Volunteers Build Homes for Injured
Veterans
Offcuts
Housing Sector Slashes Jobs
Recalls
These Connecticut framers volunteered their labor to build
an accessible home for a severely injured veteran of the Iraq
War.
In the midst of all the political wrangling over the war in
Iraq, with everybody claiming to know what's best for the
troops, one group has found a way to make a tangible
difference. Launched by a contractor from Massachusetts, Homes
for Our Troops is a private, nonprofit organization committed
to providing accessible housing for severely wounded
veterans.
Since breaking ground on its first house in December 2004, the
group has undertaken at least 36 home-building or remodeling
projects in 18 states around the country. "Our projects range
from adapting an existing house that a veteran may already own
to total construction — purchasing the land and
everything," says Kirt Rebello, the organization's director of
projects and veterans affairs.
The group's latest success story is in Coventry, Conn., where
Sgt. Jared Luce, his wife, and their three young boys are
moving into their new home. Luce lost both legs when a land
mine exploded beneath the Humvee he was driving in Iraq. His
home is fully wheelchair accessible and has a separate bedroom
for each of the boys.
Earlier this spring, Homes for Our Troops completed a home in
Pittsburgh for a veteran who lost both hands and his eyesight
as the result of a bomb blast. His house was outfitted with
automatic doors, voice-activated appliances, and various
controls he can operate by foot.
Unlike Habitat for Humanity projects, Homes for Our Troops
houses are built almost entirely by professional tradespeople.
(Ninety percent of the labor to build Luce's house was donated,
and materials were either donated or provided at cost.)
Pete Robbins, a waterproofing contractor in Vernon, Conn., is
one of the volunteers who worked on the Luce home. He didn't
stop at donating his own services. "My wife brought the news to
the next meeting of our local home builders association," he
says, "and she came home with a stack of business cards from
dozens of builders and suppliers who wanted to get
involved."
Once it turns over a project, Homes for Our Troops places a
prorated lien on the property for five years. After that, the
recipient owns the property free and clear. "Who better to
realize the American dream of home ownership than someone who's
sacrificed so much for it?" asks Rebello, a former Marine staff
sergeant.
Homes for Our Troops does not receive government funding.
Readers interested in donating money, time, material, or land
— or in starting a project in their own area — can
learn more by going to
www.homesforourtroops.org.
— Tom O'Brien
Offcuts
•••Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina,
efforts to rebuild New Orleans remain bogged down in a toxic
soup of red tape and foot-dragging. Nevertheless, the new head
of the recovery effort is so confident of success he plans to
stay for only a year. When questioned this spring during a
speech at the University of Sydney in Australia, where he
remains a faculty member, renowned disaster-recovery specialist
Ed Blakely said, "When will I leave? I'll leave next year,
because most of it will be done." Blakely is basing his plan on
a long-range $1.1 billion public-investment plan that targets
specific zones for rebuilding; his expectation is that private
investment will flow in after the government money has primed
the pump.
•••The nation's largest home builder announced
in April that its quarterly earnings have plummeted 85 percent
over the past year. For the fiscal quarter ending March 31, D.
R. Horton says it earned $51.7 million, a drop of more than
$300 million from the $352.8 million it reported for the same
fiscal period the year before. The company blamed sluggish
sales, forfeited land options, and declining property values
for its troubles.
•••According to The Sunday Times of London, a
British company, Millennium Chemicals, has developed a spray
coating that absorbs air pollution. The product uses titanium
dioxide as a catalyst to break down airborne pollutants from
vehicle exhaust and convert them to a harmless form that falls
on the ground and washes away. When sprayed on the outside of a
building, the coating allegedly keeps both the surrounding air
and the walls themselves clean, essentially creating what the
newspaper calls a "smog-eating" house. Trials are under way at
various locations in London. There's no word on when the
material might be available in the states.
•••A new San Diego County ordinance mandates the
recycling of construction-and-demolition debris. Applicants for
a building or demolition permit involving a structure of 40,000
square feet or greater must now submit a debris management plan
along with the blueprints. Sponsors of the ordinance hope to
divert as much as 90 percent of inert materials — rock,
concrete, asphalt — and 70 percent of organic recyclables
— cardboard, lumber, carpet — from landfills. If
local recycling facilities can handle more volume, the sponsors
plan to ask the county board of supervisors to apply the
ordinance to smaller building projects, too. More information
on job-site recycling (including a downloadable 57-page guide)
is available at
www.wastemiser.com/resources.html.
•••In April Massachusetts updated its
residential building code. Based on the IRC 2000, the Seventh
Edition of the Code for Single- and Two-Family Dwellings
contains tougher standards for high-wind areas — such as
Cape Cod — and for snow loads. Other changes include
requirements for glazing and basement egress. Until October 1,
builders can choose to follow the previous (sixth) edition of
the code when designing or building a one- or two-family house,
but they must declare that intent when they file their permit
application.
Put Down That Doughnut!
Construction workers are apparently seeking a
healthier job-site pick-me-up these days. Clif Bar, a leading
maker of energy bars for athletes, has come out with one
marketed directly to builders. Unlike a standard energy bar,
the Clif Builder's bar includes a protein supplement that the
company claims helps muscles recover from intense physical
activity. It comes in five flavors.
Call 811 Before Digging
Despite the existence of "call before you dig" programs in most
U.S. localities, more than a half-million underground line
strikes result in damages, service outages, or injuries each
year. Now a public-service organization sponsored by the
underground utility industry is instituting a nationwide number
to reduce accidents and eliminate confusion. Beginning in May,
a call to 811 from anywhere in the country will automatically
notify local utilities of a planned excavation so that they can
mark their underground lines. The organization — called
the Common Ground Alliance — urges anyone who's planning
to sink a shovel into the ground to call 811, even if the
project involves nothing more than digging a footing for a deck
or planting a tree. For more information, go to
www.call811.com. —
T.O.
Housing Sector Slashes
Jobs
Over the past decade or so, many analysts have credited the
nation's booming housing sector with propping up a lackluster
U.S. economy. Now the tables have turned. According to the
outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, job cuts in
the overall economy have been steadily declining for months
— March's numbers were down 42 percent from February
— while housing layoffs are on the rise.
Released in April, the report reveals that in the first three
months of 2007, the housing sector — which consists of
the real estate, mortgage lending, and construction markets
— lost 21,245 jobs. (That figure approaches the total
number of job losses for all of 2006: 22,814). Construction was
responsible for a majority of the housing sector layoffs
(13,958).
Since these figures represent only publicly announced cutbacks,
the actual numbers may be much higher. — T.O.
Recalls
Lamson & Sessions of Cleveland has recalled about
100,000 Carlon Drop-In Floor Boxes. These floor-mounted
electrical outlets were wired incorrectly, resulting in reverse
polarity, which can cause electrical shock. Included in the
recall are model numbers E971FBDI and E971FBDIB; the products
were sold between January 2005 and March 2007. Owners of
affected units can receive a free repair kit or find
instructions for doing their own repair on the manufacturer's
Web site. For more information, contact Lamson & Sessions
at 866/636-1531 or go to
www.lamson-home.com.