Green Initiative Features at Hope Landing-

“A Change for the better”

Click for driving directions to Hope Landing

1647 38th Avenue E, Ellenton, Fl 34222

Foundations

Use of self leveling sealant around all pipe and wire penetrations through the concrete slab prevents moisture, gases and pests from entering the house from under the floor.

Exterior walls

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) exterior walls purchased from BuildBlock Building Systems provide a building systems technology that combines the proven strength and endurance of concrete and steel with the superior insulating properties of expanded polystyrene resulting in homes which are more energy efficient, comfortable, durable, and safer than conventional construction methods.  The increased wall insulation (from wood-framed R-13 to R-23) and ease of construction for volunteers make this an easy switch in building methods.  Our exterior walls are now capable of withstanding well over 200 MPH wind speeds.  The use of ICF can provide up to 27 LEED points making up a third of the points needed to obtain LEED Certification for energy efficient homes.

Roof Design

The roof design is an all hipped roof with no gables.  This design is preferred in high wind areas and provides maximum homeowners insurance discounts for roofs to keep monthly expenses minimized.

Roofing Material

We are using a relatively new roof sheathing material called the Zip System we purchase through 84 Lumber Company.  ZIP System roof sheathing is an Oriented Strand Board (OSB) structural panel with a built-in Precipitek™ moisture resistive barrier that eliminates felt paper and H-clips requirements. Simply install the roof panels, tape the seams and you have a structural roof system and secondary roof code-recognized underlayment all in one. We apply metal roof panels directly on top of the ZIP System roof.  Zip System panel cost more then regular OSB panels but less then plywood.  We also save H-clips and the expensive cost of peel-n-stick dry-in material that provides the secondary roof protection over traditional roof sheathing material.  This greatly reduces our roofing time and cost!

The use of galvanized metal roofing offers the same reflective valve as white asphalt shingles.  However, a development with only one color of shingle is unappealing where as all metal roofs are acceptable.

The shingles we have been using on our homes are rated at 60MPH wind speeds.  The metal roofing are rated at 120 MPH plus.  We are building with ICF construction capable of withstanding 200 MPH wind speeds and so it doesn’t make sense to put a 60 MPH roof on our homes.

The shingles we have used in the past for our houses cost about $1,100 and it does cost us about twice as much for the metal roof panels.  It is also true that both shingles and metal roofing have 30-year warranties but a shingle will only last 10 to 15 years here in Florida before they will start to leak.  Pro-rated warranties on shingles will provide little replacement cost assistance and our homeowners who in most cases will need to hire out the replacements will have the added cost of about $4,000 per replacement that could occur twice during a 30-year mortgage.  So if we install the first roof with our volunteer labor we spend $1,100 plus the homeowner replaces the roof twice our homeowner has been out $9,100 over the 30-year mortgage period.  When we install a metal roof costing about $2,300 it will last 30 years and if maintained could last the life time of the house.

The installation of metal roofs on single family homes with shared walls will also lower monthly association fees by cutting most of the need for roof assessment requirements.

Attics

Attics are unvented as opposed to the conventional vented assemblies.  They reduce energy lose and protect against rot and mold by preventing moisture from passing through the ceiling insulation and condensing on cold surfaces.

Attics are being spray foam (open cell) insulated that will provide an R-19 insulation value.  Although our homes in the past have used R-30 loose blown-in insulation above the ceilings, the insulating properties of R-19 foam and its contact to the underside of the roof panels provides almost the same protection as the R-30 blown-in.  Our attic space is normally no more then 10 degrees above the temperature of the home living space.  We install our Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) blower unit and all heating and cooling duct work in the attic space so it operates in a more conditioned space eliminating the exposure to high attic temperatures.  This also provides additional conditioned storage space that is close to home interior conditions greatly needed in homes of this size.

Windows and Storm Panels

Windows are vinyl frames instead of aluminum that we had been using.  The vinyl windows provide a better thermal break that improves separation from outside to inside reducing heat and cold transfer.

Windows will be Low-E, Argon gas filled, double glazed, single-hang and Energy Star rated.  The windows will have a high efficiency rating of U-Factor .32 and SHGC .28 to reduce heat gain through the windows and ultraviolet light fade of material within the home.

Windows will be non-impact glass rated at 130-MPH wind speed to reduce cost of windows (impact glass can be more then 4 times as expensive) and be protected by storm panels.

Windows will utilize metal storm panels with one see-through panel per window to provide high wind protection and visibility.  This system reduces homeowner costs not only initially but also by reducing the possibility of glass breakage that can occur with Impact Glass Windows which result in high glass replacement costs.

Plumbing

Kohler, a major manufacturer of plumbing products offered a Gift-in-Kind Program to all HFH affiliates for up to one million dollars in products each year.  We were able to obtain all our plumbing fixtures through this program offering an upgrade from the standard contractor grade fixtures.  The Kohler fixtures also help our green build efforts by providing low water flow rates as follows:

Toilets                                                            1.28 gpf

Bathroom sink faucets                                1.50 gpm

Shower Heads                                             2.00 gpm

Kitchen Faucets                                           2.20 gpm

Kitchen Faucets       Aerator                      1.50 gpm

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC)

The use of ICF Block, high efficiency windows and spray foam roof insulation greatly reduces the required HVAC equipment size.  A stick built home of approximately 1,100 of heated and cooled living space requires 2 to 2½ tons of cooling.  The air calculations for our single family shared wall units showed we only needed .9 ton to cool the home.  We are using Mitsubishi Mr. Slim series heat pumps (commonly called mini-split systems) that use an invertor-driven compress that will delivery up to 1-ton of cooling.  However, unlike conventional heat pumps which start and stop repetitively and allow humidity build up when not in operation the Invertor technology detects subtle changes in temperature and, like a car cruise control, automatically adjust compressor speed to maintain low humidity and a comfort environment while hardly being able to be heard when in operation.  Our systems meet ANSI/ACCA Standard 5 and the new Energy Star Version 3 requirements.

This mini-split system has already proven it worth for our home owners.  One homeowner use to average $110 a month electric bills in her apartment.  During the month of August this past year her three daughters were home most days and even in the heat of summer her electric bill was only $41 for the month.    This is a system that really makes a difference for our families and costs about the same as the traditional HVAC system to install.

We provide a 6” whole house mechanical ventilation system in accordance with ASHRAE 62.2 – 2010 complete with motorized and manual dampers to provide make-up fresh air because of the tightness of the house and to improved air quality for the families.

All bathroom exhaust fans are Energy Star to lower operating cost and improve efficiency of moisture removal from the homes.

Electrical

All bedrooms and the living room have Energy Star rated ceiling fans to improve air flow and reduce the operational time of the AC unit for air movement.

All lighting fixtures have Energy Star rated and have will have fluorescent, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) or LED blubs.

All appliances are a Gift-in-Kind from Whirlpool who provides Energy Star rated and low water usage where applicable appliances for our families.

Outdoor lighting is sensory equipped or on photo-cells for all-night security protection.  The soffit lighting was a gift-in-kind from Magnaray® International who provides a wide range of energy efficient lighting fixtures for street lighting, area lighting, security lighting based in Bradenton.  Our security lighting operates on just a 13 watt bulb per fixture allowing an economical security lighting system for our families.

Flooring

All hard surface flooring surfaces are used throughout the houses.  A green initiative that helps reduces Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions and improves the air quality within the houses.  Our standard will be ceramic title in the wet areas of the bathrooms and utility room.  Laminate flooring will be used in the remainder of the house.  These products will improve the ability to keep the house cleaner which will help many of our families who suffer from allergies and asthma.  Both flooring materials will be installed by our volunteers saving installation costs and allowing us to provide a better flooring system and increase volunteer opportunities.  We are eliminating our former practice of using vinyl flooring (high in VOC) and carpet which is now only an option in the bedrooms and is made from recycled product low in VOCs.

Landscaping

Yards will be Florida-Friendly Landscaping certified and Florida WaterStar certified using drought tolerant plants and minimal watering requirements.