Pen & Page

Nestled on Front Street in the Josephine Crossing subdivision in west Billings, a home built entirely by volunteers awaits new owners.

In tough economic times, it is rare to find a house built entirely from donations for a good cause. But in the Josephine Crossing subdivision, located in west Billings off Mullowney Lane, a charming craftsman-style house will be raffled off on Sept. 27 to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a pediatric cancer research center based in Memphis, Tenn.

The home began with a phone call late last year to Greg McCall, co-owner of McCall Homes and Development. The children’s hospital hoped McCall would be interested in building a home for its Dream Home Giveaway, a program that upholds the motto of hospital founder and entertainer Danny Thomas that no child is denied medical care because of an inability to pay. The giveaway also provides funding for research to cure catastrophic diseases in children. But, McCall wasn’t certain he’d be able to give away a home “in these times.”

That same day, NorthWestern Energy called McCall to inform him that because of his company’s adherence to energy efficient building, McCall Homes and Development had been selected as the 2008 Northwest Energy Star Development of the Year. The energy company also wanted to discuss better ways to market Energy Star, a government-backed program that encourages businesses and individuals to protect the environment through energy efficient practices. NorthWestern Energy asked if McCall would be interested in building and giving away a “net zero” energy use home—meaning the home generates electricity on its own.

So McCall pitched the Dream Home idea, and almost a year later, the three-bedroom, two and a half bath home, valued at $400,000, is open for public tours before it’s given away in September.

Read entire article: Net zero home up for raffle