Landmark Fine Homes Setting Records as a Green Home Builder

Norman, OK, February 18, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Landmark Fine Homes has completed only the second home in the state to be certified by the National Home Builders Association as a gold-level Green Home, the first being last October in the Edmond area.

The gold certification meets the highest “green” standards under the NAHB’s green building program. The public continues to be drawn to green-built homes, and to the monthly buyer-education seminars hosted at the Landmark home monthly by Guaranteed Watt Saver, the third-party verifier of “green” homes in the state. Last spring, a public opinion poll (SoonerPoll) found that one out of three potential home buyers would buy a new home that offered green or energy efficient features. Two out of three buyers would pay the added cost of green building if it could be recouped in approximately five years. The poll was commissioned by the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association. The Norman home has met the highest level of Model Green Building Guidelines developed by NAHB and endorsed by the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association, and is the second in the state to be completed, said Andrea Fair, verifier with GWS, a national company based in Oklahoma City which audits “green” design, construction and operation of the homes.

GWS is a leader in the industry, co-sponsoring the Green Building Summit Sept. 15 with the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association and the Oklahoma Metropolitan Association of Realtors. At the home, GWS conducts the buyer education seminars, which feature blower door and duct demonstrations, among other presentations showing energy inefficiencies of standard homes, and efficiency of “green” homes. The education center is located home is located in the Carrington Lakes addition near Northwest 36th Avenue and Franklin Road. For future sessions, go to www.landmarkfinehomes.com

“The first thing a builder has to do to construct a home with this certification is to become certified to build ‘green’ under the NAHB,” said Dan Reeves, Landmark owner. “From there, it is a matter of developing a floor plan and following the guidelines for constructing a gold-level home.” Inspections are conducted by GWS during construction, once before the installation of sheet rock and again when the home is finished. The NAHB Guidelines allow for regional differences and define what green practices can be incorporated into residential development and construction. They also define how homeowners can operate and maintain their green homes.

A variety of amenities are included in a gold-level Green Certified Home to ensure energy, water and resource efficiency, indoor air quality, and the reduced pressure on the earth’s carbon footprint. Lot design, preparation and development also factor into building a green home. Homes must earn a minimum number of points in each defined area to achieve green certification. Additional points are awarded to reach bronze, silver and gold certification levels. The 3,842-square-foot (mol) gold-level Landmark home features Energy Star appliances, low flow faucets and shower heads, “green label” carpets and pads, recycled construction materials and many other details that contribute to the certification.

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