Builders Circle: Foundations and More!

Wow, what a week it has been.  From 6:00am Monday morning getting ready to pour all the footings to applying dampproofing on Friday morning, we have made some progress.  In addition to these photos from this week, more jobsite pictures can be viewed on the project’s Facebook page.

A special THANK YOU to these great HBA of Greater Springfield members for their early support for this project:

H & H Concrete Construction Inc

Mills Foundation, LLC

Conco

Springfield Ready Mix Co

Anderson Construction Co, Inc

Midwest Block & Brick

Not only have we completed the two foundations for the HBA / Habitat project but we also installed two additional foundations for Habitat to build along side ours.

This week we will back-fill the foundations and install the gravel in the crawlspaces.  I have asked the HBA Board of Directors and the Remodeling Council to lead by example and frame these homes, and they jumped at the chance. As of this writing I believe we already have about a dozen brave volunteers committed to help!  We will start framing the homes on September 7^th and work through the remainder of that week. I’m hopeful we will be ready for trusses when we leave on Saturday.

In addition to helping support a great cause and families in need, part of what we want to do with this project is to demonstrate green building techniques, as we certify these homes to the National Green Building Standard. So, we will use and demonstrate advanced framing techniques that can save both materials and time.

If you would like to come out and help our elected HBA leaders, that would be great (I’m not implying they need help, you understand, but you certainly are welcome to come!).  We will use any and all help we can get: pounding nails, carrying lumber or providing refreshments, etc. All are welcome, give me a call or let email the HBA office so we can add you to our support list.

You can now also follow the projects on Facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/BuildersCircle. We are working to keep photos and updates there more currant than once a week, and your comments, questions, and feedback are always welcome there as well.

Of course, you can also always contact me via this blog, by phone or by e-mail.

If you have any questions or want to help with labor or materials please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Again a big THANK YOU to those listed above for their participation with this project.

Scott

______________________________________________________________

In January 2011, the HBA of Greater Springfield announced it would partner with Habitat for Humanity of Springfield to build the first two homes in Habitat’s new Builders Circle development. The homes will be certified to the National Green Building Standard and their construction will serve as a demonstration of flexible and affordable methods by which construction professionals can build green in a residential setting.

Home builder Scott Kisling, himself a Certified Green Professional (CGP), is managing the project on behalf of the HBA. Here, Scott’s Builders Circle Project Blog helps keep HBA industry professionals and curious consumers up to date on the latest green building features being incorporated into the project. The blog also provides updates on the project’s latest progress and upcoming needs. Those who would like to help with the project are encouraged to leave their comments at the end of blog posts. Or, e-mail Scott directly to offer your assistance.