COLUMN: Concrete homes garner accolades

Last May -- the seventh to be exact -- I wrote a column about Silver State Development, a company that builds homes out of concrete.

Recently, I was contacted by someone who bought one such home from the builder. He informed me that it had been the subject of a PBS special focusing on energy-efficient home construction.

I felt duty bound to call company President Gil Martin and find out what he'd been up to since we last spoke.

He told me his enclave of steel-reinforced concrete homes called Cool Ridge Estates has sold out. These are not the concrete-bunker-type of homes that were built in North Las Vegas in the 1950s. I defy anyone to look at one of these homes and tell the difference between it and a stick-built stucco house.

Concrete homes are ecologically correct homes, according to Martin. He has worked with Nevada Power Co. to produce documented energy-efficient structures.

Martin also is coordinating with Portland Cement Association to build homes locally under the auspices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Carl Kane, one of the principals in The Ice Block, another concrete-home builder in Las Vegas, thinks so much of the product that he lives in one.

"We did a deal with Champion Homes where Portland Cement Association put up the co-op dollars for advertising concrete housing in Champion Village (in the southern valley)," Kane said.

Not only are the homes kinder to the environment energy-wise, the concrete construction cuts down on outside noise. "It literally muffles sound from street level," he said.

Ice Block primarily works with custom homes and owner-builder scenarios.

"We are willing to help in any category," Kane said. "We can provide material and technical support and are licensed contractors, so we can build it for them."

Arnold Lopez, who is concerned with energy conservation as it pertains to Nevada Power Co., is familiar with concrete construction and its benefits.

"We had started doing a study with Champion Village, but were unable to continue it because of issues with the builder. However, I know from an engineering standpoint that a lot of the homes in the valley are 2x4 or 2x6 construction, and the concrete homes are far above them for energy efficiency," Lopez said.

"They (concrete homes) don't have penetrations to the wall that cause leakages," he said, referring to the smooth construction fostered by concrete construction.

Lopez hopes the market will expand for concrete construction, and believes it's a perfect material for public housing, especially on sites where a long-life cycle is required, such as military bases. Not to mention the fact that concrete housing isn't bothered by pests, such as termites.

Brian Bock, who has a really arcane title that boils down to him being a spokesperson for Portland Cement, said recently that the company was meeting with the local Habitat for Humanity people about building concrete homes with them.

Lopez agreed this is the type of housing that should be attracting the concrete-home business, because poured concrete construction reduces labor costs and the homes will maintain their value.

There are a few people out there who are trying to etch their ideas in concrete. It will be an interesting subject to follow.

Carmel Hopkins, Real Estate Product Manager for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun, can be reached at 380-4574. Her e-mail address is Carmel_Hopkins@ lasvegasnewspapers.com. Snail mail is P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.

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