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Here's where we regularly inform you about recent developments at Colorado Housing, Inc..

Four Newly Constructed Bayfield Homes Receive Highest Energy Efficiency Marks

April 25, 2011

This month, four households participating in a mutual self-help homebuilding program received their five star-plus energy certificates and certificates of occupancy for their newly constructed homes in the Town of Bayfield, Colorado and they are ready to move-in.

The energy ratings on these homes exceed previous ratings of homes constructed with assistance from nonprofit housing developer, Colorado Housing, Inc.

According to new homeowner, Michelle Lange, “The temperature is set at sixty degrees, and my house is a comfortable and constant sixty-nine degrees.”

In addition to an estimated 40% reduction in utility bills, all four homes have energy monitors installed that allow the homeowner to track their energy usage, even projecting their monthly electricity bill expense.

Homeowners also participate in the production of a comprehensive occupant manual for their home that includes information on community resources, home maintenance and maintaining the home’s equity.

The homes were financed through Rural Development’s 502 direct loan program, of which all homeowners qualified for.

The duplex town homes are constructed for $145,000 with land. Single family homes in the area are being sold for approximately $180,000.

New and Improved Website!

November 10, 2010

We're glad you found our new and improved website - now you can learn all about our services or bid on our projects easily!  Please contact us with comments or suggestions on how to improve the site.

Colorado Housing Inc. Helps Residents Build Sustainable Housing

November 1, 2010

Living in a home built through Colorado Housing Inc.’s Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program means being able to afford low monthly payments and low utility bills — while living in a healthy, comfortable energy efficient home that you have built with your own hands.  Because affordability doesn’t stop after moving into a home, and because the health and happiness of our residents is important to our community, CHI continues to provide sustainable housing solutions for our area residents.  

Since 1995, through a mutual self‐help homebuilding program, CHI has successfully built 215 homes and has become the largest and most successful non‐profit builder of affordable housing in the southwest Colorado region. CHI builds between 12‐16 affordable houses each year in La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan and Archuleta Counties.   

Building energy efficient, durable homes has been a long time goal of our organization.  By building homes that meet or exceed Energy Star standards and keeping utility bills low, the affordability of CHI homeownership is an ongoing dividend enjoyed by our families.  More recently, the board of directors and staff has been hard at work developing affordable, practical, and appropriate strategies for deepening the level of environmental sustainability of their services.  Green design and construction policies are under development and staff is implementing green building standards that accomplish a wide range of green building goals. 

Healthy, affordable housing includes using materials that do not negatively affect the health of residents.  To encourage healthy living environments, natural and low-to-no volatile organic compound (VOC) materials are used to maintain healthy indoor air quality.  Water-efficient appliances and plumbing fixtures conserve local water resources and reduce both utility bills and the need for expensive investments by utilities in new water storage and treatment facilities. Homes are designed to take advantage of passive solar heating and cooling, which increases affordability by using naturally occurring, and heretofore underutilized, free resources.  

Innovative insulation and building systems are being explored that contribute to more durable, healthy and resource-efficient buildings.  In projects currently under construction, homeowners are learning the assembly procedure for Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), the highly energy efficient structural system used for the construction of their homes.  Offering a beneficial contribution to the communities served, CHI's Contractor Training Series invites area contractors to learn SIP and Energy Star construction methods on the jobsite.  These trainings are sponsored by the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office and Colorado Housing, Inc.

CHI has also teamed up with the Regional Housing Alliance of La Plata County to design and construct La Plata County’s first net-zero energy affordable home in Ignacio. The home will use innovative construction methods and renewable energy systems.  The heating system will make use of passive solar gain supplemented with a geo-exchange system which takes advantage of the natural stores of heat just feet below the ground. Domestic hot water will be supplied by solar thermal panels with an electric resistive back-up and power for appliances will come from solar-electric panels.

An environmentally sustainable building is dependent not only on how it is designed and built, but how it is managed and inhabited.  To ensure that these homes remain sustainable and healthy, residents must understand the green aspects of and maintenance practices for their homes.  CHI has developed a post-occupancy education program, including an Occupant’s Manual that explains the intent, benefits, use and maintenance of green building features, so that our homes can perform as intended.

CHI continues to seek out homeowners in the area who want to build their own affordable, energy efficient homes using the above techniques and methods.  Homeowners not only build their own homes, they also build relationships and a sense of community.  Through these specific green building standards CHI endeavors to maximize affordability for its homeowners, providing a true shelter from the financial and environmental storms that challenge us.

Learn more about our Mutual Self-Help Homeownership program.