 425-343-4545.
Photo compliments of stock.xchng, photo credit An P
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