PITTSBORO - Small houses are big news in the eco-friendly, energy-efficient world of affordable housing.

Now, the Affordable Small House Competition invites amateur and novice designers to add to the excitement and variety of available small house designs by submitting their own creative plans. The contest is open to individuals, schools, and non-profit organizations, not professional applicants with years of design experience.

Four community partners are collaborating to offer the competition: Central Carolina Community College, Small House Institute, Habitat for Humanity, and the Abundance Foundation.

Each partner organization is committed to affordable housing designed to be energy efficient, aesthetically pleasing, and to fit the small house model of 500 square feet or less. In 2013, CCCC's Sustainability Technologies students built and auctioned off an energy efficient 450-square-foot home.

"CCCC's Sustainable Technologies Department is working with our local partners to promote small house design and low impact living," said Laura Lauffer, the college's Sustainability coordinator and lead instructor for Sustainable Technologies. "We all believe that we have a responsibility to lighten our carbon footprint with good design and practical housing solutions. This contest gives our students and other novice builders the chance to demonstrate their ideas for sustainable, small-scale design."

The primary goal of the contest is to bring visibility, attention, and research to good design for affordable, energy and resource efficient, and aesthetically pleasing small houses. The competition will also create an opportunity for amateur and novice designers to feature their home design concepts.

Representatives of each partner organization will serve as competition judges: Central Carolina Community College - Marshall Dunlap, LEED AP (Accredited Professional); Abundance Foundation - Alicia Ravetto AIA, LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C (Accredited Professional, Building Design plus Construction); Small House Institute -Harvey Harman, CGP (Certified Green Professional), licensed plumbing and building contractor and editor of the Small House Newsletter; and a representative of Habit for Humanity.

Designs can be submitted through June 1. The winners will be announced Aug. 15. No more than 25 entries will be accepted, based on date of submission. The designs will be 'open-source', freely accessible to all interested in small house design concepts.

Award recipients will be recognized in regional media and web-based outlets. There will be a $500 award for the best design and $100 honorable mention awards. Living Well Earth Stewards will build the winning design at Living Well Community, an intentional living community in Randolph County. Other winners will also have their designs built.

Applications for the contest can be downloaded at: http://theabundancefoundation.org/small-house-contest/.

The plans submitted must meet the following criteria. Web resources are added for guidance:

• 500 square feet or less, http://tinyhouseswoon.com/, http://www.fourlightshouses.com/, http://www.thetinylife.com/what-is-the-tiny-house-movement/;
• Meet all requirements for 2012 N.C. Residential Code/2009 International Residential Code, http://www.ecodes.biz/ecodes_support/free_resources/2012NorthCarolina/12NorthCarolina_main.html;
• Universal Design, http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/;
• Energy Efficient, http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=hpwes_profiles.showSplash&s=mega, http://www.homeinnovation.com/Green;
• Total materials cost no more than $40,000. A complete materials budget is required;
• Easily replicable design, with materials readily available in the construction market;

All submissions must include: Drawings - either hand or electronic are acceptable at a scale of 1/4 inch equals one foot; Floor Plan; Section (cross sections showing materials and details); Elevations (external views); Model - either physical or electronic (i.e. Sketchup); and a Materials budget and product specifications.

The community partners are seeking financial and gift rewards for the winning entries. To make contributions or more information about the Affordable Small House Competition, contact Laura Lauffer at 919-545-8032 or llauffer@cccc.edu.