HUBER HEIGHTS
PRICE: $105,000 to qualified buyers
HIGHLIGHTS: About 1,160 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, granite, tankless water heater, Energy Recovery Ventilation, security system, completely accessible, extra insulation, Energy Star appliances
FOR MORE DETAILS: www.thehousingsource.org, www.DancraftConstruction.com, www.EnergyWizeNow.com, www.hbadayton.com
DONORS AND CONSULTANTS: • Dr. Charles Debrosse, Allergy and Asthma Center of Dayton • Diana Begley, Home Comfort Gallery, Troy • Jan Miller, Interior Designer Wendell Ott, Energy Wize LLC, Xenia • Greener Stock, LLC • NextGen Building Supply • Brookville Heating and Air • Modlich Stoneworks • Alluring Glass
The Eco-Rehabarama homes each have different names, which are somewhat explanatory of the remodeling that has taken place. The home at 5736 Resik Drive is nicknamed “Breathe Easy.”
“The goal I had was I wanted to see what it takes, on a budget, to put together a healthier home that is allergy-friendly,” said Dan Swank, president of Dancraft Construction of Troy. “It’s no secret in the Miami Valley, this is a tough place to live if you have allergies.
“We redesigned the home. It was completely deconstructed to the exterior walls, leaving the studs, roof framing, sheathing and brick,” he added.
Swank consulted an allergist who advised him that a key to getting rid of a “sick house” is allowing filtered fresh air into the home.
“What we have here at the heart of it all is the RecoupAerator 200DX by UltimateAir,” he said. “It’s a whole-house filtration system.”
“This is an Energy Recovery Ventilation unit,” said Wendell Ott, of Energy Wize LLC, of Xenia, who installed the unit. “It sucks up all the stale air in your house, which goes through a filter system and expels it outside. It brings all the fresh air in and, when it does that, it exchanges the heating and cooling and humidity. It’s about 95 percent efficient on heat.”
The home is listed for $105,000 (buyers must qualify) and, looking at the outside, doesn’t appear too different from Huber Home’s standard Midwesterner model. But stepping through the zero-step entry, the difference is immediate. Marmoleum composition flooring, easy to clean and mold/mildew resistant, covers the floors throughout.
The living room is open to the L-shaped kitchen, which now features an angled breakfast bar/work island. The rear door was moved to one side and a pocket door opens to the laundry, which doubles as a mud room for the attached single-car garage.
Swank said that foam insulation was added and used, along with flexible caulking, around every possible opening that would allow air infiltration. Low-VOC paint covers the walls and formaldehyde-free underlayment was used in the cabinetry. Appliances are all Energy Star grade and the home itself has passed the Energy Star 2.5 Test (currently the highest rating.)
Even the front landscaping was designed to minimize pollen.
“This all makes sense,” Swank said. “There is not anything that we’re doing (here) that doesn’t make sense. I have been building since 1974 and I thought, ‘why haven’t we done this before?’
“It just keeps the air better.”
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