GreenDoor Builders is on a mission to bridge the gap between eco-friendly and affordable housing. The company recently unveiled the first home from its Carbon Friendly Affordable Home line, reported ABC 13 WHAM.
Led by Anthony Ottaviani, GreenDoor Builders is designing homes for first-time buyers and middle-income families with affordability and environmental responsibility in mind.
In the village area of East Rochester, New York, in lieu of large parcels available for development, there are small, often oddly shaped plots of land.
Other developers turned down the offer to build on a 40-foot-by-90-foot lot along Garfield Avenue, but Ottaviani saw an opportunity, according to the Rochester Business Journal. He and GreenDoor Builders constructed their first modular, eco-friendly home on the lot.
Filling the space where a shed used to be, the home boasts new-age amenities and a modern aesthetic. Within the home's 1,400 square feet are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a basement, and a garage.
"It shows we can put a great house in a small area and still have a spacious living environment," Ottaviani told the Rochester Business Journal. "No traditional builder would have touched it. There would have been no way to make money."
The cost for this modular home is around $295,000, not including the lot. A traditional home of similar size could cost an estimated $375,000. While the home is more affordable, it also offers great benefits for both homebuyers and the environment.
Designed for energy efficiency, the home has two inches of closed-cell, spray foam insulation in the walls, R-49 ceiling insulation, and R-value triple-pane windows — all allowing homeowners to enjoy lower power bills.
There are no natural gas hookups — this home is all-electric. A cold-climate heat pump, also contributing to energy efficiency, keeps the home at a comfortable temperature.
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Since the homes are pre-fabricated at a factory in Pennsylvania, they can be shipped and assembled quickly.
"The joke is, you went to work and there was a basement, and you came home from work and there was a house," Ottaviani said, according to the Rochester Business Journal. "We can potentially have a house in approximately three weeks."
GreenDoor Builders offers customers four models to choose from ranging from 1,100 to 1,425 square feet in size. Homebuyers can choose from different floor plans, fixtures, and finishes as well, making each home customizable.
The home cuts down on pollution in several ways. Effective insulation reduces power demands; a lack of natural gas cuts down on dirty fuel use; and indoor manufacturing produces less waste and pollution.
In addition to offering customized, affordable, and eco-friendly homes, the company plans to offer augmented reality as part of the buying process in the near future.
Per the Rochester Business Journal, Ottaviani said, "These homes demonstrate that regardless of location, you can substantially reduce your carbon footprint while enjoying all the comfort and style of a traditionally built home."
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