Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Modular housing, architects and green building

[juniperjojo (juniperjojo]

Just wanted to echo what others said about prefab not being independent from 
using the services of an architect.  In fact, I would *highly* recommend 
finding a local architect who is excited about the idea of designing modular 
homes for you.  Having an architect involved can save you a lot of money.  
Siting the project properly for solar gain and so forth is something the 
modular home people won't do; you will also need local contractors to help 
"button up" the buildings on site, pour the basements, sidewalks, driveways, 
garages, etc.
 
Also -- remember that one of the "greenest" things you can do, building-wise, 
is to build row houses instead of stand-alone houses.  The energy savings that 
comes from having insulated buildings on either side of you instead of ambient 
air is enormous; typical homes have R=13 to 15 or R=19 to 21 walls, whereas 
sharing walls with your neighbors gives you R=infinity, and costs virtually 
nothing.
 
Jenny Cook
Great Oak Cohousing
Ann Arbor, MI
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and security 
tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free 
AOL Mail and more.