56 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2019
OPEN HOUSE
LI’S HOUSE
United Way of Long Island’s Housing team, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, center, and Suffolk County Landbank volunteers gave handson
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
The new year promises to be an
awesome one for one lucky homeowner
who will be enjoying all the
features that an innovative house of
the future offers.
Located at 23 Furman Avenue in
East Patchogue, the 1,360-squarefoot
abode on a 10,000-square-foot
lot is a new build scheduled to be
completed this month. The modest
Farm Ranch-style dwelling may seem
like an ordinary three-bedroom, twobath
home with a yard, although it’s
anything but ordinary. It’s a certified
Zero Energy Ready Home featuring
advanced energy savings, comfort,
health, durability, quality, and performance
that can be expected to
stand the test of time.
“Homeowners will benefit long
term and save money on electric,
heating, and gas,” says Rick Wertheim,
senior vice president of
Housing and Green Initiatives at
United Way of Long Island, which
has been involved with innovative
building projects since 1996. “That’s
the transformational thing about
this house. We’re building these
houses to educate and make communities
aware of what is a terrific
resource when you’re building or
remodeling.”
The nonprofit, which has won U.S.
Department of Energy awards for
similar high-tech homes the group built
on LI, follows recommendations from
the federal agency on how to build energy
efficient homes. Most Long Island
homes aren't built to such high-level
stringent construction standards.
This is the first time that the Deer
Park-based nonprofit is teaming up
with Suffolk County Landbank to
sell a home for struggling first-time
home buyers who would otherwise
be unable to afford one.
“The work of the Suffolk County
Landbank is vital to our operations,
helping to fight against blight and
abandonment,” said Suffolk County
Executive Steve Bellone. “I want to
thank our partners at United Way of
Long Island, whose commitment and
investment have made this project
possible.”
The new structure replaced a
boarded-up abandoned house that
help to build a house that they hope will be a model to local developers.
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