Energy Efficient Modular Farmhouse
Builder: New World Homes
Location: Oldwick, NJ
Basic Specs: Two-story modular home with 2,400 SQFt, 4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths built in 4 modular boxes
This 3,100 SQF modern modular farmhouse was designed by New World Homes on the farm owned by former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. Behind the facade of a traditional farmhouse, builders installed bamboo floors, a re-claimed-wood kitchen island, water-conserving kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and many energy-efficient appliances and sustainably produced materials such as:
• Bamboo and cork flooring
• Recycled brick
• Insulated prefab concrete foundation
• Low-flow showerheads and faucets
• Dual-flush toilets
• Formaldehyde-free wall insulation
• Non-VOC paints and finishes
• Quartz countertops
• Tankless water heater
• High-efficiency HVAC system
• The broad side of the house faces south (passive solar orientation) to let in more light and warmth
• Energy Star-rated windows, doors, appliances, lighting, ceiling fans and metal roofing.
Read more about this home here.
In western New Jersey, there’s a high-profile supporter of modular building in former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. On the family’s Tewksbury farmstead, Whitman’s daughter Kate lives in a traditionally styled modular home with her husband, Craig Annis, and their four children. For Whitman, who also headed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the dwelling exemplifies how modular construction can produce highly energy-efficient “green” dwellings designed to mesh with historic areas.
The Whitman-Annis house, with its steel roof, conforms to requirements of the Oldwick Historic District in which it is located, says Tyler Schmetterer, founding partner of New World Home, which built the house. “The architecture is equally important as the green attributes,” he says.
Behind the facade of a traditional farmhouse, builders installed bamboo floors, a re- claimed-wood kitchen island, water-conserving kitchen and bathroom fixtures, energy- efficient appliances and other features. “When we design something, we want it to look like it’s been there 150 years,” Schmetterer says.
