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Q: What possessed you to go not only “green,” but to go so far “green”?
A: We built green because it made “cents.” This home will be the single biggest investment our family will ever make. We had been told making changes during the building process is very costly. We've known people who have built a custom home and then “remodeled” within five years. We spent five years planning and researching. With the Internet and Google you can learn a lot and not spend much. At the home tour, we'll have seven sets of plans over the course of the five years showing how the plans evolved over the years. We took our time to make sure we understood what was possible. We did the things that made economic “cents” as well as environmental sense. You read about homes making people sick. There were articles about bad (drywall) last year. You should be comfortable and happy in your home. Additionally, we didn't want to be a slave to the home. Low maintenance was important. We had a budget for the project and each time we added a feature, we had to figure out how to pay for the feature. We believe we have built a home that is worth significantly more than we paid for the home. We went green because it's good for our family. The air in our home is cleaner than the outside air. We believe that's good for our family's health. Low-VOC paints and stains cost more. We don't have very much carpet in the home. If you read the health reports about carpet or just pull up some carpet that is 3 to 8 years old, you'll understand that carpet is not healthy. We read about energy independence. Our country should be energy independent. We decided as a family we would try to become energy independent by 2013. The home was built with OG&E wind power and we hope to purchase a GM Volt in the next two years. We can't change the country, but we can work to make my family energy independent. Government doesn't solve problems; individuals solve problems. After purchasing the land in Rose Creek in 2004, we quickly learned that residential building technology is evolving. We wanted to build a home using current building technology — not bleeding edge — but proven, cost-effective building technology. We expect to live in the home for 30 years, and we only included features that will pay for themselves in 20 or less years.
Q: How much more, as a percentage, would you say your house cost with all the “greenery”?
A: Seven to 10 percent.
Q: How long do you think it will take to recoup?
A: The short answer is 12 years. However, what is a “healthy” home worth in reduced medical costs and peace of mind? What's it worth to keep your trees watered during an extended drought? What's it worth to feel safe from Oklahoma's extreme weather?
Q: Why open your home to the public?
A: We would have been very happy to quietly move into the home. However, the illiteracy rate in Oklahoma is increasing and there is very little funding for the 50-plus organizations that are trying to reverse the trend. Increasing literacy rates is the key to Oklahoma's future. Increasing literacy will reduce incarceration rates, reduce teen pregnancy rates, increase graduation rates and improve the quality of our workforce.
RICHARD MIZE, REAL ESTATE EDITOR |
