TechPractices: NEDCO, Field of Dreams, Eugene, OR

TechPractices are outstanding housing projects throughout the U.S. where innovative technologies are implemented. Builders and remodelers can use these examples as models for projects of their own.

Summary

The Field of Dreams residential community, completed in Eugene, Oregon, combines ingenuity at several levels of project delivery. Intelligent planning and zoning strategies, lease-to-own financing options, spare but effective building design, and insulating values higher than required by code all worked together effectively.

Completed in 1996, the project achieves affordability through economy of building design and the efficiencies of the site plan design. Quality is achieved through intelligent design strategies, low-maintenance material selection, and appealing architectural features. Sustainability is attained through use of recycled products, by choosing compact building forms, and with buildings oriented for solar gain and insulated to minimize heat loss.

Details

The buildings were planned with simple proportions and standard modular dimensions and layouts to make them less expensive to build. Keeping it simple and maximizing the use of utility and municipal rebate programs, this project offers real affordability to the low- and moderate-income local housing market.

Minimizing building maintenance was another objective. The developer felt that houses clad with recycled wood fiber siding was a cost-effective material that would need less maintenance than conventional siding materials in this region. This material is made from wood bi-products and adhesives. It is formed into panels or "clapboard"-sized strips that have been primed and need only finish painting.

The compact houses and small lots require less maintenance. House sizes range from 768 sf for a two-bedroom house to 1,440 sf for a four-bedroom. The lots size averages about 3,100 sf with some as small as 2,500 sf. The houses's simple shed forms make them easier to repaint. Apparently, low-maintenance vinyl siding was ruled out primarily due to the local wood aesthetic. Vinyl windows were chosen for their energy efficiency and low-maintenance attributes.

Most of these houses have generous porches and well-proportioned eaves that not only offer shade but also add architectural charm that many low- and moderate-cost houses do not. One of the most interesting design features, the decorative bracket patterns at the front porches, are exposed roof trusses, painted to blend in with the roof trim.

Another objective of this project was resource conservation. Old growth forests were sustained through the use of 2 x 4 member wood trusses and TJI (composite-wood-based engineered) floor joists. Optimum value engineering techniques reduce thermal bridging at the usual problem areas in a house; exterior corners, where interior partitions join exterior walls, at door and window headers, and at the intersection of wall and roof overhangs. These techniques include walls framed at 24" centers, three-stud corners, and two-stud partition take-offs where interior and exterior walls meet, and insulated headers.

Insulated exterior doors, an automatic ventilation control system, and advanced framing techniques added improved energy performance. The exhaust ventilation system comes with a timer that requires a minimum of eight hours of operation every 24 hours. During ventilation, a central exhaust fan vents air out of the house and make-up air is brought in from designated intake points-sliding slots at window tops-that are evenly distributed in the house. There is a small energy penalty for the fresh air, however-Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) calculates it to be approximately $3.50 per month. According to EWEB, the advantage (compared to relying on air infiltration through construction cracks) is that the resident can control when, where, and how much make-up air is coming in.

Siting the buildings for good solar exposure and limiting north-facing windows, where practical, saves energy. By making good orientation a primary objective in the planning and layout of the development and by tightening the zoning and development standards to reduce waste, energy savings are assured for the life of the project.

Installation/Construction

This project was designed to be compatible with modular building techniques (4-foot modules, 8-foot heights) to make it feasible for a modular manufacturer to bid competitively. The low bidder, nevertheless, was a conventional stick-built contractor. The developer, NEDCO, was the construction manager. The foundation system was a poured-in-place grade beam with grade access to the crawl space below the floor.

Benefits/Costs

The efficient use of land and compact home design resulted in material benefits for the community and individual homeowners. This affordable project was offered to low-income buyers at prices ranging from $54,000 to $71,000. The median home price for the region was $160,000 at that time. Nine of the houses are for moderate income families with selling prices ranging from $68,000 to $89,000.

By designing to the local utility company's 'Super Good Cents' standards, the developer assured low future operating costs to residents. This program offers rebates of up to $2,000 for building to higher than code-mandated energy standards: Floors to R-30, walls to R-21 and roofs to R-49. Wall studs were framed on 24" centers instead of 16" and maximum window area was kept to 15% of the total floor area. This program is available only to residential customers who heat and cool with electricity, or to customers who heat with a gas furnace that uses an electric heat pump.

Home buyers gained from the increased supply of reasonably-priced housing and lower long-term operating and maintenance costs. Because of the success of Field of Dreams, the developer has another environmentally-oriented housing development under construction and another, larger project under design. Walls and roofs with higher energy efficiencies increase initial cost to the project but yield greater long-term savings. The rebate program reduced the pay-back time to zero.

Code/Regulatory

Replatting enabled some of the site to be saved for open space. This employed a technique called cluster subdivision. This permits lots much smaller than the standard 5,000 because new park land and affordable housing stock were provided. Neighborhood intimacy and pedestrian qualities were also enhanced by reducing lot size. Exceeding the Oregon energy code requirements was made possible by the Super Good Cents cash rebate program.

Feedback

Nominated for a HUD Building Innovation for Home ownership Award, one juror noted the project "contained good ideas in every strata of development: technology, energy conservation, low operating cost, competitive finance package, and neighborhood development."

If there is one thing the developer would have done differently, it would be to use fiber-cement siding instead of recycled wood fiber siding, which is less expensive. Although virtually unnoticeable to the untrained eye, manufacturer's inspection reveals the beginnings of deterioration in some of the facades. The developer has discontinued the use of the recycled wood fiber siding.

Contact(s)

Do you have a specific question? Try the contacts listed below:

Neighborhood Economic Development Corp.
769 Monroe Street
Eugene, OR 97403
541-345-7106

First Interstate Bank of Oregon (Wells Fargo)
800-869-3557

City of Eugene Development Dept.
99 W. 10th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97490
541-687-5443

Eugene Water and Electric Board
500 E. 4th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97440
541-484-1125
http://eweb.org