Modular Homes: A Rising Industry

Although not every homebuyer has the budget for a site-built home that is designated Platinum, the highest LEED-H certification, meeting some reasonable green goals for a home might be more readily accomplished by going modular.

For instance, manufacturers use 2x6s for framing modular homes, rather than the 2x4s used in most site-built homes, so that the modules are sturdy for transport to the site. What happens with the extra two inches? “It’s filled with additional insulation,” which contributes to higher energy efficiency, says Chad Harvey, Deputy Director for the Modular Building Systems Association (MSBA). According to Harvey, there are countless nuanced factory construction techniques that result in a greener product, from tightly sealed outlets  to extensive material recycling programs.

Like traditional site-built green homes, green modular builders rely on educated subcontractors who understand the green industry. This can be a particular challenge to modular builders, who are often shipping the home from one state to another, sometimes to an unfamiliar area.

The Best of Both Worlds

One inaccurate criticism of modular homes paints them as “cookie-cutter” or generic, but nothing could be farther from the truth. “People still have this image of a double-wide mobile home when you say modular,” says Harvey. In reality, the modular home industry allows for more customization than ever before. 

Higher-end modular homes, like many of the ones MHI are responsible for, are being built through a happy marriage of systems-built and site-built techniques, enabling customization options that can only further drive homebuyers toward modular homes as an attractive—and green—solution.