Tippie Build 3—The Dream Continues

I'm getting an opportunity I've never had before.
This house is not only for me. It's their house. It's for my children.
—Alpha Diallo, Tippie Build 3 Partner Family—

Groundbreaking for our home took place on September 25, 2009. Building started the end of October. During the fall semester, we constructed the walls, built the roof, and wrapped the house for winter. In the spring, we completed the inside work on the house and the landscaping. We dedicated our house the week before final exams—one last celebration before buckling down to study.

To escape the violence in their homeland in Republic of Guinea, Alpha, Fatoumata, and their children moved to Mali, Africa. Eventually, they were granted political asylum in the United States and moved to Iowa City. Alpha and Fatoumata have been working diligently to complete the 500 “sweat equity hours” they must invest as part of purchasing their Habitat home. Alpha and Fatoumata are working to provide a place for their children to grow. “They won’t have to search for a place to live like I have to and move,” Alpha said. “They’ll be better than me, and that’s good.”

Tippie Build 3 was also an energy efficient, "green" home. Among the "green" features included in this home were:

• Super-insulated exterior walls which can withstand tornado winds
• A tankless water heater to save on gas costs
• 50% more insulation in the attic to reduce utility costs
• New building materials utilizing recycled materials in the floor coverings, counter tops, and sheetrock
• Dual flush toilets to reduce water consumption by 25%
• A heat-recovery air handling system to assure good air quality while reducing heating costs
• South-facing orientation with increased window glazing to increase solar heating gain
• Landscaping to keep rainwater from running away and to minimize lawn care
• Water conserving plumbing in all sinks and showers
• Extra insulation in the foundation to reduce utility bills
• High-efficiency lighting to reduce electrical consumption
• Very high efficiency heating/cooling units to cut utility costs by 10%-20%
• Efficient design/layout to reduce construction waste (lumber and sheetrock) by +30%
• Sufficient overhangs to shade the home during the summer and allow in sunlight during the winter
• Shortened runs of ductwork to increase the efficiency of the heating/cooling system and to reduce construction costs

Habitat homes are a hand-up, not a hand-out. To learn why, visit our Hand-Up webpage.

You can be part of making this dream come true for another family. Help us raise the funds we need to build our next house by making a donation. If you are a Tippie student who would like to work on the construction, sign up to build the house.