Habitat For Humanity NW Cottages

...to affect renewable change in the Southeast. Entering the housing workforce as a contractor and LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) in 2008, I decided to develop affordable housing in disaster-affected areas around the globe. As family circumstances began to change, I decided to implement my understanding of the built environment domestically for individuals in need of simple, decent, and affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity’s mission is direct and concise: “Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to providing affordable homeownership opportunities for low-to-moderate income families and individuals in Bend and Redmond”.

This mission, combined with a builder of healthy and affordable homes in central Oregon, led me to join the team in 2018. At that time, we were building 3-5 homes annually, and in the past three years, we have increased our output to an anticipated 20 home completions this year. All our home builds are third-party verified for efficiency, and, since 1989, Habitat for Humanity in Central Oregon has been committed to building environmentally responsibly in a way that benefits the end-user and the community. As we surpass more than 150 homes, we are proud to integrate land development and net zero construction practices into our affordable home building process for this 11-unit net zero cottage development and look ahead to our next 18-unit affordable land lease build site currently underway in Redmond, OR.

...in the surrounding neighborhoods while raising the bar in efficiency and life-cycle impact. The homes come in a variety of styles ranging from 1 or 2 story structures with 2 or 3 bedrooms. Designed as a shared-courtyard layout, this site is designed to foster community interactions. All homes are under 1200sqft with a 1-car garage and have been designed to passively reduce the energy load while maximizing roof space to fit 19 panels. The site layout accommodates a north-to-south ridgeline and, as a result, lowered the TSRF score required a higher quantity of panels to offset usage through net metering.

Habitat was able to fundraise the initial cost of solar and bypass the need for a Purchase Power Agreement. This enables our homeowners to realize monthly utility cost savings immediately from the first day of ownership. The zero energy upgrades at NorthWest Cottages are made possible through community support from Builders First Source, ZeroEnergyProject, Northwest AeroBarrier, Consolidated Supply, Sunlight Solar, Sunset Plumbing, Whirlpool, DOW Materials, Oregon Department of Energy, and many others. Our energy modeling and certification is provided as a donation from Earth Advantage, and Energy Trust of Oregon has provided both incentives, guidance, and training.