Home Of The Week: Home is leader in LEED

COSTA MESA — The house that was once declared the first in Orange County to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council has received an offer.

Although the deal is not yet sealed, an offer was made for $2.19 million, which is down from the almost $3 million asking price, said Steve Blanchard, a real estate investor, who built the 4,900-square-foot house.

The Costa Mesa residence at 1811 Gisler Ave., was built with the environment in every aspect of the mind. Blanchard first built the spacious and breezy house for his family. He even painted one of the rooms pink for his daughter.

But he later decided to sell it.

Months ago, when the house was almost complete, Blanchard said that he's not selling the house for profit, but to showcase the homes people should be looking for, buying and building.

Blanchard initially bought the property for $1.7 million about three years ago. And since building green is not cheap, he spent thousands of dollars making it a state of the arts home that earned the highest rating in the country.

While the price is perhaps high, those who end up buying it are likely to reap savings on utilities in the long-term.

Among many of its features, the seven-room, 6 1/2–bath house has LED lighting, internal grey water system, native plants, solar power, cold water pipes insulated, windows bringing in natural air and light from every direction, and even the wood that built it was recycled.

LEED certification appears to be a growing trend among builders. A home along Bayside Drive in Corona del Mar, which is seeking the environmental standard, won a good deal of attention after installing a massive solar panel on the property that Balboa Island residents across the bay complained about.