[July 17, 2009] Development would serve veterans, disabled: Building and renting the duplexes would be a long-term investment and a way to fill a local need. [Walla Walla Union-Bulletin] Tweet (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (WA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 17--WALLA WALLA &NOT -- When James Flippo bought three acres of Eastgate property from his uncle, he promised he would hold onto it as family land. "I told him I would never sell it," he said. For the last three years, the local carpenter and his wife, Becky, have planned to keep their promise and actually develop the lot into a viable source of income -- a rental development generating enough money to offset upkeep costs and bring in some longer-term revenue. The development will include 12 new duplex homes. Rather than selling the property in a tight market, building and renting duplexes would be a long-term investment and an engaging project for Flippo ¬--- a carpenter and designer with 30 years of experience. But keeping a promise to his uncle and holding onto the family land is secondary to Flippo's central goal. The development also will fill what the Flippos see as an empty niche in the Walla Walla housing market. He wants to build housing specifically to suit physically disabled Americans, to be "a hero to the heros that fight for our country," he said, referring to Iraq War veterans he hopes will occupy the development. The Flippos will target the duplexes primarily toward veterans, but also toward elderly people, and any families with handicap needs. The Flippos have found that the VA hospital can provide the medical needs for these veterans, but they need local housing. "They need a place to call home near the VA to cut down travel time and cost," Flippo said. And the duplexes will not be ordinary homes. Having discovered this local demand for handicap-specific housing, Flippo plans to build the homes with thoughtfully altered, handicap-friendly features. The duplexes will include several handicap-specific design concepts that cater to his targeted tenant group. For example, he plans to build the units with lower counters for wheelchair-accessible use. In addition, he will raise the power outlets on the wall and add handrails throughout the house. The living space, bathrooms and entrance ways will be wheelchair conscious -- designed with extra-wide spacing to eliminate congestion. "Modern designed homes will provide a good atmosphere for the benefit of the mind and body of the whole family," Flippo said. "This will help rebuild their lives faster." Flippo has conceptualized the essence of this handicap-friendly housing development. He described his vision of a handicapped community, a place where disabled Iraq War veterans can restart their lives, and where a handicapped person could find a suitable home. "A place where families would be living close to other families of wounded warriors and could network for the benefit of all involved," Flippo said. Flippo believes his intuition for modern home-design will make the duplexes handicap-friendly, energy-efficient and generally comfortable spaces to live. But importantly, he also believes he can construct these homes at a relatively reduced cost. His own wide range of construction experience would allow him to avoid hiring outside contractors for nearly all aspects of the work. Additionally, he has already made efforts to secure discounted building materials from suppliers like Home Depot, which could take up to 20 percent off for bulk orders over $10,000, and an additional 5 percent off because of the patriotic grounding of the project. Although Flippo will not operate as a nonprofit organization, a fact that may dissuade potential suppliers from lowering their costs, he still hopes for some help. With a reduced up-front cost, Flippo and his wife hope to attract investment into what James has reiterated is "the right thing to do with the property." But with credit availability still reeling with uncertainty, the Flippos have encountered difficulty and discouragement in getting sufficient start-up funds. James still lacks enough up-front to build the first duplex. From there, he explained, he will have sufficient equity on the duplex to fund construction of the remaining units. "I'm looking for financial and moral support to go forward," he said. But so far, the process of seeking investment has been likened by Flippo to speaking to a wall. Beyond his vision of providing handicap-friendly housing, Flippo has plans to include two environmentally conscious features on each of the duplexes. One would be to install tankless water heaters. They provide hot water only as it is needed and eliminate the energy-wasting standby heat loss of storage tanks, according to a tankless water heater buying guide. His other plan is to use a solar panel system that is integrated into the roofs of the duplexes. These systems, known as Interlock Solar Roofing Systems, have photovoltaics built into a laminate that covers the metal roofing material, according to an Interlock brochure. These could provide "80 percent of electricity needs," he said. Although the system is expensive, Flippo claims the recent federal stimulus bill will potentially pay for one-third of the cost. Flippo believes these additions could contribute to the quality of the homes. Luc Brodhead can be reached at [email protected]. To see more of the Union-Bulletin or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.union-bulletin.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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