I am thinking about building my own place but want to build green/energy effiecent. What is the best way to learn about this in the OKC area? I was thinking maybe there were certain realtors that specialized in this?

Ideal homes specializes in it. They are building a new neighborhood in Norman, that is going to be really green.

i am familiar with the houses they build. what is this new place you are refering to?

A Realtor wouldn't specialize in this per se, especially around this part of the country, but a BUILDER might. You really wouldn't need a Realtor for this anyways.

Ideal is the only one I know of building green homes. I too am considering building a modern green or green pre-fab home in the next couple of years and would like to find a quality, reputable builder that would be good for it.

no way i would ever buy an ideal home. -M

mmm, whats the story on ideal homes. i took a tour of one of their models a ways back and it looked pretty solid.

Hi there. I am actually a GREEN designated Realtor...one of two in OKC, I think. LOL

There are a few local builders who are really getting in to green building. I toured Valencia not long ago, which is an ideal Homes community near 178th and Penn in Edmond. I, too, thought that the homes were solid. I looked at several homes in various phases of construction and felt like it was a good option for energy efficiency. They even guarantee your heating and cooling (http://ideal-homes.com/flexpage.aspx?FlexPageId=12) for the first two years. I believe I was told that all homes are built to a bronze standard (NAHB) and they offer a gold standard as well. On the large 3500+ sf home they offer, energy bills were 122.00 average or something like that. These are ballpark numbers from my memory only!

There is also Manchester Homes in Edmond and Deer Creek. They build rather large luxury green homes. It seems like an oxymoron, yes, but they were already building large...that is their market and they are making those large homes greener...good for them! I believe one of their builders also does custom green homes and is getting ready to branch out.

I know Andy Zeeck built a LEED certified home across from Wilson in Mesta Park and I think he would like to build more.

Also, there is a Green Building Summit (http://okgreenbuiltsummit.com) on September 15th that you might find of interest.

Information is out there...it is just a matter of finding it. Let me know if you need more info. Good luck!

Visit our company. We would love to talk to you! Dwellings OKC: Oklahoma City-based general contractor specializing in well-designed, energy-efficient, custom homes and remodels (http://www.dwellingsokc.com)

The Modern Family Bungalow we built was JUST certified last week as the first Gold-level LEED home in the state.

Our builder worked in Boulder/Denver prior to moving back to his hometown of OKC. He is a certified Green Advantage builder. This is all he did in Colorado so when we discovered not many were doing it here, we wanted to show the people of OKC that you can live green for less.

What else can I answer for you? Welcome to town, by the way!

Tracey Zeeck
tzeeck@aol.com
405-501-2700

Ideal Homes don't put sustainability first. They do cookie cutter projects with efficient appliances and some green materials.

If your "own place" is a buisiness, then you should check out this company in St. Louis, I would bet that you could get some good information from them.
Vertegy (http://www.vertegyconsultants.com/)

If you're looking for a home, then I would check into sustainable pre-fab home. There are a whole lot of better options than Ideal Homes. You can build a home made of ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) which has a high insulation value, and can hold its own in winds nearing 200 mph (think a tornado). I'm pretty sure ideal homes doesn't use ICFs.

mmm, whats the story on ideal homes. i took a tour of one of their models a ways back and it looked pretty solid.

i've never owned an ideal home, but i've heard of quite a few bad experiences with them. my mom is a realtor and i've heard many horror stories through her. the bottom line is that ideal doesn't put quality into their build and relies on popular features (such as being 'green') to make the sale.

-M

The Oklahoma State Home Builders Association recently formed the Certified Green Professional designation for builders. This is a voluntary program that is derived from the National Association of Home Builders, and requires extensive training and education in Green building sciences, products, and best practices.

More information, along with a list of current certified Green Builders is available here:
Oklahoma State Home Builders Association | Green Building (http://oshba.org/html/green_building.php)

mmm, whats the story on ideal homes. i took a tour of one of their models a ways back and it looked pretty solid.

Ideal has a problem of building poor quality homes, and then coming up with a series of b.s. reasons to get out of their warranty. Specifically, there have been many, many complaints with their foundations. This stems from a variety of reasons...some are rumored to be - not using the appropriate amount of rebar, diluting the concrete, stem walls not as deep as they should be, and poor grading of the yard which pushes water under the homes. As a result, many of their homes have a tremendous amount of cracks in the walls, door frames, and tile floors. Doors don't shut right and natural joints have large gaps.

I've seen these exact problems in many of their homes...too many to be a simple or occasional mistake.

I would contact Sustainable OKC. I believe that they have had a least one member who has built a green home.

Have you started yet? How's the building progressing?