Development and Construction
This paper gives a brief description of the type
of development and method of construction involved in Czech Cottages of Wilson.
Czech Cottages affordable senior housing is being
developed by Ad Astra Homes, LLC, and is wholly owned by Czech Cottages, LLC,
which is comprised of many individual investors. Czech Cottages is the first
straw bale insulated housing development in the United States to be funded in
part by the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC).
Congress established this program in 1986 to
encourage private sector development and ownership of affordable housing. The
Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing, which administers the LIHTC program in
Kansas, has dedicated $423,500 in federal income tax credits to Czech Cottages,
LLC. The federal income tax credits are sold to private investors to generate
the funding needed. Czech Cottages also has a low-interest (5.0% 10-year fixed
rate) loan provided by the Kansas Department on Aging.
Tenants of Czech Cottages must be 55 years of age
or older (only one member of a couple need be 55 or older) and must meet income
guidelines established by the federal government for Ellsworth County. Rent is
$350 per month or $4,200 per year. Tenants pay gas, electricity, telephone and
cable TV. Czech Cottages provides water, sewer, trash service, lawn and building
maintenance and snow removal at no charge.
Construction with wheat straw bales is very
uncommon in Kansas. This is somewhat of an irony considering Kansas is known as
"The Wheat State." However, straw bale construction has been thoroughly
evaluated and is supported by the Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing and
the Kansas Department on Aging for Czech Cottages.
Straw bale construction has gained acceptance in
many parts of the U.S. and Canada as well as many regions throughout the world.
For example, within the past few years, more than 70 straw bale homes have been
permitted and built in Austin, Texas. Areas of the United States that promote
straw bale construction include the states of California, Arizona and New
Mexico, and several cities including Boulder, CO, Phoenix, AZ, and Austin, TX.
Once completed, Czech Cottages will consist of
three duplexes (six units) conveniently located in the downtown business
district of Wilson, Kansas. Each of the six units will have two bedrooms and a
total living area of approximately 800 square feet. All units will have central
heating and cooling, super-insulated walls and attic spaces, double-pane, low-e
glass windows, insulated exterior doors, bathroom with walk-in shower, safe room
for outstanding protection from storms, all major appliances including a washer
and dryer, stove/oven and refrigerator, private entrance and a large (12’ X
28.5’) attached carport.
The method of framing is called modified post and
beam. Using this method, walls are framed with window and door bucks that are
constructed as structural supports and distributed throughout the perimeter of
the buildings. Posts (4 by 4) are used at corners and at locations lacking
window and door openings at no greater than six foot intervals. Box columns the
width of the straw bales (18 inches) are used as the vertical sides of the bucks
and extend from the foundation to the beam. These box columns consist of a
structural frame of 2-by lumber sheathed with plywood. In some cases, depending
on roof loads, doubled 2-by-4s are used.
| Straw bales (dimension 14 x 18 x 36
inches) are stacked like blocks between the framing members. The bales are
impaled onto steel rods protruding from the concrete slab and are stabilized
horizontally by 4-foot long bamboo stakes impaled two per bale as the bales are
stacked. The exterior surfaces of the bale walls are covered with stucco lathe
and wire netting. The exterior surface is then covered with three coats of
reinforced fiberglass portland cement stucco at a total thickness of
approximately 1.5 inches. The building color (native limestone) is derived from
the finish stucco coat. The interior surface of the bale walls is covered with
fire-rated sheetrock. A significant feature
of Czech Cottages is the existence of a "safe-room" in each unit. The utility
room of each unit is constructed to comply with FEMA standards for use as a safe
room during tornadoes and other storms. The walls of each safe room are
constructed with two layers of three-quarter inch plywood on one side of a
2-by-4 frame with an additional layer of three-quarter inch plywood fastened on
the other side. Sandwiched between the plywood is a sheet of one-eighth inch
thick steel. The outside and inside surfaces are covered with one-half inch
sheetrock. The safe room roof also contains these layers. The safe rooms are
bolted to the slab foundation and are not connected to any part of (i.e. stand
independent of) the rest of the structure. Safe rooms have been proven to save
lives by sheltering people during violent storms during which they also add
structural integrity to the remainder of the house or apartment.
Attics are insulated to R-50 using 9-inch rolled
fiberglass insulation on top of which is an additional 15 inches of blown
insulation. By insulating the attics to this degree, the entire building
envelope (attic and straw bale walls) will provide insulation of R-50 compared
to the insulation value in typical conventionally constructed housing that
offers R-19 for walls and R-30 for attics.
By using high quality construction materials and
innovative construction methods, Czech Cottages provides residents with a truly
high degree of value, comfort and safety.
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