Go Ultra-Green for Under $100K

Targeting both Baby Boomer and Echo Boomer buyers looking for an affordable, green weekend retreat or detached home office, the Osprey features a contemporary, stylish design and is loaded with sustainable features that can take homeowners completely off the grid. A metal roof with integral solar panels provides supplemental power to the home, while advanced lighting controls, a highly insulated envelope and Energy Star appliances and light fixtures help keep energy use to a minimum. The model's high-efficiency HVAC system is completely self-contained (no installation required) and a generator is provided for backup power. Integrated wind power and solar hot water heating are optional for off-grid applications.

Bamboo flooring highlights the interior spaces, which are highly adaptable for a range of applications and configurations. One- and two-bedroom models are priced between $50,000 and $100,000.

Designed and built by Nationwide Custom Homes, a subsidiary of Palm Harbor Homes, the Osprey is part of the company's new ECO Cottages line of high-performance, green modular homes. Available in five designs (with several more in the works), the product line will be sold directly to consumers via a soon-to-be-launched Web site and promoted through strategic partnerships with consumer-targeted companies.

“By selling direct to the customer, we're able to keep prices down below $100,000,” says Andy Miller, president of Nationwide Custom Homes. “When you consider that kitchen remodels today cost as much as $80,000, it's an extremely affordable home that is also very modern and green.”