When the 2012 News 9 Concept Homes open for tours on August 9, they will afford Oklahomans an opportunity to experience not one, but two, exquisite luxury homes showcasing the latest design and building ideas – different neighborhoods, different builders, different styles and approaches. But the builders are united in creating homes of elegance and quality, and in serving their community: the tours support Variety Care and its mission of making quality health care affordable and accessible to all.
The two homes, in The Abbey at Fairview Farm and Stonemill, will be open for tours August 9-26, Thursdays through Sundays from 12-5pm. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 in advance from Bob Mills Furniture. All proceeds benefit Variety Care (see “Healthier Lives,” page 65). For more information, visit News9.com and click Concept Home.
The Abbey at Fairview Farm • 1501 N.W. 158th Street • Edmond
Homes in The Abbey at Fairview Farm are for the family looking for a smaller home without sacrificing luxury. This concept home is a partnership between developer Mark Gautreaux and his son Zeb, and builder Mark Dale of Carriage Homes.
It took a rather circuitous route to becoming a stop on this tour: Dale was preparing to start work on a large home in Gaillardia when he was approached about being a part of the News 9 Concept Home… but then his custom home client pulled out of the project. That’s when Dale pitched the idea of The Abbey.
“I told them it was not the same size, but was very much the same quality home. The new concept out there now is smaller and nicer,” Dale explains, adding that some searchers “have gotten used to beautiful homes with all the amenities, quality features and workmanship, but they don’t need as much space.”
“Any of the homes in the Abbey will communicate scaled-down square footage, but no compromise in quality,” agrees Gautreaux.
At 3,200 square feet, this home features an open, spacious living area with 18-foot ceilings on the main level. The beam and ceiling detail is particularly well done, with cedar beams in the great room and pecan panel ceilings in the kitchen. The home has two bedroom suites, two living areas and a well-developed 1,000-square-foot basement with a wine cellar, card room, media center and a third bedroom or exercise room. The walls of the wine cellar are of brick reclaimed from historic Oklahoma buildings.
Another distinct feature is the shower in the master suite – at 10 feet tall and over 50 square feet, it’s outfitted with dual shower heads, seats and glass tile accents.
The home’s interior design is by Linda Quigley.
Considering current building ideas, Gautreaux sees a stylistic shift in recent times. “As trends evolve, the Old World style seems to have receded somewhat. People seem to be looking for clean lines and not so much of an ornate feel.”
Stonemill • 11649 Mill Hollow Court • Oklahoma City
Wayne Griffiths Homes was about to commence work on this home in Stonemill when the call came to participate in the News 9 Concept Home.
“The clients were gracious enough to let us open the home for the tour,” says Griffiths, who partners with his wife Sue and Dennis Smart in the business. “The wife is in the medical field and immediately recognized the good work that Variety Care does, so the family was very much on board with the charity.”
In contrast to The Abbey at Fairview Farm home, this house is designed for a growing family – in this case, the husband and wife and their three daughters. It is a sumptuous 7,000-square-foot creation with five bedrooms, two studies, an exercise room, playroom (with karaoke stage!), movie room, butler’s pantry and a laundry room on both levels. It takes the four-legged members of the family into account as well, with a dog shower that’s accessed by a radio-controlled door.
Griffiths has added his trademark subtle touches, including a set of 130-year-old front doors from Europe, antique sconces in the movie room and a hidden doorway in one of the daughters’ rooms, leading to an upstairs balcony.
Another highlight of this beautiful home is its outdoor living area with pool and complete kitchen, including a built-in stone pizza oven. A treehouse in the back yard and 135 tons of landscape boulders add to the exterior charm.
The interior design for this home is by Meister Designs, Inc.
“It’s an honor to participate, to show your work and to benefit a great cause,” says Griffiths of the Concept Home. “Contributing to that is a good feeling, and we get to meet a lot of good people along the way.”
Healthier Lives
Variety Care has been a presence in Oklahoma County for eight decades, providing quality, affordable access to health care, and it is growing. This year’s beneficiary of proceeds from the News 9 Concept Home tours operates 13 facilities in central and western Oklahoma, employing a staff of 225 and serving more than 53,000 Oklahomans in 2011.
“For a person who doesn’t have means, who doesn’t have insurance, this is a good place they can go for their primary health care needs,” says Variety Care’s executive director and CEO, Lou Carmichael.
Fairview Farm developer Mark Gautreaux is a member of Variety Care’s board, and it was his recommendation that led to the organization being named as nonprofit beneficiary of the tour proceeds.
Variety Care’s mission isn’t only about serving low-income individuals. It is about access to primary medical, dental, behavioral and vision care. “The things that keep a person healthy,” Carmichael says.
“People have to make decisions about rent or food, and they put off their health care needs,” she adds. “As a consequence, they don’t seek medical attention until they are much sicker.”
Patients of Variety Care pay on a sliding scale based on ability to pay, and Carmichael’s long-term goal for the organization is to serve 100,000 individuals per year.
“It’s incredible in terms of exposure and getting the word out,” Carmichael says of the organization’s participation in the News 9 Concept Homes. “We try to tell our story, and it’s hard sometimes to get the word to the people who really need us.”
News 9 Concept Home Participants:
The Abbey at Fairview Farm
Wayne Griffiths Homes
Blue Haven Pools
Bob Mills Furniture
Coppermark Bank
The Forest Group
Galaxy Home Recreation
HESI
Hill & Company
Metro Appliances & More
Metro Roofing Company
Mill Creek Carpet & Tile
Rain Guard, Inc.
Reroof America Contractors
