StalwartBuilt Homes uses the Environments For Living® Program to Help Bring over 400 Green Homes to New Orleans

October 29th, 2010

New Pontchartrain Park Development Replaces Affordable Homes Lost in Hurricane Katrina

New Orleans, La., — StalwartBuilt Homes, a builder committed to developing durable, energy-efficient residences, is constructing approximately 400 affordable, high-performance "Beyond Green" homes in New Orleans to help the city"s continued rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

Built to stringent standards in Masco Home Services" Environments For Living® program, the StalwartBuilt homes in the Pontchartrain Park community are designed to be more cost-efficient, stronger, healthier, lower in maintenance, and faster to build than conventional homes. www.environmentsforliving.com, www.stalwartbuilt.com

"New Orleans still suffers from a lack of affordable housing and the destruction of neighborhoods caused by Hurricane Katrina," says Julius Poston, president of StalwartBuilt Homes. "We"re excited to help people rebuild with quality, affordable homes that also exceed local, state and national green building standards. We"ve been building green for a number of years, and the Environments For Living program fits well with our commitment to help people save energy costs, reduce water consumption and have healthy homes. It provides a rigorous, independent certification that people trust."

The StalwartBuilt" Beyond Green" method of building incorporates the latest innovations of building science and technology into the building process. All aspects of the home are designed as an integrated system. For these reasons the GE Ecomagination program which contains the Environments For Living certification was chosen to complement the other stringent building certifications of LEED for Homes, DOE Builders Challenge, EPA - Energy Star, Water Sense and Indoor Air Plus for this disaster recovery, and community revitalization program.

The Environments For Living program is unique in providing tangible, performance-based results in heating and cooling energy use and comfort backed by limited guarantees*. It addresses multiple home elements, from framing and insulation installation, to mechanical systems and moisture management.

"A cornerstone of the Environments For Living program is its use of the principles of building science to help create homes that work as integrated, high-performance systems, rather than as a collection of individual materials and components," says Dave Bell, Director of Building Science for Masco Home Services. "The Pontchartrain Park community project provides a real-world example of how green building can be accomplished on a large scale, while still being affordable."

Pontchartrain Park is one of New Orleans" 10 neighborhoods that have recovered 50% or less of their pre-Katrina populations, ranking 65th out of 74 neighborhoods in population recovery. Residents and community leaders are actively engaged in rebuilding the historic community.