Go Green with Epoch Green Modular Homes!
Lowe's For Pros Article March 2009
A new initiative from the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Research Center is helping more builders take advantage of the green building trend.
In November, the center announced the launch of its Modular Green Approved initiative, a process that is part of its larger NAHBGreen verification program. To earn the NAHBGreen stamp of approval, a home must pass inspection from a third-party verifier on a number of elements, including energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and site development.
Until recently, NAHBGreen verification for modular homes was very rare. Modular homes, which adhere to the same building codes as traditional homes, are built in sections at a factory and then pieced together on site. This made it impossible for NAHBGreen verifiers to look behind the walls as part of their inspection, says Bob Hill, director of laboratory and certification programs for the NAHB Research Center.
“The basic program requires a rough inspection before the drywall goes up, and a final inspection after the home is completed,” Hill says. “Because modular homes are not built near the site, it makes getting the inspection a bit awkward.”
To solve the problem, the Modular Green Approved program uses both certified third-party verifiers and employees of the modular-home factory to inspect the home’s components before they are sent to the building site.
“In a modular factory, the third party would be overseeing their in-plant inspections as well as doing spot-check inspections on them,” Hill says. “It works the same way code inspections happen for modular homes in the factory.”