Many of the builders of new homes in the Portland metro area do not list their homes in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), therefore you can never find them when searching the MLS Web site. As a service to our visitors, we have created this "New Homes" page.

Please be aware that I can help you with finding a new home from builders and advising you on neighborhoods, communities, schools, etc. If you're interested in a new home, call me at (503) 497-2984 or send me an e-mail at Susan Marthens.

New Homes Guide

The OregonLive Web site has a New Homes Guide page with links to many of the builders and developments in the metro area. OregonLive is affiliated with The Oregonian, the state's largest newspaper.

The Oregonian issues a monthly supplement called New Home Monthly every month. It is issued by the Advertising Department but still full of useful information about new homes. Some of the stories are available online.

New Home Builders Rating by J.D. Power

For over 10 years, the J.D. Power survey has measured customer satisfaction in 24 U.S. building markets. Portland-area builders as well as Seattle builders are not included in the J.D. Power new home builders rating. You can view the ratings for home builders that offer their services in multiple locations to get an idea of how these builders are ranked.

They also rate home sellers, home mortgage service, and home insurance companies. Visit the J.D. Power and Associates Web site.

Wilsonville Village in the Woods

Costa Pacific Communities is currently master planning Villebois, a "Smart Growth" European-inspired village envisioned for 500 acres at the site of the former Dammasch State Hospital in Wilsonville, Oregon. The new community has been named Villebois, which means "village near the woods," to draw on the area's French Prairie history and inspiration from the charming villages of Europe. Villebois will be pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented, with connections to the proposed Westside commuter rail, have a mix of uses including a Village Center with neighborhood shops, numerous parks, trails and open spaces, and appealing architecture featuring a variety of single-family and multifamily housing options.

Villebois began taking formal shape in late September 2004 with the groundbreaking of an 850-house, $250 million project called Arbor Custom Homes at Villebois. That project, being developed by Arbor Custom Homeses and its parent company, West Hills Development, will be broken into several phases expected to take place during the next six years. The first phase calls for construction of 40 fully detached single-family houses, 20 townhouses and a large park. Eventually, Arbor Custom Homes and West Hills will develop 159 acres of the property.

Western Suburbs

Centex Homes Centex builds homes in over 20 USA states. In the Portland area, Centex builds in Western suburbs (Aloha, Beaverton, and Hillsboro). They build condos and townhomes.
Legends Homes Builder in Western suburban area (Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Lake Forest). Legends builds single family detached and townhomes. Prices for townhomes begin at $140's - the townhomes are located in the Orenco (Hillsboro) area and near the light rail (MAX). Single family detached homes begin at $290's.

Orenco Station Located in Hillsboro, Orenco is a planned community offering a mix of homes (rowhomes, lofts, condos, cottages, etc.). It has stacked up a impressive list of awards. Orenco Station is right on the light rail line and a new shopping area is part of the complex. This includes a quality food store - New Seasons Market.

Renaissance Homes

Renaissance Homes One of the most successful builders in the Portland metro area. In the boom period of home building Renaissance usually had 4-5 sites they are developing. Renaissance is a leader in green building and builds all of their homes PGE Earth Advantage Certified. Today they mainly do infills and have 1-2 developments underway. They have custom homes for sale in Oregon, including West Linn, Lake Oswego and Portland as well as new homes for sale in the Puget Sound area of Seattle, Washington.

Since early 2003, Renaissance Homes has built all of their homes in the Portland metro and Vancouver/Clark County areas with an exterior cladding system that is known as Rain Screen. Rain Screen is a moisture management system incorporating cladding, an air cavity to allow for vertical venting behind the siding, a drainage plane, and an airtight support wall to offer multiple moisture shedding pathways. Rain Screens diminish the forces attempting to drive moisture into a wall.

Builders With Multiple Locations

Arbor Custom Homes They usually have 6-8 projects underway and most are on the Westside and Southwest side of Portland.
DeCal Custom Homes DeCal founder Calvin Baty is co-owner and CEO of Decal Custom Homes of St Helens Oregon. His Mom, Carolyn Baty, is President. The Decal Family and their partner, John Schleining and his family, jointly own the company. They claim that 48 percent of Decal's homes are pre-sold. DeCal had projects in West Linn, Gresham, Sandy, Forest Grove, McMinnville, Happy Valley, Lafayette, and Portland.
D·R·Horton One of America's largest developers, DR Horton usually is building and selling from 10-15 sites in the Portland metro area. Their developments are usually in the western and southwestern suburbs as well as Vancouver, Washington. Communities include Beaverton, Forest Grove, Sherwood, Tigard, and West Linn. They also had sites in the Vancouver area.
J.C. Reeves Reeves is a builder of homes all over Portland as well as Salem, Oregon. They also have projects in Vancouver, Washington. Projects include these communties: Clackamas, Cedar Mill and Miller Crossing (NW Portland), Mt. Scott, Sherwood, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, and Vancouver. Their prices range from $200s in Sherwood to $800s in Northwest Portland.
Riverside Homes Riverside builds homes in Oregon and Washington. Riverside has developments in just about every part of the Portland metro area to include Beaverton, East Portland, Hillsboro, Sherwood, and Vancouver (Washington). Riverside builds single family detached homes. Many of Riverside's homes are certified Earth Advantage meaning they are at least 15 percent more energy-efficient than Oregon code requires.

Green Builders

A home by Prairie View. Earth Advantage® has over 30 builders and remodelers listed in the Portland metro area that are Earth Advantage® certified.

Another source for finding both builders and architects/designers who have actual experience with green buildings is to review the Built It Green (BIG) tour of homes sponsored by the City of Portland Office of Sustainability. The site gives an overview of each home on the 2007 tour and includes the home address, focus, owner names, designer name, and contractor. Click at this link for the 2007 BIG tour of homes.

Here are a list of builders who have had experience with green buildings:

Coho Construction They were the contractors for the Rose House which was completed in 2004 (passive solar, fiberglass windows, advance shell design, radiant floor heat, etc.). Contact is David Heslam. Phone: 503-407-1780. CCB 136906.

Green Hammer Construction All their new homes are LEED certified. Green Hammers build with 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council-certified or salvaged wood. They try to obtain their materials from within 100 miles of the site.
Miranda Homes This Damascus builder constructs homes that are gold level Earth Advantage certified.

PrairieView Homes Each of their projects are green certified using Earth Advantage, Energy Star, and numerous LEED standards. Many of their projects are within the Portland city limits.
Verde Buildersrs Homes are certified by Energy Star and Earth Advantage.

Infill Builders

The Living Smart Project Recently the City of Portland has witnessed growth in the popularity of affordable homes built on the small in-fill lots. In a number of neighborhoods, where the typical development occurred on 5,000 square foot lots, the underlying historic plat and zoning regulations allowed in-fill development on 25-foot wide by 100-foot deep parcels. Built on these narrow lots, 15-foot wide houses have become important in meeting the City’s need for entry-level single-family homes. The Living Smart Project arose from growing neighborhood opposition to in-fill development that appeared out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood and triggered the demolition of existing houses.

An infill builder is someone who builds high-quality new houses in established areas and make sure they blend gracefully with the architectural character of the neighborhood. An example of homes that fit the neighborhood are the rowhomes Guy Bryant built on Northeast Fremont Street between 46th and 47th avenues. Here are some builders who specialize in infill homes:

Bluestone Homes They have been in business for close to 15 years. Most of their projects are on the eastside.
Geo A. Zifcak & Co. Builders. Telephone (503) 255-9119.
Intex Construction Located at 7235 Bonita Road, Tigard, OR 97224. Telephone (503) 452-3780.
Ostercraft Homes Gary Osterholm has been building homes since 1974 and his son, Jeremy, joined the family-owned business in the early 90s. OsterCraft Homes specializes in building row homes and single-family homes mainly in southeast and northeast Portland. The photo of the home above is one of their infill homes.
Palazzo Custom Homes Builds on infill lots in Lake Oswego, West Linn, and in most Portland areas.
Terrafirma Building Located at 4303 N. Albina Avenue. Telephone (503) 282-2271.
Skye Homes Bruce McIntosh has been building 'Arts & Crafts' styled houses in southwest Portland for several years. All of their homes are Energy Star, certified by third party inspectors.

Susan Marthens
Principal Real Estate Broker, CRS, GRI

Direct: (503) 497-2984
Office: (503) 297-1033
Fax: (503) 220-1131

6443 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway
Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97221