Latitude 38 is a business that is a reflection of the people who work for and with us. The business is a vehicle through which we are able to make positive change in our community and to continue to push ourselves intellectually. There are a few core elements of our work that we feel are worth bringing attention to. Our projects are focused on residential urban infill. We believe construction should have the least impact on the environment as possible, while also serving a community’s need for safe, well-built, and functional homes. The key to every Latitude 38 project is whether we feel we would want to live on the street and in the house that we build. For this reason, there are certain traits that pass from house to house, such as infill sites close to other established homes, walkability to parks, amenities and entertainment, energy efficient designs, and creative designs that make every house a unique home.
Urban Infill
Latitude 38 is focused on taking advantage of pre-existing built out land to provide additional housing that takes advantage of close amenities and jobs, so that people are less reliant on automobiles and have the ability to interact with their neighborhood and community on a walkable street level. By focusing on developing urban land that already has access to pre-existing urban infrastructure and utilities, we are able to provide more housing without affecting greenfield space in the country. We strongly value maintaining green space within the urban core, but have found that there is often underutilized land that is best suited for additional building without affecting natural habitat.
Sustainability
We believe construction should have the least impact on the environment as possible, while also serving a community’s need for safe, well-built, and functional homes. At the same time, it is a fact that each new building requires raw resources. The lifetime operation of a building also requires energy, usually from coal, nuclear power, hydro power and natural gas. As building science has developed and increased demand has reduced cost, alternative building materials have become more accessible in the last decade. Latitude 38 seeks to decrease the usage of non-renewable energy sources and minimize the footprint that a resident creates through the building process. We bring this mentality to each project, as a way to decrease our physical impact on earth, but also to provide a healthier and more comfortable home.
We are trained in EarthCraft, Energy Star, Passive House, and USGBC’s LEED for Homes certifications. We are most active with EarthCraft Virginia, which was designed for our particular mixed-humid climate (cold winters, hot summers). For more information about our approach, please contact us.
Design
The design of each house is a unique proposition, which reflects the land, the surrounding houses, the neighborhood, and the future homeowners. While the design of each house is most noticeably its exterior aesthetic, the design also includes the interior layout, finishes, landscaping, solar orientation, air flows, indoor air quality, mechanical systems, lighting, sound control, maintenance and long-term durability. We enjoy thinking about all of these elements and finding solutions that meet many needs, while still have an emotional pull that makes a house a home.
Relationships
At Latitude 38, our whole team is essential to who we are. We created a company to have a professional home that suited our realtively unique personalities. So far we have been lucky enough to find others to work with and build for who share our values of respect for each other, community and our environment. Everyone is creative, a problem solver, works hard and, believes work should be fun. Our houses reflect our team and have brought us many new friends.
Community
Like any large production, building a house requires the energy of a lot of different people. We have worked with many of the same subcontractors who are specialists in their areas for many years. We rely on their expertise and hard work to get everything done on schedule and with quality workmanship. We also have relationships with a number of material suppliers who help supply “just in time” materials so that we can keep the site clear until particular elements are needed. Although our team changes regularly depending on weather, market demand, and particular skill for a particular job, we would like to give special credit to a couple of local vendors:
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, elderliness, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as veteran, or source of income.