Spray Foam Machine

Partnerships key to success in building green Habitat homes in Douglas County

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series following the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home. Habitat for Humanity of Douglas County (HFHDC) has been building using Minnesota Green Communities Criteria (MGCC) since 2007. Follow along to see how their green-building techniques make not only an environmental difference, but also play a key role in the overall affordability of a Habitat home.

Partner is a word you hear a great deal around the Habitat for Humanity affiliate. That’s because partnership is key to what they do.

Families partner with them to purchase their home through a no-profit mortgage. As part of this, they partner with the affiliate in building their home and the homes of others by performing 200 hours of sweat equity prior to purchasing their home. The affiliate also partners with the community – volunteers and individual donors make it possible to build homes more economically so that they remain affordable for the partner family.

In Douglas County, the Habitat affiliate is specially blessed to be a part of a community with a strong, involved and generous business community. This year HFHDC has had several very key partnerships in this area.

The first is the continuing partnership with the Thrivent Builds program, which helped fund a large portion of the home just completed in Carlos. The second partnership came in the form of a whole house sponsorship – Tim and Kathie Cullen and the Cullen’s Home Center team took on the commitment to fund and build the Habitat home just completed in Alexandria.

And, on the home newly under construction, the affiliate has been blessed again to have local businesses come together in sponsorship of a home. Led by Tom Schabel, CEO of Alexandria Extrusion Company, the affiliate has reached out to the manufacturing community for support. Three companies have committed, with the potential for several others to join in. The sponsors so far are Alexandria Extrusion Company, Douglas Machine and Pro-Tainer.

These sponsorships have helped the affiliate to increase the number of families it serves from two in 2010 to four in 2011.

Local subcontractors also play a key role in building – most sub contractors donate either some labor or materials in kind as part of their package. This support, as well as their timely and detailed work, is critical to a successful build.

A new partnership this year is centered around “green building.” Minnesota Spray-Foam Insulation of Albany/Brainerd/Alexandria is partnering with HFHDC in doing the insulation for the newest Habitat home. This partnership will be interesting, as it will provide a side-by-side comparison of traditional fiberglass insulation and spray foam insulation in identical floor plans located right next door to each other.

Get the spray foam machine today: get the insulation job done ...

The proportioner is the core of any spray foam device. It is the division that makes the foam by sharing the elements and approaching them additionally. The finest of them all is the electric one but you must make sure that it has instinctive reins and can stabilize force regulators. The spray foam hoses are the essential pipes, which have the solitary idea of transiting the froth from the proportioner to the squirt gun. The spray hose comes in various colors, sizes, and it is constantly a superior thought to use pipes that are rust free.

If proportioner is called the core of the device then the spray foam gun is its hand. Two constituents of the spray are blended within the gun and barred at particular forces on the area to be insulated. The minute these two ingredients mix with each other, they act in response. Thus congestion must be avoided after using it by taking its proper care. So, before you buy a spray gun you should be aware of how to clean it. Spray foam shielding can be used in place of foam plank shielding. Though, you must know about all the pros and cons of both the insulation processes.

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