Ground is being broken today on the first phase of what’s billed as a fully sustainable community in northeast Iowa. Steve Davis is sales director for Switch Homes, which is starting to develop a 105-home subdivision in Dubuque.
Davis says it’s the first of several proposed master-planned communities in Iowa. “All the homes will be pre-wired for electric vehicle charging stations,” Davis says. “They’ll be set up where a homeowner or buyer can add solar panels to their home, and the materials are carefully selected, made with at least 50% recycled material, in a lot of cases.”
He says the neighborhood, called The Farm, will feature community gardens, green spaces, walking trails, a community park, and more to support the sustainable mission for generations to come.
“They will be net zero energy-ready homes, meaning, they have the ability — with a couple of easy changes on the part of the homeowner — to basically produce as much energy as they consume,” he says.
The houses are smaller than many traditional homes now being built, which Davis says is an effort to change the industry with what he calls “right sized” homes.
“There are eight different floor plans that are being offered in the Dubuque community,” Davis says. “They range from 925 square feet up to approximately 1,800 square feet. The homes will start at $325,000 and they are expected to be 40% more efficient than the average new construction home.”
Davis says the company’s website was created to streamline what’s ordinarily a very lengthy process of designing and buying a home.
“It’s kind of like building your own car online and having it delivered to you,” Davis says. “Much would be the same with Switch Homes, choose your lot, choose your floorplan, choose all of your finishes, and in five to six months, you’ll have a completed home that you can pay for at that time, whether it’s a loan or whatnot. There’s no construction financing on the front end.”
The land is now being developed for construction to begin in October on the first 36 homes. Within three to five years, Davis estimates all 105 homes will either be sold or planned.