Communities nationwide are trying to revitalize and revamp their residential sectors. In Salt Lake County, Utah, the Community Development Corp. of Utah is demonstrating how a severely deteriorated dwelling can be remodeled into a comfortable, updated home. Older homes made livable This project is known as the Idea House program, which KSL.com explained “takes an older, rundown house and renovates it using concepts from the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative—an integrated approach to housing interventions that combines federal and philanthropic investments in weatherization, energy efficiency, health, and safety.” Kristie Thorp manages the Community Development Corp. of Utah and she said the end goal is to show people how to make older homes livable, yet doing so in an affordable manner. WWII homes get facelift The organization’s current project is Kearns, a Salt Lake County township, which was built during WWII as an Air Force Training Facility. The goal at that time was to quickly construct simple, temporary places for soldiers-in-training to live before being deployed overseas. Thus, the homes were built from semi-permanent materials like cinderblocks and set on concrete foundations. Most of the houses had the same or a flipped floor plan. “That’s why the Idea House is particularly well-suited out here,” Thorp said, “because your neighbor’s house is almost identical [to yours].” Improvements make homes healthier Some of the improvements the Idea House program is focusing on are repaired roofs, new gutters, better attic insulation, and the installation of a high efficiency furnace and air conditioner. Thorp added, “The carpet was specially designed to decrease dust accumulation, and floor coverings in other rooms of the house were replaced with laminate and tile flooring.” These improvements will make the homes healthier, especially for those affected by breathing problems. Over 4,000 families benefited so far This isn’t the first community to benefit from the involvement of the Community Development Corp. of Utah. So far, Executive Director Darin Brush estimates the nonprofit organization has assisted over 4,000 families in more than 120 cities and towns become homeowners. Interior Decorating and Remodeling News Brought to You by BaseBoardHeaterGuru.com Source: ksl.com/?sid=27544862&nid=148