BREA : Group to Use New Methods, Materials for Low-Cost Home

A home to be built by the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity of Orange County will serve to demonstrate alternative building materials, new construction techniques and energy-conservation methods, officials said.

The City Council is working with the group to build a four-bedroom, 1,280-square-foot home at 101 S. Flower Ave.

The home will be sold to a family earning less than $29,550 annually; the family will pay for the home with an interest-free, 20-year mortgage.

The family will also contribute at least 600 hours of “sweat equity” in helping build the home.

Non-traditional building materials proposed for the project include steel framing, resin-based roofing and an insulated wall panel system.

The materials hold the promise of reducing construction costs and providing greater energy savings for the homeowner, according to Habitat for Humanity officials.

In voicing his support at a recent council meeting, Councilman Burnie Dunlap called the project “a clear winner.”

Councilman Glenn G. Parker also backed the project, but emphasized that the home must “blend in with the neighborhood” by not compromising on aesthetics.

This will be the third Habitat for Humanity project in Brea.

A four-unit development was completed last year in the 100 block of Flower, and a five-unit project is proceeding in the 200 block of South Poplar Avenue.