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Ideal Homes - Norman, Oklahoma

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About the Builder - Vernon McKown

Vernon McKown is co-owner and president of sales of Ideal Homes of Norman, LP, founded in 1991. In its ninth year of business, Ideal has recorded a 30 percent growth rate, with an average of more than 357 new homes per year and $35 million in sales earning them the "Metro 50 Award" in 1996 for being one of the 50 fastest growing companies in the Oklahoma City metro area. They continued this growth and were named to the list again for 1997. Four of Ideal’s sales staff have been awarded by the National Sales and marketing Council as "Top 10 in America".

Vernon has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma. He was recently named in the Metro Journal’s "40 under 40" as one of the forty future leaders in Oklahoma City under the age of forty. He also serves on the board for Norman’s Affordable Housing (NOAH). Vernon was recently named the Vice President of the EEBA Board of Directors.

Design Philosophy and Application

Three years ago Ideal Homes was a standard production builder building over 300 homes a year when they made the decision to change the way they were building their houses. The year after this change was implemented, Ideal Homes won an Energy Value Housing Award from the NAHB Research Center. Ideal Homes also set the standards by being the first builder, nation-wide in the price range of 68-140K to participate with the EPA Energy Star Homes program.

Three years ago Ideal Homes had never heard of EEBA but Vernon McKown is now known as a proponent of energy efficient building practices. He is speaking at the Green Building Conference in Denver, April 5-8 and is an EEBA board member. "We build affordable, high-performance houses. If we can do it, anyone can do it." states McKown.

Now building over 500 homes a year, Ideal Homes include standard features such as: blower door testing of 1 in 6 houses to verify air tightness, duct tightness less than 5% @ 25 pa of high speed blower performance, continuous vent fans in master baths and an air-cycler to circulate the air on a timed cycle. Customer satisfaction has proven to be a real incentive. Callbacks due to that cold and drafty feeling, high utility bills, a dusty house and room temperature variations were reduced by over 50%.

McKown is an affordable housing, production builder changing the way homes are built and willing to take on new projects such as the American Lung Association’s Health House project and push the limits of building a better house in a production setting. Ideal Homes believes in quality, affordable and healthy homes for today and tomorrow.

Ideal Homes Health House Features

Mechanical System Characteristics

• Sealed ductwork
• High efficiency air filter
• Energy recovery ventilator
• Power vented gas water heater
• 90% efficiency rating, sealed combustion furnace

System Improvements

• Radon and moisture control
• Low VOC paints
• High performance windows
• Exterior air flow retarder system (foam sheathing, taped)
• Interior air flow retarder system
• Increased thermal efficiency

Measured Leakage Characteristics

• Total envelope ACH at 50 Pa= 925cfm
• Duct System leakage to outside= 50 cfm @ 25 pa

Envelope Characteristics

• Area: 1650 sq. ft.
• Walls: 2 X 4 with R- 15 batts, R-5 insulating sheathing.
• Ceiling/Roof: Truss with R- 30 blown and batt insulation.
• Windows: Low-E, double glazed, argon filled