Construction Projects

Fairview House, 2005-2006

Building on the success of the Smith House (see below), e-co lab forged a partnership with the City of Urbana , Illinois , to build a super energy-efficient house for a qualifying family (see income table at bottom of page) in Urbana . It is a three bedroom, two bath, 1300 square feet home and like the Smith House, it has been designed and constructed to Passive House standards (reducing energy use by a Factor of 10).

The City of Urbana provided a Lot (at 1005 W. Fairview Avenue) and $25,000 in funding. The TrusJoist Corporation donated the I-Joists for the roof, walls, and floor. Green Mountain Electric provided the temporary electric service. Shaw Carpet donated its Ecoworx 100% recyclable nylon Carpet tile for one bedroom. Locally Owned Armstrong Lumber donated the framing and sheathing materials for the garage.

In mid-November 2006, homeowner Beth Simpson moved in. It is the first stable home in her life! Previously, she lived in New Orleans doing social work in a very troubled neighborhood. When Hurricane Katrina hit, her home and the community she lived in was destroyed. Uprooted, she returned to Urbana, where she lived prior to New Orleans, relying on friends to help and house her while she had nothing.

Today we are glad to provide a stable home for someone who supports the well being of our community with her everyday work. Beth is a passionate peer mediation coordinator at Urbana middle school. She is excited to live in a house that actively protects the environment and people’s health.

To See more pictures of the finished house go to the Fairview Pictoral Tour

To view the construction process in sequence see the Fairview progress log

Downloadable floor plans (.pdf) of Fairview House: Fairview Floor Plan 1, Fairview Floor Plan 2

See the table below for key specifications and suppliers: