CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Donald Davis stands in the energy-efficient house he rebuilt after losing the first home in a fire that left nothing standing higher than three feet last year. Advertisement

When Donald Davis, 64, and his wife returned from a trip to the home they were just about finished building last year to find it had burned down, Davis promised, "One way or another ... I will rebuild."

And so he has, constructing a new house atop the ruins of the lost home by rebuilding on the original slab.

"The slab was damaged but not irreparable," Davis said.

Although the cement of the foundation slab is still mottled with stains where parts of the previous residence melted onto the cement, the new three-bedroom, two-bathroom house is a tangible testimony to perseverance in the face of loss.

The fire that took the Davis' first home left them temporarily homeless, but thanks to the help and kindness of their neighbors and members of their church, they found a way to keep going.

They stayed with a neighbor for a while, received money raised by their church, and once the first $10,000 check came from the insurance company last December, bought the camper trailer they've been living in for the last 11 months.

It took a while for the new house to get started, however, as the Davises had to wait for the bureaucratic wheels to turn and the insurance money to trickle in.

"It was three or four months before I could even clean up," Davis said.

Then it took another several months to gauge the value of all the furniture and personal possessions that were lost in the fire.

So considering the fact that only 11 months later the Davises are just about moved in (there are some bathroom and kitchen fixtures left to install, and a few pictures lean against the walls waiting to be hung), the Davises moved forward practically undaunted.

Rebuilding was never a question.

"My wife and I have dreamed of building a house most of our married life," Davis said. "And with the kids grown up and gone and all that, we decided this was it."

The new house, like the one that burned down, is also a testament to Davis' being a self-proclaimed "energy nut."

"Energy was my primary concern," Davis explained, where both the lost house and this one are concerned.

High, vaulted ceilings ensure that hot air in the summer rises, and can be let out through three small windows that will be remote-controlled.

All the windows in the house are low-heat windows, and all but one are shaded by the porch overhangs on the front and back of the house.

In addition, the house is heated or cooled through the floors by a Lennox Seasonal Energy Efficient Radiator, with an energy rating of R-16.35 (a rating of R-13 would be on the higher end of normal for most home heating-cooling systems).

The house's insulation is also energy conscious, although with a minor change from the home that was lost in the fire.

The first house the Davises built had straw bale insulation along with double-faced Styrofoam and foil insulation.

The straw only added fuel to fire, however, and this time Davis has standard six-inch concrete walls.

He's still using the foil and Styrofoam insulation, however, so the walls of the new home have an energy rating of R-19.

Davis' energy-consciousness isn't only limited to the house, however.

Outside a water treatment system will ensure that once the lawn is put down, waste water from the house will be recycled for use in watering the grass.

"I've still got a smile on my face and I'm still on the green side of the grass," Davis said, sitting in the Victorian-style family room of his new home. "It didn't whup me."

But the Davises know they couldn't have done it without the help of the community and their strong religious faith.

"I want to thank the community, the fire department for their valiant efforts, and our neighbors for all of their efforts and support," Davis said. "God has been good to us."