Our vision for living at Kuwili Lani is simple: enhance your life, while helping our planet by living more sustainably. We believe these two values don’t have to be mutually exclusive. This is one reason we love pre-built, or “montage” green homes. An increasing number of companies are creating these incredible sustainable homes which offer modern, environmentally friendly living at an affordable price point. Read on to learn more about the benefits of these homes, plus an overview of our favorite pre-built green home companies that serve the U.S. and Hawaii market.
The Benefits of Pre-Built Green Homes
Why purchase a pre-built or “montage” (French for “to assemble”) sustainable home, rather than build your own from scratch? There’s 4 major incentives:
- Affordability
- Speed of Construction
- Quality Control
- Environmentally Friendly
Let’s examine each benefit:
Affordability
Most pre-built green home companies offer a selection of design models with starting price points and add-on packages. This makes it easier to stick with your budget and know exactly how much your home is going to cost. 3D design and factory engineering of each part cuts down on material costs and means you only pay for everything you need. See our list of pre-built green home companies below for pricing details.
Speed of Construction
A conventional home build can take 3-6 months, or even longer! Pre-built green homes can be constructed in as little as two weeks, not including the interior finishing. It is assembled like a puzzle, with all pieces pre-cut and sized exactly. Many pre-built home companies have streamlined their entire customer process, allowing you to go from initial consultation to building in as little as 20 weeks.
Quality Control
3D modeling and factory engineering make constructing a perfect home an exact science. There’s less room for human error when each part is cut precisely by a machine (most often a CNC or “Computer Numerical Control” piece of machinery). The pre-cut home comes with precision assembly instructions to assist the build team in their construction of the home, allowing for efficiency and accuracy. Some companies even offer their own team to assemble the home for you, while others require you to DIY or hire a local builder. Pre-built green home companies also invest heavily in research and development, selecting the optimum materials for each design.
Environmentally Friendly
Factory engineering of the home’s parts means less waste. How many times have you seen a new home being constructed, with dumpster loads of waste being hauled off every week? With pre-built green homes, there is no construction waste. Many companies also take additional measures at their factories to conserve energy and reduce waste, as well as choose sustainability sourced or reclaimed materials.
Pre-Built Green Home Companies that Ship to Hawaii
If you’re planning on building a sustainable home in Hawaii, you don’t have to do it from scratch! The following pre-built green home companies serve the United States and the Hawaiian Islands. Each company is unique in terms of aesthetic and design as well as materials used. They are all on the cutting-edge of alternative and green building technologies. Let’s dive in:
Hamill Creek Timber Homes offers custom designed timber frame homes as well as timber frame home kits. Combining old world craftsmanship with the latest technology in insulated wall and roof systems, this company produces timeless homes. Their homes readily qualify for energy efficient rating programs, low heating and cooling bills, and interior design focusing on natural light and open space. They use Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Spruce, Pine and Larch harvested from sustainable and ethically managed forests. They have been in operation since 1989. They offer a lock up shell package which starts at $150/sq ft. and a turnkey package which starts at $250/sq ft.
Based on the internationally recognized “Passive home” in Germany, Ecokit’s focus is energy efficiency along with a controlled indoor environment. They are revolutionizing how quick, easy, and affordable it can be to realize your green dream home, with “barebones” kits starting at just $59,990. They have 12 different designs to choose from, with many different add-ons available. Ecokit homes are built air tight, with almost three times the amount of insulation of an average conventionally built home to help maximize energy efficiency.
As a company, Unity Homes is committed to “…health, comfort, energy efficiency, durability and adaptability…” Unity strives to create exceptional, ultra high performance homes that are Net Zero capable. They offer 5 distinct designs to choose from, starting at $85,000. Style wise, Unity Homes are perhaps the most classic looking in appearance and appeal to the mainstream housing market. They offer a variety of add-ons and are primed for renewable energy systems like solar PV.
Here at Kuwili Lani, we admire companies who are using the latest green building technologies to make sustainable living a reality for more folks. What green building companies, materials, or technologies are on your radar? We want to know about them! Drop us a line.