The tour of the first LEED Silver registered house for Habitat for Humanity of Broward County was informative and agreed by the attendees a process that we will continue to follow. Adeptly handled by the husband and wife team of Mary Lou Bowman-Cubbin and Russ Cubbin we saw how much can be accomplished when dedication to producing quality, affordable homes combines with dedicated volunteer efforts.
One of the most interesting part of the tour was her statement that many of the construction techniques normally utilized in the building of these homes were naturally"green". For example, A/C was a luxury that was not normally a feature in their homes due to cost constraints. Because of our climate, it was decided that A/C should be included and it was included, in an extremely energy efficient manner.
If you look at the slideshow you will see that there is about a 12" difference between the ceiling of the living room and the hallway. The A/C ducts run in this space. What makes it unique is that there is another ceiling above this approximately 12" space keeping the lines that cool the house contained in air conditioned space. So simple yet so effective.
An aside of my own, I maintain that A/C is not essential to living comfortably in South Florida. I have been in homes that were cool and comfortable even on the hottest days however, in order for this to be successful today, some normal construction techniques would have to go back to the "old" days. For example, plaster on interior walls; gypsum wall board does not perform well in a naturally ventilated home and is more prone to mold and mildew.
There are additional design and construction restrictions and techniques imposed by Habitat for Humanity that are utilized that follow LEED principles. The house cannot exceed 1300 sq. ft, land is naturally sloped toward a retention pond area and no garages are allowed. Low flow fixtures are utilized as well as low maintenance but high performing quality materials. They recognize that the future owners of these homes need a home that is easy and inexpensive to maintain. They are committed to insuring that these builds are a success long after they receive their Certificate of Occupancy.
This phase is the first of five for a total of 30 homes that are to be built. The foundations for the next five have already been started to be constructed. There are five designs with three or four bedrooms that the future owners can choose from including both exterior and interior color selections. While there is space and the required hook-up provided for a dishwasher it is not included again due to costs. According to the EPA and the DOE using an energy star dishwasher vs. handwashing saves approximately $431 a year in both electrical and water costs. Since this amount would pay for a dishwasher in about a year's time, it is hoped that as Habitat for Humanity continues to build these homes this will be included in the future.
The address of the build is 2227 NW 25th Place, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311. I would highly recommend calling ahead of time before visiting as It is an active construction site.
As posted on their website:
"Habitat Broward's inaugural "Green Build" in Ft. Lauderdale is currently underway! For information on how you can get involved in Habitat Broward's "Green Build", contact development@habitatbroward.org
LEED Certified Silver Level - Thirty (30) home build in Fort Lauderdale
LEED Certified Gold Level - Three (3) home build in unicorporated Broward County
Please view the slideshow and if you have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free to contact:
Mary Lou Bowman-Cubbin, Director of Construction | Architect
Email: mlbarch@aol.com 954.396.3030 ext. 206
Russ Cubbin, Construction Manager | General Contractor
Email: russ@habitatbroward.org 954.684.5007
CBC 058427
Valerie J. Amor: valeriejamor@gmail.com
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