Habitat For Humanity Design

My partner and I developed a concept to drive our design of this Habitat For Humanity home. Home means, to us, family, comfort, and sustainable living. We employed the aspect of family in our large great room where a family can act as a whole. Comfort is also seen in the great room through movement of visual and physical connectedness. And sustainable living means a place where a family can grow with ease. We used ADA guidelines and sustainable materials and finishes throughout this design.

To create a sense of entry in this 1100 square foot home we added a window at the end of the hall. Since we thought about putting a linen closet where this window is located we decided to make an efficient walk through utility room to house more storage, as well. And possibly acting as a linen area. The utility room also has a pantry that was asked to be incorporated into the design. With the water heater being centrally located we tried to have all plumbing be located near this spot. To create a sense of a dining area we established a built in bench that is able to be transferred to by wheel chair or there is room for a wheel chair user to roll up to the table edge. The kitchen has PaperStone counter tops which are made of 100% post consumer paper, so they are sustainable. The bar in the kitchen also provides more seating for a homework area or entertaining. The living room has a larger layout which provides many versatile arrangements for an active family life. Cork flooring is used throughout the dry areas of the home and is sustainable to tree life. In the wet areas, such as utility and bathrooms vinyl flooring was used. To incorporate ADA guidelines we have a 5 foot turning radius in the master bathroom,a toilet with a front and side approach, and a wall mount sink. All doors are 36" wide and the hallway is 48" wide. The kitchen also has a 5 foot turning radius and a 9 inch toe kick. The exterior doors open out because the site this home is designed for has high winds which would blow on the doors if they were to open into the home.

From this partner project I valued working with a partner to get the job done efficiently. With a partner much more can be accomplished with the work of two people. I enjoyed researching new products for Habitat members to consider. Overall I enjoyed delivering creative ideas to the community.

Habitat For Humanity 2011

At Habitat for Humanity I helped insulate the frame of the house. This home is going to have three layers of insulation so the heating bills will be less expensive and energy efficient. I only put the first layer of insulation in because the plumbing and electrical needed to be inspected, so we couldn't put all three layers up. Because the walls are going to be so thick the window wells will be pretty large and I thought that was interesting. I used measuring skills to cut the insulation that did not fit in the framing as is. I also learned how to use a drill screw gun. I drilled screws into the sub floor so that the sub floor was not popping up on the seams. I was not very good at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. The experience of being in a construction site was beneficial because I was able to see what I will be specifying when I design. I got to see how big bed rooms and bath rooms are in a home to compare to my studio project I am working on.