Developers show off energy-efficient home in urban neighborhood

Company hopes to build 14 similar houses in the Fairgrounds area of Dayton.

DAYTON — For Mary Gaytko it was a no-brainer.

Gaytko, a nurse with Miami Valley Hospital, owns the first of what developers hope will be more than a dozen energy-efficient, environmentally friendly homes in the Fairgrounds neighborhood. Litehouse Development Group LLC, as well as officials from the city of Dayton and the hospital gathered Friday, Jan. 22 for a ribbon cutting at Gaytko’s Frank Street home.

Gaytko said she moved into the house in late December. With down payment assistance from her employer, a federal tax credit for homebuyers, long-term savings on energy costs and the proximity to her job made it the best option for her.

Plans call for Litehouse to build 14 single-family and town homes on sites scattered throughout the Fairgrounds neighborhood, officials said.

The homes’ features include solar-reflective roofing, efficient heaters, paints and cabinets that do not emit toxic fumes, rainwater collection systems and flooring made of cork and plant resin.

In creating the Litehouse concept, Kenneth Botts of Litehouse Development Group LLC said he and others in the group wanted to marry affordability with energy-efficiency and other green features.

“That’s difficult to have those combinations together,” he said.

The developers also have built Litehouse models in West Carrollton and the Canal Block development at Patterson Boulevard and Ice Avenue in downtown Dayton.

Other builders such as Bruns General Contracting in Tipp City also have branched into using sustainable construction materials and techniques.

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