Reducing electrical bills and providing clean air for homeowners may not seem like the most glamorous occupation, but CB Construction co-owners Bill and Laurie Bullock believe in the services they provide enough to make it exciting.
Currently invested in building homes in Clarkdale’s Crossroads at Mingus development — once known as The Highlands, before the recession made re-branding a good bet for the developers — the Bullocks specialize in what they have termed “hybrid homes,” combining traditional home-building techniques with environmentally-friendly technological innovations, known as “bright green” environmentalism.
The Crossroads at Mingus is a multi-use, planned area community under construction by various contractors. The office is located at 1961 Crossroads Pkwy., in Clarkdale.
Approximately 180 lots remain, starting at 0.22 acres, with planned homes ranging from small, three-bedroom “patio homes” of 1,300 square feet, to larger three-bedroom homes of 1,900 square feet. Several larger homes are planned, up to 3,000 square feet.
Owned and developed by the Bullocks, Gray Fox Ridge’s 99 lots are almost completely built out. The office is located at 630 Grey Fox Ridge, Cottonwood.
“What we’re building is a completely different product than anyone else is building in Northern Arizona,” Bill Bullock said. “That’s not just smoke …. We have an established team. The product we get is incredible because of the team we have.”
The homes they construct bring in outside air and filter it. Every three hours, that air is exchanged with outside air yet again.
“That’s pretty awesome for a little mom-and-pop business,” Laurie Bullock said of the national award, which they expect to win for a third year running. “We’ve had people come into the homes with breathing issues and say, ‘You know, I think I can breathe better in here.’”
That’s not all, though. With solar panels, Bill Bullock is often able to get Home Energy Rating System Index Scores — typically around a 100 for a new home, 130 for a resale — down to the low 30s. This equals a 70 percent increase in energy efficiency.
Laurie Bullock added that number is calculated based upon four people living in the home. Many of the homes the Bullocks have constructed in nearby Gray Fox Ridge and Crossroads at Mingus house only two or three people, meaning that the energy generated through the solar panels matches the energy expenditure, in effect creating a net zero HERS rating.
“Our ratings are less than half of anyone else around,” Bill Bullock added.
Even without solar panels, the HERS ratings the Bullocks’ homes regularly generate are impressive, equaling a substantial reduction in electricity costs.
The way this is accomplished can be complicated to explain, but much of the energy efficiency is achieved through an extensive sealing process that Bill Bullock developed by recipe. For the last decade, each of the Bullocks’ homes have been locked up tight from the outside world, insulated in a manner unlike other homes. This makes it harder for hot or cold air to escape, allowing for more effective exchange of air overall.
Talking with the Bullocks, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by their extensive — and ever-growing — base of knowledge, but they are willing to take the time to make sure interested parties are educated.
As Bill Bullock likes to say, “It’s not BS; it’s building science.”
