Bulloch County County's newest Habitat Homeowner, Maria Lipsey, has entered the second phase of construction on her Habitat Home. Lipsey’s home is listed as Habitat Home #60 and is being constructed with “Insulated Concrete Forms” (ICF) and poured concrete.
This method of construction is completely trailblazing, as it is the first home of its kind to be built in Bulloch County. This new method of housebuilding is more common to western areas of the United States.
So, not only will Lipsey become a first-time homeowner when construction is complete, but she will also simultaneously own a one-of-kind Habitat home!
On April 11th at 11am, Lipsey, family and friends, local dignitaries, and the construction team gathered to celebrate the pouring of actual concrete into this trailblazing house. Lipsey’s new ICF home is located on W. Inman St. near downtown Statesboro. The event was titled as “Behind the Build,” which celebrated the partnership of Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s (NRMCA) Build with Strength Coalition.
The Build with Strength Coalition’s intention and mission with Lipsey’s home was to build it uniquely and affordably, while celebrating its low-carbon and noncombustible benefits thanks to ICF technology.
The event began with a preliminary dedication by Kathy Jenkins, Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County.
"We are excited to bring this new method of construction to Bulloch County and look forward to the positive impact it will make for Maria and for other homeowners in the future,” Jenkins said.
The entire experience continues to be an astounding one for Lipsey and her entire family.
“I am proud to be getting my three kids into a home," she said. "I have been trying to buy a home for a long time, and we will finally have a new home that we can call ours. I would like to thank all contributing sponsors for helping us build our new home.”
All invited guests then signed the inside of Lipsey’s unfinished home with countless well-wishes and heartfelt blessings.
Now, what makes Insulated Concrete Forms such novel building materials is that they are sustainable and noncombustible concrete building materials. Additionally, they help reduce expenses and construction time. Homes built with ICF technology are just as safe, and natural-disaster resistant, as traditionally built homes.
Furthermore, with the ICF Styrofoam blocks adhering to the simple process of being stacked like Legos on top of each other on top of the home’s base foundation, construction time is significantly reduced. This makes the entire building process more desirable for all parties involved.
Lipsey’s particular home was acquired using local “Blue Mile Foundation” funds.
The Blue Mile project is part of an effort to revitalize the business district between downtown Statesboro and Georgia Southern University. Through the Blue Mile Project, Statesboro leaders hope to secure better housing for the population increase expected in Statesboro by 2030. (The anticipated opening of a new electric vehicle plant nearby anticipates 15,000 to 20,000 new residents by that time).
The Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County would like to thank Amvic Building Systems, DPR Architecture, June Spencer, ICFMA and ACPA for their supporting efforts. The organization would also like to thank NRMCA members who have donated and/or discounted materials for this build, including, SRM Concrete and the Georgia Ready Mixed Concrete Association.
This project is part of a wider initiative between Build with Strength and Habitat for Humanity International to construct 50 sustainable concrete homes in 50 states in five years.
For more information on the Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County and the “Habitat Homeowner” program, please visit their website at https://habitatbulloch.org/.
For more information on the “Build with Strength” Coalition, visit their website at https://buildwithstrength.com/.
For more information about the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, visit their website at https://www.nrmca.org/.
