House goes platinum

Steve Blanchard, a real estate development investor, had an idea to build a house for his family that would efficiently use energy and be environmentally friendly.

Today his house at 1811 Gisler Ave. in Costa Mesa is the first in Orange County to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. In the parlance of green building, the designation is known as LEED certification.

But in plain English, that means Blanchard’s house is considered one of the most environmentally friendly houses in Orange County.

And now that the house is complete, Blanchard wants to build more green homes.

He had planned to move his family into the house, and had painted a bedroom pink for his daughter.

But instead of moving in, he put the house up for sale. The asking price — $2.9 million — is steep, but Blanchard said it’s the best deal one can get in this economy and for that kind of house.

“Building green is not cheap,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard doesn’t expect to profit from the sale. He bought the 4,900-square-foot property for $1.7 million three years ago, just before the economy tanked.

He said it’s not about the money. He’s selling “because I think it’s homes like this that people should be building,” Blanchard said.

Although the weather was a little warm on the outside during a recent visit, the inside remained cool and breezy with windows inviting cool air from every direction. The seven-room, 6 1/2 -bath house is designed with every aspect of the environment in mind. Even the wood used to build it was recycled.

The house was designed by architect David Gangloff, who built a “modern interpretation of a Craftsman.”

Councilman Eric Bever said Costa Mesa is leading the way for the rest of the county when it comes to saving energy and protecting the environment.

“The council took action to encourage this type of efficient building, and I’m proud to see that one of our property owners has moved forward and actually became the first in the county to achieve that distinction,” Bever said. “I’m hopeful that this home will inspire others to make use of energy-efficiency technology that’s available and help us to continue to meet our energy and water needs.”

Visit www.costamesagreen.com.