1757 N. East Ave., Sarasota, FL 34234 941-365-0700
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Habitat for Humanity Sarasota, Inc.
Administrative Office
1757 N. East Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34234
941-365-0700
Fax 941-363-7775
OPEN 9-5 M-F
ReStore and Home Improvement Outlet
2095 17th St.
941-363-0777
OPEN Mon-Fri 9-7 Sat-9-5
living green
Habitat Sarasota won two AURORA Awards on August 1, 2009 at the Annual AURORA Awards Gala/Spectacular at the Rosin Center Hotel in Orlando, FL . Habitat Sarasota won the two awards for the excellence in green construction -Central Avenue Project, The first house built won both awards for energy efficiency in 2008.
Now in its 30th year, the AURORA Awards program is affiliated with the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) and the Southeast Building Conference (SEBC), one of two regional trade shows recognized by and affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The AURORA Awards are presented each year to builders, developers, architects, planners, interior merchandisers, landscape architects and other disciplines actively involved in projects in a 12-state southeastern region who have demonstrated building and design excellence.
The Habitat homes use panelized construction method developed by Brian Bishop of Home Front Homes in Englewood. The Home Front wall and roof panels consist of a “sandwich” of expanded polystyrene foam between two pieces of James Hardie/Hardie Board. On the wall panels, the cementitious siding is bonded to the polystyrene in the factory using high-tech adhesives and pressure, resulting in a very strong panel (7,000 pounds breaking strength).
The homes have a 15-SEER heat pump, R-30 ceiling insulation, R-20 wall insulation, a roof mounted solar panel to heat the hot water, ceiling fans and energy star kitchen appliances. The heart of every Home Front home is the “windframe," constructed from Green certified wood columns and ridge beams. There is no attic using this system which allows the elimination of ceiling framing giving the homes extra volume ; the air-conditioning air handler is located in conditioned space for added efficiency. It is estimated that the design of the homes will reduce its occupants' energy bills by 53 percent. Most construction was done by Habitat’s dedicated volunteers.
On July 1st, 2008, the first home was certified with the Florida Green Home Designation by the Florida Green Building Coalition. This Habitat home ranked in the top 5 Green houses in Florida. It scored a 214 (minimum approval score of 60) The top home scored 224.
On that same day, the home’s landscaping was recognized as Florida Friendly by Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) through the University of Florida IFAS Extension Program. The landscaping was paid for by a generous Grant from the Home Depot Foundation.
The home was also designated as a BuildSmart home by Florida Power and Light (FPL). BuildSmart homes are certified by FPL to be built to a higher standard of energy efficiency. BuildSmart homes save up to 30% on energy bills, compared to homes that simply comply with the Florida building code.
Habitat for Humanity Sarasota is very proud to be known a regional leader in using green building technology. Many other Habitat affiliates in the US are also “building green”. When Habitat’s Board of Directors made the decision to build more energy efficient homes, they set a new standard for Habitat Sarasota. While these houses are slightly more costly to build, in the long run they are much more affordable.
The new homes on Central Avenue will cost their new homeowners approximately $650.00 per month including their 0%, 30 year mortgage, real estate taxes and homeowners insurance. Habitat collects all three with the monthly mortgage payment. The house has a metal roof which will last the life of the 30 year mortgage and accepts the installation of the roof mounted solar hot water heating panels. Indoor air quality has been a green consideration by reducing the mount of vinyl products. In this development, the exteriors are stuccoed and painted making long term maintenance easy for the homeowner.
HABITAT SARASOTA WINS TWO MORE AURORA AWARDS
On the interior, we are now using ceramic tile on the floors in the bathrooms and the laundry room, a sustainable product that will last the life of the mortgage. Carpeting is now made of recycled plastic bottles.
Laminate flooring is used in the living room and hall in lieu of vinyl flooring. The laminate is long lasting and a greener product. An underground drip watering system continuously waters the sustainable Florida friendly yard plantings at little cost. Habitat International is fully supportive of this new environmentally sensitive way of building America’s homes. Habitat Sarasota is proud to be on the leading edge.
Special thanks to Habitat staff: Dean Shelton, Director of Construction aand our most important asset, our dedicated volunteer work force.
Habitat for Humanity Affiliates in the U.S and around the globe are developing and implementing sustainable building programs for the development of energy-efficient homes and communities.
From Australia to Nepal to rural Papua, New Guinea, alternate energy systems are gaining popularity. These regions are taking advantage of solar heating and cooling strategies and utilizing natural winds and locally available materials for wall systems that reduce both the initial and life-cycle costs.
Here are just a few examples of our U.S. affiliates that are using green technology:
Austin, Texas has been incorporating tenets of green building in their Habitat homes since the early 1990s and has taken advantage of the fact that 60 percent of their energy savings comes from house design and orientation. They are using shade as the main component where lot layout and tree locations are considered.
Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, where winter temperatures range from zero to the 20’s and snowfall averages 20 feet, has used energy-conscious design and construction strategies to produce award-winning homes using passive solar heating and cooling systems.
Habitat for Humanity of Colorado launched its statewide energy efficiency initiative four years ago, by making energy efficient building the standard for Habitat throughout Colorado.
Washington State enacted legislation that required all recipients of state housing trust money to meet their Evergreen Sustainable Standard. Habitat endorsed the Evergreen Standard as their statewide policy and began their Goes Green Program.
Building Sustainable Homes around the Globe
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