House blue prints

In 1988, Mike and Cindi O’Neil were starting over in Bend.

Cindi had left her position as The Nature Conservancy’s Montana/Wyoming Land Steward, helping to preserve rare habitats and protect endangered wildlife. Mike, a lifelong carpenter, started working for Log Homes of Oregon and then Adair Homes.

Ready to use his extensive experience in his own business, Mike asked himself what a new builder in a town of builders could do differently. How could his business set itself apart from others?

The O’Neils’ love of the outdoors — including fishing, hunting, birding, camping and canoeing — along with a desire to protect natural resources, shaped their approach to home construction. Their custom built homes would be full of natural light with an open, airy design that inspired sustainable living.

After a focus group session with friends to determine the business’ mission and goals, the O’Neils let the conversation settle and went backpacking near Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness.

“One evening I heard my dad’s voice, whose ashes are spread around the Broken Top area, saying ‘Just name it Soul Air,’” said Cindi.

In 1995, SolAire Homebuilders was born.

For owners Cindi and Mike, their business blueprint isn’t driven by some catchy slogan, but by their personal commitment for the health and well-being of people, their homes and the environment. Their niche business is built upon a foundation of energy efficiency, quality construction and environmental compatibility for the average Bendite.

With experience in passive solar building, the O’Neils wanted to capitalize on the abundant Central Oregon sunshine for their homes.

“Both Mike and I felt very strongly that in an environment like Central Oregon, things such as passive solar design and active solar with photovoltaic solar panels and solar hot water was very achievable here, but no one was really doing it,” said Cindi. “We felt we could fill a niche, and do a good thing.”

SolAire has built more than 290 homes throughout Central Oregon since 1995. Using highly energy-efficient appliances and lighting, and meeting indoor air quality standards through ventilation, heating and low-emitting building products, SolAire homes have met green building standards set by the Earth Advantage Institute since 2002, and they have been an ENERGY STAR builder since 2006.

Pushing the green building industry in Central Oregon forward, SolAire homes built the first certified LEED for Homes and Net Zero Energy Homes in the region. Net Zero means the homes produce as much energy as they consume over the course of a year. One of SolAire’s current projects is construction of three Net Zero homes in Hollingshead Heights in Bend.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a set of standards for the design and construction of green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that exceeds standard building codes. LEED for Homes or homes certified under the German PassivHaus program are other homes by SolAire. Several of SolAire’s LEED homes have been showcased during the COBA Tour of Homes, winning awards and wowing builders and homeowners alike.

“Every LEED owner wants to share their home with the public, which is really great,” said Mike.

In addition to a healthier, more energy-efficient home, multiple studies show an increased value for green buildings as compared to conventionally constructed buildings. Increased home values were also a selling point for Mike when talking to people within the building industry those first few years.

Green builders were not the norm in the 1990s, and still aren’t today, so SolAire’s ideas were unique and ahead of the curve. SolAire homes were going up before “green building” was even a buzzword.

“Mike was the first Central Oregon Builders Association president who gave his first address and talked about why green building was the wave of the future,” said Cindi.

Mike and Cindi’s home life often butted against their work life since Mike was at one point president of COBA and Cindi sat on the board of the Oregon Environmental Council. A customer, Mike said with a laugh, once remarked that the O’Neils must have had some pretty interesting dinner conversations.

Like many businesses, SolAire has evolved as they balance energy requirements with cost benefits for upgrades such as triple versus double pane windows, 12-inch versus 8-inch walls and mini-split ductless heat pump systems versus an HVAC system or other heating and cooling systems.

The first part of that equation is conserving energy in the home shell.

“We knew that intuitively, but when we did the modeling, 65 percent of the problem is the home shell, the insulation and air tightness,” said Cindi.

Though there are many new green building construction options, the O’Neils have found that they can attain higher standards than those set by the Oregon Building Code. Conventional techniques are better embraced by local building inspectors, and often keep costs down.

Besides building green homes, both Cindi and Mike are very dedicated to contributing to the community. In addition to serving on various boards, SolAire was a title sponsor for The Environmental Center’s SolAire Salmon Run (2006-2010). Personally, Mike and Cindi have been involved with Habitat for Humanity, but their special affinity for Rotary has brought them some wonderful experiences.

Rotary’s mission focuses on a commitment to service above self. Throughout the years, Mike and Cindi have stayed involved in Rotary on several levels, putting service above their own needs. Mike at one point was a president of the Rotary Club of Greater Bend and Cindi is the Assistant Governor of Area 8 for Rotary. They spend some of their free time taking part in local Rotarian projects such as Pints for Polio and the Great Drake Park Duck Race, but they also participate in Rotary projects far beyond Bend’s city limits, including the Zuñi Reservation in northwest New Mexico and three other projects in Mexico.

One project in Central Mexico involved building a bridge across a stream so that indigenous farmers and their families could safely cross the stream when floods arose.

“Children were drowning trying to cross the stream,” said Mike. “This was a very remote village, way beyond the end of the road.”

“That was an incredible cultural experience,” said Cindi. “The people were still making homes out of mud bricks with donkey dung and straw, and then there would be a daughter in bright, white knee socks, plaid skirt and crisp white blouse. How did her mom get those clothes so clean without running water?”

Mike and Cindi also like the way Rotary is responsible with their funding efforts, focusing their dollars directly on projects.

“We also love the power of a (global network) and the possibility for world peace,” said Cindi.

Though the O’Neils are busy with SolAire projects and community organizations, they still find time to fly fish, hunt, camp or just explore the outdoors. It frees their minds from the day-to-day stress of running a top-notch building company, but also allows them to build relationships with the community and with each other.

“I’ve been fly fishing since I was 6, so I love anything associated with streams and rivers,” said Cindi.

“Outdoor people just seem so much happier,” added Mike with a smile.

Living and working in Bend gives the O’Neils a chance to both experience and preserve the outdoors. The houses they design are not just award-winning designs but energy-efficient wonders that were and still are ahead of their time.