Who we are
At Palmer Homes, we build value into every home through design innovation, quality materials and craftsmanship. We pride ourselves on providing our buyers with unmatched value, livable floor plans and a wide range of options at a variety of prices.
We also seek to use sustainable materials and energy-efficient designs to lessen effects on the environment and residents.
We design these homes to offer a sense of community, balanced with privacy and safety, outside living space and community interaction opportunities.
Where we came from
Vern and Gretchen Palmer started the business in 1977 after Vern worked several years as a carpenter building homes in Central Oregon. By the mid-1980s the company was crafting six to 10 custom homes a year in developments like Sunriver, Black Butte Ranch, Eagle Crest, Awbrey Butte and Broken Top.
About ten years ago the Palmers started taking the company in a new direction, away from the emphasis on single, high-end custom homes toward designing and building livable neighborhoods of more affordable homes.
Palmer Homes has been involved in such well-established neighborhoods as West Bend Village, Miller Heights, Awbrey Heights, Awbrey Village, and the Village at Oak Tree. In addition, our Lewis & Clark Townhomes were offered in the mixed use community of Northwest Crossing.
We are currently involved in five communities across Bend: Stonehaven, Gardenside, Crosswinds, Westerly and SilverRidge. As a company we are wholly committed to to the sound building practices of Earth Advantage, Energy Star, and the City of Bend's WaterWise programs, and have been recognized many times for this commitment. Almost all current Palmer Homes are built to these programs' standards and this dedication is easily seen in Gardenside, the region's first community to be completely certified in all three programs!
What we've done
Vern Palmer, CEO , launched his home building business in 1977 after attending the University of Oregon and working with builders in Central Oregon. He graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor of science in business administration in 1984 and returned to custom home building. Vern has won numerous awards including the Governor's Livability Award and Builder of the Year for Oregon in 1998. He has served as President of the Oregon Home Builders Association (OHBA- formerly Oregon Building Industry Association , OBIA) as well as Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA) and has represented Oregon at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Gretchen Palmer, Vern's wife and business partner, is Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and oversees customer relations and is the Principal Broker of Palmer Homes Sales, Inc. Gretchen is currently serving on the Single Family Production Committee of NAHB as well as on the OHBA Executive Committee, of which she has served as a Director and attended nearly all HBA Director meetings for over 10 years. Gretchen also received the award for Builder of the Year for Oregon in 2004. In addition, she formerly served as COBA President. Gretchen holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Oregon.
Where we're going
Our Mission is to build homes and communities of the highest quality and value while contributing significantly to the quality of life of our customers, employees and community.
