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RUBICON DEVELOPING LEED-CERTIFIED, PRE-BUILT HOMES IN VALLEY COUNTY
Developer Nic Stover plans to build Cabarton Townhomes, a low-cost, LEED-certified development in Cascade
By Lora Volkert - Idaho Business Review
Edition Date 12/24/07
Further proof that green building doesn’t have to be expensive: Rubicon Homes plans to build the first certified green building in the Valley County and sell some for $205,000.
Rubicon poured concrete foundations in November for six prefab Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified homes it plans to build in Cascade, which the company brought on-site two weeks ago and planned to set on their foundations and start selling last week.
The project could nearly double the number of green homes in Idaho, according to Rubicon founder Nic Stover, the former vice president of construction for Tamarack. Seven green homes have been built in the state, though other green residential projects are under construction, he said.
Rubicon plans to build another four LEED homes in the development, called Cabarton Townhomes, in 2008. The homes would be located at the corner of Idaho 55 and Cabarton Road, in an area of Cascade near downtown that’s starting to see some resurgence, Stover said. There are plans for a hotel and an AmeriTitle office across the street from his project.
Rubicon partnered with Guerdon Enterprises, which specialized in systems-built construction techniques, on the project. Systems-built technology essentially involves building a home from the inside out in a climate-controlled environment, according to Stover.
The technique makes it easier to build a green building, Stover said. For one thing, building homes in a climate-controlled environment ensures that insulation doesn’t get damp, improving insulation and energy efficiency.
The technique also allows the companies to seal the ducts all the way around because ductwork can be installed before the subfloor is built, he said. Normally ductwork is installed into the subfloor, then sealed, so it can be hard for installers to get their arms all the way around the ducts to seal them with mastic. Often that results in leaks and energy loss, making it difficult to obtain LEED certification, he said.
Another advantage to using systems-built technology for green buildings is that Rubicon only has to work with one subcontractor – Guerdon.
“We don’t have to train 19 different subs,” Stover said. “All we have to do is make sure Guerdon is documenting everything.”
LEED operates on a point system, and Rubicon can get about two-thirds of the points it needs for LEED certification based on the materials and techniques Guerdon used.
Stover plans to earn the rest of the point when Rubicon brings the building onsite. He plans to site the buildings to take advantage of natural light and solar heat, use noninvasive plant species for landscaping and put systems in place to control stormwater runoff.
Systems-built homes are also cheaper to build than homes that are stick-built on the construction site, Stover said. A couple of the homes will be priced at about $205,000, he said; the rest will be for sale at $220,000.
Rubicon’s homes could help with the workforce housing crisis going on Valley County.
“There’s very little at that price point up there,” Stover said. “What there is, is either a trailer or 20 years old.”
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