Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKNIS): The climate-smart model homes being offered by the National Housing Corporation (NHC) represent a tremendous opportunity for families and individuals in St. Kitts and Nevis to become homeowners while enjoying financial savings.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for Human Settlement, the Honourable Dr Geoffrey Hanley, highlighted several key differences between the homes offered by NHC using concrete blocks and the climate-smart homes that incorporate incredibly strong steel mesh panels filled with concrete and steel.
“The two-bedroom [homes] built by NHC would be $225,000, the two-bedroom [homes] built by East Coast – the new ones – would be $213,000 with a ten-year warranty and, of course, you know it comes with the basic refrigerator, stove, solar water heater or a storage tank,” said Dr Hanley. “The three-bedroom that would normally cost you up to $350,000 through the [other] NHC programme, under this new initiative it is $297,000 and as I said, all of them will come with the basic appliances I highlighted.”
Appliances are not included in the traditional NHC programme. Having energy-efficient appliances in climate-smart homes will also help save on utility charges, reducing the total that homeowners have to spend overall.
The deputy prime minister said that there are some 3,700 applications for homes at NHC and the government remains committed to meeting the demand, particularly for families with a lower income.
“We know that there are some who might not have met certain criteria in the bank,” Dr. Hanley expressed. He noted that the affordability of homes under the East Coast initiative is one way the government is meeting the incredible demand for houses while offering quality housing solutions at affordable prices.
Model homes are being constructed at Conaree and Taylor’s. They will be available for public viewing upon completion.