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A community of efficient new homes in a traditional neighborhood development format has sprouted in Chattanooga's Southside.
By Deborah Petticord
When Trish King, a community development coordinator for the City of Chattanooga, learned about a Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise development that would be a model for a variety of efficiencies, she was interested. When she saw the design book and site, she was hooked. King, now working in community development for Hamilton County, has served on the board of the Sequatchie Valley Institute and is a member of the Green Building Council. She was already familiar with the Earthcraft method of building—the appealing residential plans and convenient location of the community with its suggested home sites and height restrictions, were all she needed to "take a closer look." Finally, King took the plunge. She bought a lot, chose a plan and hired a builder.
"Unless consumers demand non-traditional building methods, they won't get them. My builder was very responsive to the challenges Earthcraft presented," says King. Her builder was James Shropshire, one of six builders who went through the Earthcraft certification program.
When the work began on the neighborhood only a few months ago there was a flurry of activity. CNE's Bob McNutt says, "We had extreme building out here at first." McNutt has been impressed with the enthusiasm of the builders. Although he says they were "a little reluctant at first, after achieving the certification they seemed pretty excited."
North Georgia builder, Bo Arthur, owner of Arthur Construction, says, "It was challenging, but worth it." Both Arthur and Shropshire have built two houses in the development. The City of Chattanooga has shown its support for homebuyers by adding 18th Street to help complete the neighborhood where new housing began three years ago, now two blocks of the Jefferson Heights community show off new Earthcraft and Energy Star certified homes. The city also paid for new inspector training.
The vacant field the new homes now occupy was the property of local merchant Kay Glenn who owns nearby Glenn Automotive on Rossville Avenue. The Lyndhurst Foundation purchased the property from Glenn. "It was his vision to see homes for a new neighborhood there," says Sarah Morgan, program officer for Lyndhurst. She has followed the project since its inception and has been pleased with the progress. "We've been very excited to see the market respond—it's an important development to watch." Lyndhurst's support includes a $10,000 forgivable second mortgage for homeowners as long as they live in the neighborhood for five years.
King's 1,600-square-foot house has been designed by Joe Morgan, a LEED-certified architect. Morgan does a considerable amount of work in Cobb County where there has been an emphasis on revitalization and energy efficiency spurred by necessity and an organization called Southface, which teaches Earthcraft building methods.
Trish King's home is situated on the end of Jefferson Street at the apex of the triangular development. There is a stunning view of Lookout Mountain from the back and a view of the Jefferson Heights community park and soccer field from the front. "The incredible mountain view suggested options for outdoor living—so Joe designed a "green" or grass roof over the garage," says King. The plan was approved by the design review team and the builder added a membrane, installed growing materials and covered the parapet openings with mesh filters. Naturally, Trish King is looking forward to summer living.
Green roofs are becoming popular in urban environments in many eco-minded cities. They are usually partially or completely covered by soil and grasses enhanced by wildflowers. E magazine reports in the November/December ‘06 issue that Germany and Japan have incorporated them into building projects for many years. Although not as popular here, the Green Roofs Institute reports total coverage in North America increased from 1.3 to 2.5 million square feet between 2004 and 2005. Installing a green roof is not necessary for Earthcraft home certification, of course, but the team working on Trish King's home is pursuing energy efficiency with a passion, and green roofs lower heating and cooling costs.
King's builder, James Shropshire, was one of the first to take the two-day Earthcraft certification class. "I'd been doing some Energy Right homes, but Earthcraft really kicked it up a notch," says Shropshire. "It saves you money."
Although not required, Earthcraft suggests that to be completely sustainable builders should recycle their waste materials on site rather than hauling them to the landfill. Shropshire, who has his own equipment, has been the only builder to date to shred his wood waste for recycling. Although he says he offered to rent the shredding equipment to other builders, their ingrained habits apparently won out and they opted to haul instead.
UNCONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS
McNutt points to some unconventional techniques in Earthcraft homes, such as non-vented attic space where ductwork has been installed. The program suggests locating the ductwork in conditioned space to save five million BTU's per year, according to CNE’s Earthcraft Program Coordinator Brett Dillon. Some of the builders are also using auto-clave blocks made from fly ash instead of concrete block for foundations. Fly ash is a recycled product and the block made from it has a superior R value or level of thermal resistance to conventional block. It is also light in weight, making it easier to transport and handle. Dillon is enthusiastic about these efficient building techniques that, although not obvious to the casual observer, make a big conservation difference over time. "You have an immediate cash flow [in savings] from day one," says Dillon.
Buyers are definitely the winners in this scenario as Dillon sees it. This new community of 60 houses, with 23 completed to date, also offers CNE buyer incentives of up to $25,000 funded by the Federal HOMES program.
A GOOD TRACK RECORD FOR CNE
CNE's history of building successful neighborhoods began in 2001 with Cowart Street, located just off West Main.
"If you looked at a timeline from the first townhouses on Cowart from 2001 to present-we're on the third or fourth wave of buyers," says Bob McNutt. "The first buyers were purely here for ideological reasons. They were teachers or downtown workers with no children. The second wave had children and were relatively conventional buyers who were making an urban choice.
"These buyers," he gestures around the newly built bungalow-style houses, "are interested in energy efficiency, affordability and proximity—they are also socio-economically diverse."
This part of the Jefferson Heights neighborhood will serve as a learning model for others of its kind. Each new one will probably be more sophisticated than the last. But for the growing number of consumers with higher ideals, it offers efficacy now.
The big day to move into her new home is coming up soon for Trish King. She has enjoyed the design experience and feels good about being able to participate in the Earthcraft project. "For me, this house brings it all together."
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