Dozen Affordable Homes Nearing Completion Thanks to All Saints-by-the-Sea Volunteers

More than 20 All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church volunteers and 15 other workers from the community made a dozen affordable homes closer to completion at a Habitat for Humanity for Southern Santa Barbara County housing project on the Eastside on Nov. 9.

Nearly a dozen future homeowners were among the workers at the Cannon Perdido Street site as they put “sweat equity” into their future homes.

All Saints members David Boyd and Andy Rosenberger lead the Outreach project volunteers and they painted, caulked and performed other construction tasks starting on Saturday morning through mid-afternoon.

All Saints volunteers included: Jim Subject, Sally Messerlian, Steb Chandor, John Stewart, Herb Tews, Julia Dawson, her son Thomas Dawson, Charley Cairns, Caroline Kavanagh, her son Kieron Kavanagh, Amanda McIntyre and Susan Evans. Seven other All Saints volunteers made lunch and delivered it to the work crew.

All Saints volunteers were busy in and around a nearly completed building, trying to help make it pass tests that would show that it is air tight.

Richard McLaughlin, site manager and superintendent with project contractor Allen Associates, said the multi-family housing project should be completed sometime in May or June 2014.

“All 12 units have a hybrid solar power system,” McLaughlin said. “They have photovoltaic solar cells, (which convert sunlight directly into electricity), heat and water heating.” The goal for the project is to achieve “net zero” energy usage.

McLaughlin proudly pointed to one of three buildings at the site, which is most near completion and will attain the “Passive House US” certification. It is one of only about two dozen buildings in the country that will be as “green” as they can be built, according to McLaughlin.

Design strategies, building techniques and “green” products will contribute to the project’s achieving high eco-friendly standards. The goal is to make the energy costs as low as possible for future homeowners, making home ownership affordable for the long term, Habitat for Humanity officials said.

All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Montecito was founded in 1896 and whose mission is to help those in need locally and around the world. Church members have donated nearly $1 million in the past five years and have given thousands of hours to help meet the most basic of needs for those less fortunate.