Habitat for Humanity to build sustainable, concrete home in Gravette

Habitat for Humanity of Benton County will work with national and area partners to build Habitat for Humanity’s first sustainable, concrete home in Arkansas, according to a recent news release. The 1,400-square-foot home will have four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The nonprofit is partnering with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s Build with Strength coalition to build the unique, affordable home in Gravette. It will be the nonprofit’s first home to be constructed with concrete and insulated concrete forms (ICFs), a sustainable, noncombustible concrete building system, that will reduce costs and construction time while improving the home’s durability and energy performance.

The project is part of a nationwide initiative between Build with Strength and Habitat for Humanity International to build at least 50 sustainable concrete homes in 50 states in five years. In about two years since the initiative started, there are currently 76 homes under construction in 33 states.

“Faced with an affordable housing crisis, Habitat Benton is doing all that we can to build affordable homes without sacrificing the structures’ durability,” said Debby Wieneke, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Benton County. “We’re grateful for the partnership with local and national contributors that has allowed us to bring this new way of building into our community.”

Following members of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association have donated or provided discounted materials for the project: Arkhola Materials, Standard Materials Group and CRH Materials. Other sponsors include Nudura, Prebuck, Euclid Chemical, Tuf-Strand Fibers, Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association and American Concrete Pumping Association.

The home on Dallas Street is expected to be completed in February. The cost of the home has not been determined, but the family that moves in will pay an interest-free mortgage.