Check out our River Vine Blog for the latest tips and topics on building modular prefab green homes.

Building a modular home is like the start of a new year—filled with infinite possibilities.

Too often, the word “modular” brings to mind a plain square box of a building… a trailer… maybe even a portable structure on wheels. But the new modulars, like River Vine, are permanent, high quality buildings that look, last and perform just like conventional construction. Virtually any home plan can be factory-built, and the finished building will be indistinguishable from one built onsite. A modular home can be a tiny house or an estate, single-story or high rise, traditional or contemporary, with any amenity or feature that can be included in a stick-built home.

We’re only a week away from the end of the year, and our factory crews have been busy as elves wrapping River Vine modules in layers of insulation. Since River Vine has a structural steel frame, properly insulating the exterior counteracts thermal bridging—the flow of heat through walls, ceiling and floor. Insulation creates a weatherproof shield that reduces heat loss in the colder months and heat gain in the warmer months, making River Vine a tighter, more energy-efficient building year-round. Less heat transfer means less energy is needed to keep River Vine’s interior at the desired temperature, reducing costs and improving comfort for everyone inside. 

Today, we’re spotlighting another River Vine Project Partner—Heliodyne, Inc., a leading U.S. manufacturer of solar water heating equipment since 1976. A pioneer in solar hot water, Heliodyne offers a full line of flat plate collectors and heat transfer equipment—all SRCC and IAPMO rated, ensuring that they are built and perform to the highest standards.

A solar water heating system replaces a conventional hot water heater, efficiently harnessing the power of the sun to meet domestic hot water needs. River Vine uses a closed loop system with roof-mounted flat-plate collectors that capture sunlight and convert it to electricity by running it through a heat exchanger located in River Vine’s mechanical room.

For years, Solatube International has provided American Modular with systems that bring daylight in modular classrooms. When approached with the opportunity to partner on the River Vine projects, we jumped on it.