ecoMOD

ecoMOD4, the THRU house, was completed in early 2010 as a two-story, single family detached home in Charlottesville, VA. The prototype consists of two larger modules stacked atop each other — 450 square feet each, and two ‘chunks’ to make the stairs — for a total of 1,158 square feet. The home includes a living room, kitchen / dining area, two bedrooms, powder room and storage on the first floor, full bath and laundry area on the second floor. There is also a fenced in outdoor work area, entry porch and generous back deck. The alignment of windows in both orientations visually connects the occupants with the outdoors, and makes the home feel larger than its modest size.

The ecoMOD4 design can be easily expanded and adapted to become a duplex or a series of townhomes. The design can also be expanded to add more bedrooms or a first floor master bedroom suite. The stair modules are highly adaptable – they can be rotated, expanded or adjusted to make a large entry hall, expanded storage space or additional room. The prototype was built with a photovoltaic array on the roof and a geo-thermal heating / cooling system. These technologies and other are optional. The prototype was built for $123 per square foot, including the deck, porch, and site work, but not including the cost of removing many tons of unexpected concrete debris found during excavation or the cost of bringing the utilities to the site. A cost estimate received in early 2010 indicates the modules (without the foundation and site work) can be replicated by a Virginia-based modular homebuilder for $70 to $90 per square foot — depending on the final material and equipment selections. If built as townhomes, the cost per square foot will be comparably lower.