Homes manufactured by member companies of the Building Systems Councils are among the 25 homes featured in “Prefabulous + Sustainable,” the latest book by eco-construction enthusiast Sheri Koones.

“My previous two books — 'Prefabulous' and 'Modular Mansions' were meant to change people’s perceptions of prefab as ‘doublewides’ and to show that almost any house can be built prefab,” said Koones. “I hope that I’ve altered people’s perceptions of prefab, at least a little, with the beautiful houses included in these books.”

Her latest book — published this month by Abrams — goes one step further and is meant, she said, “to inspire home owners to consider more environmentally friendly options for their home,” whether they are building a new home or renovating an existing one.

While the homes profiled in the book vary in size, location and design, she said, “all of the home owners, builders and architects not only considered environmental issues in building these houses, but also budgetary issues — in all cases attempting to build the houses for the least amount of money with the least amount of waste and the most efficiency.”

In a recent interview with Mary Umberger appearing in the Chicago Tribune on March 14, Koones predicted that in the market emerging from the current housing recovery, home buying decisions will be driven by pocketbook and environmental concerns.

“We’re past the time when people say, ‘I want a pretty house with so many rooms,’” she told the Tribune. “People are hooked into the Web and more interested in researching the way to build.”

The book examines modular homes, those built with structural insulated panels and panelized construction. All of them have energy-saving features, and their factory-controlled construction minimized waste — both on the assembly line and at the home site — and promoted efficiencies to reduce building costs, she said.

Koones walks readers through each of the homes, explaining the materials, strategies and systems used to create a sustainable living environment.

Photographs, captions, floor plans and sidebars help illustrate how factory-built homes can be greener, more efficient, sturdier and more cost-effective than site-built homes.

Also included is a resource guide, making the book a hands-on guide for home builders.

BSC members represented in the book include:

• Barvista Homes
• Contempri Homes
• Connor Homes
• Epoch Homes
• Haven Custom Homes
• Nationwide Homes
• Riverbend Timber Framing

A long-time member of the BSC and a presenter at many International Builders’ Show sessions on building systems, Koones will be speaking at the NAHB National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, N.C., on May 16-18.

To order the book from the publisher, click here.