What’s your first reaction to the words: prefab house?

Cheezy?

Ugly?

Sheri Koones’s latest book, Prefabulous and Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home, provides a new vocabulary for prefab construction: beautiful, green, and available in a range of price points.

Completed shingle-style modular house (see assembly below)

“I wish I had more knowledge about building sustainably when I was building my own house,” Sheri says. “Since then I’ve learned a great deal both doing research for my books and attending the Boston Architectural College. I’ve found so many ways to cut down on energy and create a healthy home environment.

“I now try to incorporate sustainability into my life — by driving a hybrid car, growing vegetables, limiting energy use by closing rooms that aren’t being used, and recycling as much as possible. When my preteen son outgrew his cute little ‘cowboy’ designed bedroom, he was also becoming concerned with environmental issues. He requested that when we redo his room, it be healthy and kind to the environment. Because he has asthma, we decided to rip out the carpeting, which can trap dust, and replace it with bamboo flooring, a rapidly renewable resource. We repainted his badly stained walls with no-VOC [volatile organic compound] paints, reused as much of the furniture as possible and replaced all incandescent light bulbs with CFLs [compact fluorescents].”

A house module is hoisted into place in the dead of winter

“For years I’d heard about global warming without a clear understanding of its significance. It appeared to be such a huge problem that nothing one person could do would ever possibly matter. Now, however, it’s clear to me. Whether it’s driving less, making do with what we have, repairing something rather than replacing it, or even changing out old light bulbs — the impact of our decisions and actions grows.

“Nothing in our lives costs more than our houses. So when we build, we build, we need to ask: what kind of roofing, siding, flooring, paint, construction method, foundation, insulation, windows and doors, cabinets, systems, and fixtures should we use?” Koones argues that prefab construction saves time, reduces waste, and eliminates unnecessary transportation costs. Modular construction can be built under ideal conditions “protected from the elements, sparing of material, conscious of efficiency and waste.” And, these homes are “healthier homes,” Koones says, “without the VOCs, mold, and countless other biological and chemical pollutants.”

“The common misconception is that green is too expensive and only for the wealthy,” Koones writes in her book. “This argument is beginning to lose traction. While a home built with the latest green techniques and technologies may cost somewhat more upfront, the added cost is negligible compared to the investment.” She adds, “many green construction options cost very little, or sometimes nothing. A properly oriented house with properly placed windows will make maximum use of the sun’s energy,” for example.

Inside the modular prefab house

Check out the Practically Green if you’re interested in switching to high-efficiency bulbs or using low-VOC paint. You’ll find many other actions you can take to go green at your house – from changing your toothpaste to using the AC a bit less.

Sheri Koones lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her website: www.sherikoones.com for more info on Prefabulous & Sustainable and her other books. Follow Sheri on http://Twitter.com/sherikoones