TechPractices: Stone Ledge, Leakwood, KS

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Summary

In a region in which the average homebuyer is young and moves after just two to three years, how do you sell premium, exceptionally-built homes? Most of Kansas City's homebuyers upgrade to large houses with fancy facades if they're going to spend more. With "totally maintenance-free living," this small developer went after a small but discriminating market to show there's always a demand for well-built homes. They sell themselves to experienced homeowners who recognize that, with durable materials and energy features, these houses will keep paying back in a big way.

Details

Stone Ledge homes are built to keep maintenance and its costs to a minimum. Concrete tile roofs, for example, are guaranteed for the life of the home. The homes never need exterior painting or staining thanks to brick, stone and/or tinted acrylic stucco exteriors. Even the wood deck is made of a recycled wood/plastic composite lumber which is guaranteed never to splinter and requires no painting or staining.

After a great deal of research and consultation with Kansas City Power and Light (KCPL), the developers chose geothermal for low maintenance and operating cost for heating and cooling. A combination of the "tight" damp-blown cellulose insulation and the geothermal system (which filters all the air in the house every 3½ hours) gives the bonus of a virtually dust-free home. Only the air filters need periodic cleaning or changing.

The geothermal heating, cooling, and hot water system reduces maintenance and energy costs. Operating costs for geothermal are approximately 50% to 60% lower than conventional heating and cooling. Domestic hot water is a free by-product when the system is in heating or cooling mode. Efficiency is enhanced by damp-blown cellulose insulation in the walls, which fills gaps and voids in wall cavities, and low-e wood windows, which offer resistance to emitted heat and thermal bridging.

Kansas City Power and Light actively supports the geothermal concept. In fact, KCPL offers a 30% reduction in electric rates for eight months of the year for homeowners who install geothermal.

Installation/Construction

Standard wall framing accommodates enough damp-blown cellulose insulation to exceed code. Brick or stone is then placed on a concrete ledge and tied back. The geothermal system goes in right after the foundation. The system consists of four to five vertical wells, each 170 feet deep. A ground-source heat-exchanging closed loop is installed in the wells, connected by a manifold approximately 6 feet below ground level and piped into the air handler/heat exchanger located in the utility room of each home. All equipment is either underground or in the basement.

Benefits/Costs

Stone Ledgers include people looking to settle down, including "empty nesters", who don't want to worry about maintenance and repair. A Stone Ledge home costs about $25,000 more than a conventional home of the same size, but the homebuyers get a much more durable product-and they're in it for the long run. Over ten years, it costs the conventional homeowner in the area an estimated $65,000 more in heating, cooling, and maintenance. At that rate, Stone Ledgers can expect to recoup any extra cost within four years of purchase, saving about $6,000 per year. But monthly savings are immediate-energy savings offset a higher mortgage. In the 3,350 sf Stone Ledge Model Home, average monthly energy cost is $120 for heating, cooling, hot water, gas, and all electric. Heating, cooling, and hot water costs $1,000 per year for the all-electric geothermal system.

Homebuyers who borrow get a low rate in cooperation with KPCL because Stone Ledge houses are all-electric. Mortgages fall under the Home Energy Rating System, which allows buyers to qualify for larger loans due to smaller energy bills allowing greater cash flow.

Code/Regulatory

The developer says there are no code problems and the houses exceed code in many respects. They note reduced insurance rates due to fireproof roofs and wall finishes, and no exposed wood to burn.

Feedback

Homes this well built are rare in Kansas City. Moving every two to three years, the average KC homebuyer is not looking for a $300K-plus home that pays back in the short term. Stone Ledge is positioned in a tough market that represents less than 2% of the total Kansas City area housing market—empty nesters and those who look for the attention to detail of these houses. Stone Ledge is marketed much the same as conventional area housing, with ads in local papers and magazines and realty contacts. The developer says many people walk through the model home just to see and hear about geothermal.

Stone Ledge carries a 4 1/2-star rating from both the Home Energy Rating System and Energy Star Homes. It would have received five stars but for the extensive window system. Expansive glazing normally result in drafts and increased fuel use, but with quality materials and techniques, Stone Ledgers have no such complaints, enjoying their maintenance-free homes in comfort.

Contact(s)

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

Stone Ledge Developments, Ltd.
5320 West 154th St.
Leawood, KS 66224-3657
913-681-5180

Kansas City Power and Light
P.O. Box 418679
Kansas City, MO 64141
816-471-5275
www.kcpl.com

Home Energy Rating System
Kansas City Power and Light
1201 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64106
816-556-2044
www.kcpl.com