New examples of environmentally friendly housing are on the Marietta in Marietta, Georgia. 

A newly erected house at 1492 Murdock Road is the first in Georgia to be rated as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum-certified, factory-built home.

It is also the first LEED Platinum home of any type in the state designed without requiring renewable energy resources such as solar panels. LEED Platinum is one of the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest credentials.

The 2,588-square-foot house at the intersection of Sewell Mill Road in east Cobb was built in a South Carolina factory, delivered to the site and then assembled. The entire process took 90 days from the time the custom home was ordered to completion. Roswell-based, design-build company, New World Home, built it.

It was set in place on Nov. 17 and had its opening on Dec. 8.

“It’s kind of funny to watch people drive by at the beginning of the day and there’s a foundation set. … By the end of the day, all these houses are set and these particular homes are about 80 percent complete on that first day,” said NWH President Mark Jupiter.

NWH CEO Michael Natbony admitted that the concept of a factory-built home sounds sketchy in many people’s minds.

“Modular, isn’t that like living in a trailer?” he rhetorically asked. “It was a perception that people had, right up to the point that they came and saw these houses.”

He said the factory-built houses save money over their lifespan. The Buckminster-style home reportedly saves 50 percent in annual energy consumption, reduces water consumption by up to 20,000 gallons and saves more than $2,000 in utility bills. It contains common “green” features such as low-flow faucets, compact fluorescent light bulbs, dual-flush toilets, as well as a tankless water heater.

The off-white Murdock Road house, designed to resemble a 150-year-old farmhouse, is on sale for $589,000. The nearly identical house next door, also a “green” house built by New World Home, is listed for $549,900.

However, the interest in the houses has been so great that they’re being kept as model homes for interested buyers, according to NWH.

NWH has contracts to build hundreds of such houses in eight states, Jupiter said.

Dennis Creech, executive director of Atlanta-based environmental nonprofit Southface, praised the home.

“The word ‘green’ has gotten a lot of definitions and people tend to focus on some of the catchier aspects, like something is made from a recycled product or bamboo flooring,” Creech said. “But, the foundation of green has got to be the science-based approach to saving energy, saving water, making homes healthier for people. It’s really about the people.”

As more and more consumers become aware of the need to incorporate earth friendly concepts in their daily lives, this form of construction is sure to receive greater interest.  It will add excitement to the real estate market for both its technology and money saving features!