Company Logo a three peak mountain scape with an outline of a yellow sun and two blue wind wisps and Legend Homes in serif font below the mountain
Company Logo a three peak mountain scape with an outline of a yellow sun and two blue wind wisps and Legend Homes in serif font below the mountain
Company Logo a three peak mountain scape with an outline of a yellow sun and two blue wind wisps and Legend Homes in serif font below the mountain
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Introducing Legend Homes – Your Net Zero Home Builder

Introducing Legend Homes – Your Net Zero Home Builder

by | May 5, 2026 | Press

Big news! We’re dropping the “TC”. TC Legend Homes is now Legend Homes! Same company, same team, just a new name.  

When the company first started back in 2006, it was just Ted Clifton Jr. running the show (hence the “TC”), however 7 years ago Norman DesRosiers became a co-owner, and we thought it was about time to reflect that equal partnership.

We are still the same company as we’ve always been – a Bellingham based sustainable home builder – we’re just getting a bit of a facelift after 20 years in business with our new logo and name. We’ll be launching our new website in April/May 2026 as well, so stay tuned to see the reveal!

What We Do

Legend Homes is not just any home builder, we are a builder that specializes in high efficiency, net zero energy, and eco-friendly housing. Our construction methods consist of creating a structural insulated panel (SIP) shell instead of industry standard stick framing, and utilizing insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation walls, aerobarrier air sealant, triple pane windows, high efficiency air-to-water heat pumps with hydronic radiant heating, and heat recovery ventilators (HRV) with HEPA filtration. All this combined creates a super air-tight, energy efficient home with superior indoor air quality. Paired with a solar array on the roof, our houses are not only net zero, but net positive, meaning they produce more electricity than they use, so they can also power your electric vehicle.

Our goal is to create healthy homes that have minimal impact on the environment while still being at a market rate.

Where to Start

Whether you have land and are ready to build or still looking, we are here to help! In collaboration with our sister company Powerhouse Designs, we can help you pick a lot, get all necessary surveys and permits, do all clearing/utility/stormwater site work and more, design your home, and then bring your home to reality. Have a tough or steep lot? No problem! We know how to handle them all.

 

If you’re interested in building or designing a home, we would love to connect with you! Give us a call at (360) 872-6814 or contact us here.

TC Legend has been recognized by U.S. EPA as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner

TC Legend has been recognized by U.S. EPA as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner

by | Oct 3, 2023 | Press

 TC Legend Homes has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner for our ongoing commitment to building homes with improved indoor air quality through participation in the Indoor airPLUS program.

“Congratulations to all 14 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winners!” said David Rowson, Director of EPA’s Indoor Environments Division.

“It is always inspiring to have the opportunity to recognize the incredible work that our partners do every day, from expanding the use of Indoor airPLUS on a national scale, to maintaining strong leadership within their local communities. On behalf of EPA and the Indoor airPLUS team, we would like to congratulate and thank the 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winners for all of their work in constructing healthier homes for the American consumer".

This annual award recognizes market-leading organizations who promote safer, healthier, and more comfortable indoor environments by participating in the Inoor airPLUS program.

To learn more about the 2023 Indoor airPLUS Awards and the Indoor airPLUS Program, visit www.epa.gov/indoorairplus

 

Ted was featured on the KKNW Podcast!

Ted was featured on the KKNW Podcast!

by | Aug 1, 2023 | Press

Ted was featured on the KKNW Podcast! Learn all about Building an Affordable Custom Home that Has No Monthly Heating and Cooling Costs on Spotify.

 

Ted Clifton does much more than just create beautiful homes for his clients, he makes sure that the custom homes he builds not only look gorgeous, he makes sure they also deliver tremendous financial value to the owner. He does this by maximizing the value of every dollar spent during the construction of the home, and further, he minimizes the amount of money it takes for his clients to maintain their home, year after year. N this interview, Ted talks about how he is able to build new, super high-performance, custom homes for a fraction of the cost other custom builders charge to build a similar home. Contact TC Legend Homes Here: https://tclegendhomes.com; https://powerhouse-designs.com/  

 

TC LEGEND WINS 2023 HOUSING INNOVATION (HIA) AWARD!

TC LEGEND WINS 2023 HOUSING INNOVATION (HIA) AWARD!

by | Jul 24, 2023 | Press

The U.S. Department of Energy is pleased to announce that the submission for the Samish Solar Home from Powerhouse Designs and TC Legend Homes has been selected as a 2023 Housing Innovation Award Winner!

 

 

This national award represents a significant achievement, recognizing the most impressive and advanced homes among leading DOE Zero Energy Ready Home builders. Our standard-setting leadership serves as an example of what every homebuyer in the nation should come to expect and demand from their home.

This Housing Innovation Award helps us celebrate our success in providing our customers with the best in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, comfort, and construction quality. Awardees this year are being recognized for innovative use of off-the-shelf technologies and strategies to achieve advanced performance; innovative use of leading-edge technologies and strategies to  achieve advanced performance; market transformation through education efforts; and innovative implementation of decarbonization strategies.

 

 

We will find out more details come Awards Summit in October about which category we won!

Here are some quick stats on the house:
o Insulation: R-29 walls & R-59 ceiling
o PV: 10.8kW solar array with Enphase microinverters and battery ready
o Air Sealing: 0.27ACH
o HERS Index: -20
o Est. Annual Energy Cost Savings: $2432
o Certifications: DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certified, ENERGY STAR certified, EPA
Indoor airPLUS certified, anticipated Built Green 5-star certified

 

Find Out More About the HIA Awards Here

 

TC Legend Homes ‘House-in-a-Hollow’ Home Wins 2022 Housing Innovation Award!

TC Legend Homes ‘House-in-a-Hollow’ Home Wins 2022 Housing Innovation Award!

by | Aug 16, 2022 | Press

 

 

For TC Legend Home’s 9th time, we are thrilled to announce another Department of Energy Housing Innovation Award (HIA) winning home!

House-in-a-Hollow has won the grand prize for the 'Custom for Buyer less than 2500 Square Feet' category. We could not have achieved this award without the amazing homeowners who helped us push the envelope and our extremely skilled field crew who nailed the execution (pun-intended).

Our very own Talia receiving TC Legend Home's Department of Energy 2022 Housing Innovation Award!
Talia had a blast at the EEBA conference last week in Scottsdale, AZ and loved seeing The House in the Hollow showcased!

 

Each year the HIA updates their application pushing companies to innovate more and change with the times, and this year was no exception.

Along with the house performance, design and materials/sustainability information required, the award also requires the builder to submit information on their business metrics and how they create quality construction.

This year, they added the “Advances Home Concepts” section which consists of written portions on the company’s advanced building practices, smart building techniques and environmental impact.

Much like the Seattle based Built Green program, they have also added a portion to evaluate the company’s sustainable business practices which includes their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and workforce training.

These latter additions are very valuable as the industry recognizes the interconnection between sustainable housing and equitable housing. Sustainable housing should not just be for the wealthy and, in fact, those of lower incomes are far more likely to live in homes or areas that negatively impact their health.

This is due to the homes being less desirable to the wealthy and therefore cheaper, creating a market where the only homes that are financially available to folks with lower income, are the ones that are unhealthy. It should go without saying that this is unfair and unjust. Making it that much more important the sustainable housing be available for everyone.

 

Award Winning Features of House-in-a-Hollow

House Description:

  • Size: 1935 sf
  • Bedrooms: 3
  • Bathrooms: 2.5
  • Lot Size: 9.88 acres
  • Garage: separated and unconditioned
  • HERS Index (With PV): -23
  • Annual Utility Costs: -$278.00
  • Energy Savings: 20,354 kWh
  • Net-Zero: Yes
  • Aging-in-Place Design: Yes
  • Clerestory Design: Yes

Certifications:

  • ENERGY STAR
  • Zero Energy Ready Home
  • EPA Indoor airPLUS
  • Built Green 5 Star

Construction:

  • Walls: 6.5 inch Neopor SIP panel (R-29) with Hardie plank lap siding
  • Roof: 10.25” and 12.25” Neopor SIP panel (R-49 and R-59), IKO Armourshake asphalt roofing, foam splines in place of wood splines
  • Air Sealing: Aerobarrier sealed to 0.54 air changes per hour (ACH)
  • Foundation: Slab on grade with R-20 underslab insulation and insulated concrete form (ICF) stemwalls
  • Windows: Vinyl, Triple-pane, Low-e3 coating, Argon-filled, Fixed U-value of 0.15, Casement U-value of 0.18
  • Additional: Extended roofs/eaves and clerestory windows for summer shading and passive winter gain

Mechanical:

  • Ventilation: Zehnder Comfoair 550 whole-house HRV, Fantech HEPA filter, whole house CO2 & humidity sensors
  • Heating/Cooling: Chilltrix CX-34 air-to-water heatpump with Comfopost, radiant in-floor heating on first floor, and fan coil unit heating on second floor
  • Hot Water: Domestic hot water is heated by the Chilltrix heatpump
  • Photovoltaics: 10.56kW rooftop array with microinverters on each panel
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Station: Yes
  • Additional: Awair Indoor Air Monitor that tracks the internal humidity, temperature, chemical pollution (VOCs), PM2.5, and CO2

Finishes:

  • Low Emission Finishes: GreenGuard certified flooring, GreenGuard certified Neopor SIPs, hardwood trim, solid maple cabinets, no-VOC paint, low-VOC sealants, waterbased caulk
  • Additional: 100% LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, WaterSense and low-flow plumbing fixtures, low-emission finishes

Land Development

  • Undisturbed Land: 98%
  • Tree Retainage: 74%
  • Wetland Buffer Mitigation: Installation of 630 native trees & shrubs
  • Landscaping:  Installation of only native plants that require no potable irrigation
  • Grass: No
  • Additional: Large rocks placed along perimeter to deter human impact on wetlands, a few trees removed on the immediate South side of house for passive solar gain & PV array, trees to East & West retained to shade house

 

Bellingham Public Schools Foundation – Let’s Make Sunnyland Solar!!

Bellingham Public Schools Foundation – Let’s Make Sunnyland Solar!!

by | Apr 27, 2021 | Press

A Message from Sunnyland Elementary School

Dear Sunnyland community and neighbors,

As we break ground this spring on the new Sunnyland Elementary and look forward to welcoming students, staff and our community into our new school in fall 2022, we are excited to share a grassroots initiative to solarize our new school.

Sunnyland parent Ted Clifton, who is also a member of the Sunnyland Educational Specifications/Design Advisory Committee, has inspired this project with ​a generous matching challenge gift of $10,000 to the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation (BPSF) to establish a new fund to provide solar panels at Sunnyland. That means the first $10,000 dollars of community giving will be matched dollar for dollar.

Anyone can donate to the new Solarize Sunnyland fund at the BPSF.

This project was inspired by Dawson Construction’s donation to the new Sehome High School, which allowed the school to install solar panels.

This is a meaningful opportunity to invest in Sunnyland and our planet! We are excited the money we save in electric and power will be put back into the classroom for kids, teachers and supplies.

All new schools and buildings in our district, including the new Sunnyland, are now built “solar ready,” which means donations collected to benefit this project will go directly into installing, operating and purchasing new panels. Sunnyland has capacity for 100-kilowatt array. Our district is excited to learn from this project, and it may influence bond planning in the future as we look to build other replacement schools with a focus on sustainability.

Thank you, Sunnyland community for your consideration to donate.