DENVER — It’s well-known that Habitat for Humanity does a lot for the community, building hundreds of homes in Denver since the local chapter was founded. But a different method of building now has the organization helping the environment as well.
“These two homes are the first two Habitat Metro Denver homes being built with this concrete material,” Laura Willetto of Habitat for Humanity said.
Two homes, currently under construction in the Curtis Park neighborhood, look like two-story white blocks. They’re made out of two stories worth of styrofoam blocks, at least to start.
“Were building with insulated concrete forms, or ICFs for short,” Willetto said. “Each form is a styrofoam block that is filled with concrete to form the walls and foundation of the home.”
Monday was concrete day, as the styrofoam walls and foundation of one of the homes were filled in.
“It’s cost effective, it’s efficient, it’s easy to do,” Dana Rotkovich of Burnco Colorado, a local concrete company, explained.
Burnco donated time and materials to help make the Habitat project happen, and in a way that helps the community and the environment.
“Helps with the carbon footprint, both the cement and (other materials) that we’re using bring down the carbon footprint of the concrete itself, but also has a significant energy savings,” Rotkovich said.
“Sunlight and cold in the winter have a hard time penetrating through the concrete to get into the home. So that means homeowners are going to have a lower energy cost because it’ll cost less to heat and cool their home in the summer and winter,” Willetto added.
The building process might be new for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, but just like other Habitat homes, these will eventually be offered for sale to community members at an affordable rate.
