KTGY Designs & Helps Construct Three Homes for Habitat for Humanity Orange County and Wins Award

May 11, 2009 - PRLog -- IRVINE, CALIF. - Award-winning KTGY GROUP, INC., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce that its latest designs for three single-family homes for Habitat for Humanity Orange County are under construction at Yorba Linda Avenue and Park Avenue in Yorba Linda, Calif. KTGY also assisted in the construction of these three homes on "Build Day."  Additionally, in recognition of KTGY's considerable contributions, KTGY was awarded Habitat for Humanity's 2009 Dream Builder Award at the organization's Fifth Annual "Doorways to the Future" gala awards dinner and auction last month at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, Calif. Habitat for Humanity of Orange County is dedicated to ending substandard housing and building strong communities in Orange County and the Dream Builder Award recognizes those companies that have made a substantial donation of time and resources to Habitat for Humanity Orange County.

KTGY has been committed to working with Habitat for Humanity throughout northern and southern California. Last year, KTGY designed and assisted with the building of Habitat for Humanity's four homes in Anaheim on East Julianna Street. This year, KTGY's Jill Williams, AIA and principal, provided site planning and architectural design for Habitat for Humanity's three homes in Yorba Linda. KTGY's Tien Shen, LEED AP, project manager, has been instrumental in heading the consultant team and gaining City approval for the construction documents. Both Williams and Shen were also part of KTGY's 12-member Build Day team that provided construction assistance for the Yorba Linda homes on Friday, May 1, 2009. The enthusiastic team, which included four KTGY principals (Williams plus Chris Texter, David Obitz and Ken Ryan), helped frame the second-story walls and install electrical panels. Ryan is the former Mayor of the City of Yorba Linda and heads up KTGY's community planning and urban design studio and served two terms as Mayor of Yorba Linda.

An experienced home designer and planner, KTGY was able to make the best use of all the available square footage on a small infill site to create attractive, very livable and comfortable homes. "The land plan was as important as the exterior design," says the project's designer Jill Williams, AIA. "Also, it is important that the homes are not only of a high quality, but also take advantage of a certain simplicity in framing since this is a volunteer workforce."

Williams adds, "These three homes carry on the historic precedent of this great neighborhood with sitting porches, two-car garages turned to the rear and accessed from a private drive, and a material palette that is reminiscent of the era with shingles and clapboard siding."

Two of the homes are targeted to families earning 120 percent of the area's median income ($100,900 for a family of four) and one for a family earning 50 percent of the area's median income ($46,500 for a family of four). Targeting completion in July 2009, the homes will be two stories with three bedrooms and either 1½ or 2½ baths. Habitat families are required to provide 500 hours of "sweat equity" to help build their own home, assist another Habitat family build a home, or work in some other part of the Habitat organization.

Williams adds that is exciting to help end substandard housing and provide hardworking families with an opportunity to share in the American Dream of homeownership. KTGY has considerable experiencing building market rate housing as well as affordable and workforce housing working with leading non-profit housing developers like Jamboree Housing, BRIDGE Housing and South County Housing Corporation. KTGY recently celebrated the grand opening of Jamboree Housing Corporation's Diamond Apartment Homes in Anaheim, a pioneering green multifamily development that provides both housing and mental health supportive services for previously homeless individuals and their families in Orange County. In addition to Diamond Apartment Homes, KTGY has designed and completed several other affordable apartment communities for Jamboree Housing including Monarch Pointe Apartment Homes in Anaheim, Ceres Court Apartment Homes in Fontana, and Granite Court in Irvine.

"Working together as a team is better than a ropes course for team building plus we get to help families in need. What a great way to participate in building communities of hope, dignity and self-worth through the construction of quality, affordable housing," says Tricia Esser, KTGY's CEO.

"Today, corporate social responsibility goes far beyond the old philanthropy of the past – donating money to good causes at the end of the financial year – and is instead an all year round responsibility that companies must accept for the environment around them, for the best working practices, and for their engagement with the local and world communities," Esser adds. "We at KTGY are sincerely dedicated to making a difference in the communities where we work, live, play and design."

KTGY is also an active supporter of HomeAid, the charitable arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Currently, KTGY has a project under construction in northern California for the developmentally disabled. This project, located in Hayward, is a joint venture between HomeAid of Northern California and Emerald Glen Homes in the site development and construction of five six-bedroom homes. Emerald Glen is a not-for-profit organization committed to providing quality homes and special support to the adult and aging developmentally disabled population of Alameda County and Hayward. Last year, KTGY participated in Orange County's 1st annual CANstruction design/build competition at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., which serves as a canned food drive to support the Orange County Food Bank, which supports more than 450,000 Orange County residents that are food insecure.

About Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., is dedicated to ending substandard housing and building strong communities in Orange County. Habitat uses non-government donations of funding, materials, professional services and volunteer labor to build simple, decent homes which are sold to qualified families for a one percent down payment, closing costs, and a zero-interest mortgage. Mortgage payments are recycled to build more Habitat homes. Habitat families contribute 500 hours of "sweat equity" to the program by building their own home, helping another Habitat family build a home, or working in some other area of the Habitat organization. Habitat for Humanity families and volunteers have built 130 homes in Orange County since 1988, and are currently building eight homes in San Juan Capistrano. For more information, see habitatoc.org.

About KTGY GROUP, INC.
Established in 1991, KTGY GROUP, INC., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and architectural design services for residential communities, retail developments, hospitality and related specialty projects. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients throughout the U.S., KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, and in Denver. For more information, see www.ktgy.com.