Welcome!
Hi,
Here I am just starting out, new to this blogging business, but looking forward to spending some time here and getting some feedback from all of you out there.
The idea behind this blog is to exchange information about all facets of real estate and any related topic. I hope to share information that is relevant, timely and practical, as well as being occasionally entertaining and thought provoking.
I would like to kick off this first, inaugural post, by talking about home. You know, the place where our hearts reside and evidently our hats are hung. The place where, in theory, they always have to take you in, but since you can’t go home again I’m not sure how that works. ( Wow – welcome to my first annual cliche fest!)
Home was, in my younger years, the place I couldn’t wait to get away from and in my later life, the place I missed the most. Home has had many different meanings and many different locations for me, and I suspect, many of you. I once moved three times in nine months. Then I bought a living room set. That slowed me down some.
There is a Chinese proverb that says “may you live in interesting times”. Well I’ve certainly lived in some interesting places! One of the most unique was back when I was in college - the time I refer to fondly as the “Ramen years” ( I was poor , noodles were cheap). One year at the end of spring semester I needed a short-term, summer rental. I found an efficiency for a semi-reasonable rent and moved in.
The apartment consisted of a main room that served as the living room/bedroom/dining area/kitchen and a small bathroom. The slashes far outnumbered the amenities! One side of the main room was bisected by what might, in a very big stretch of imagination, be considered a “bar”. It was an unpainted, wooden plank resting on a 2 x 4 nailed to the wall and an upright wooden post on the other end. There were other boards nailed to the wall for shelves. The best part was the kitchen which wasn’t an actual kitchen, but rather a single piece I referred to as the “unit”. The unit consisted of a shallow bar sink and two burners on top with a dorm-size fridge underneath. It’s a good thing Ramen is a one pot deal because a meal with actual course would have to have been prepared, and eaten, in shifts. I did however, have time to write my as-yet-to-be-published, runaway bestselling cookbook titled “Two Burner Gourmet”. Rachel Ray has nothing on me!
Truthfully the only good thing about my summer with the unit was it’s brevity! Still for a few short months I did hang my hat there, and most of my clothes, although the closet was kind of a bad joke. As they say, be it ever so humble there’s no place like home!
To those of you who read this, thanks for spending time with me. I’d like to invite you to share your stories of home – the good, the bad, the ugly and anything else you would like to talk about.
Scridb filterMcStain’s New Neighborhood, Indian Peaks South: Grand Opening of Model Homes August 23, 2008
By Judy Finman
Homebuyers pay attention when McStain builds another neighborhood. This weekend, head over to Lafayette and visit Indian Peaks, one of the most desirable communities in Boulder County.
A brand-new McStain development – Indian Peaks South – is just starting to transform the 100-acre site at the southwest corner of Highway 42 (95th Street), south of Baseline Road. Aug. 23 and 24 celebrate the Grand Opening of two designer-decorated model homes, now open to the public.
It is 16 years since McStain created the plan and started construction on the first homes at Indian Peaks. And now, McStain is building the last piece, Indian Peaks South, making it even more interesting, more colorful and even better for the planet. The neighborhood will feature a private community center with pool, generous open space and a neighborhood park, and a network of meandering trails that have been a signature feature of Indian Peaks.
Tour the two smartly furnished model homes: The Cypress House, with four bedrooms (one a main-floor master suite) plus study and loft, and three and a half baths, has 3,258 finished square feet, including the basement. The Walden House has three bedrooms plus study and loft and four baths; it has 2,514 finished square feet plus 1,238 unfinished basement square feet. Both homes come with two-car garages. Basement finishing by McStain is available on homes with unfinished basements.
Variety and Choice
Eventually the neighborhood will have 307 residences – 29 single-family homes in the Classic Series (priced from the low-$500,000s to mid-$600,000s), 128 single-family homes in the Traditional Series (from $390,000 to high-$400,000s), 40 duplex units (from the low-$200,000s), 11 custom homes (coming in the next year) and 99 townhomes (scheduled for a future phase of development).
Right now, the Traditional Series, which offers five floor plans to choose from, is well represented by the two model homes opening this weekend. The Classic Series homes, with four floor plans to choose from, are larger, set on larger lots, with three-car garages. Some are being built now.
Homebuyers and the Environment
D.D. Ferguson is excited about the new ranch home in Indian Peaks South that McStain is building for her. This is her second McStain home – the first was also in Indian Peaks, in Hilltop, where she bought the model home some years back. “I was really impressed with it,” she says, “and I said if I ever buy a house again, it will be another McStain.”
The daughter of a builder, she notices the little things as well as the big ones. “We’re starting from the ground up. We pick everything, inside and outside, even the color of the stone, as well as the paint. Everyone is very accommodating and flexible. They included what other builders consider upgrades: picture frame windows, putting in our front yard, 42-inch uppers in the kitchen, maple cabinets, glass-top stove, tank-less hot water heaters, garage door openers, high-efficiency sealed combustion furnace with air filter – all standard. And high-quality materials – like 2x6s, rather than 2x4s. And the crews are keeping the place clean every day.”
The piece de resistance for her and her husband, Rick, was the incentive of free solar roof panels if they closed by a certain date. “We like that McStain is really a green builder. Our electric bill should be very low.”
The location is great for the Fergusons. Their daughter is already in the Boulder Valley Schools, Rick Ferguson can commute via the local bus to his job in Boulder, and D.D. Ferguson has an easy drive to her work in Niwot.
“The community has a lot of trails for biking, and there’s a pool and a park. It’s good for the kids. It looks like other families with kids are moving here, too.”
McStain is a founding member of Built Green Colorado. All builders must register each home in order to receive the Built Green designation. And McStain is one of just a few Colorado builders to make a 100-percent commitment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® program. ENERGY STAR-labeled houses are designed to perform 30 percent more efficiently than the typical home; all McStain homes meet the ENERGY STAR standards for energy efficiency
McStain Neighborhoods is one of the most highly acclaimed homebuilders in Colorado. It’s won awards for architecture, neighborhood planning, and, most of all, for environmentally friendly house designs. McStain has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any homebuilder in the nation. Among McStain’s numerous awards are the 2005 Builder of the Year (Colorado Homebuilders Association) and the 2004 Built Green Home of the Year (Discovery House). In 2007 the Denver chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded McStain’s Hedgerow neighborhood at Indian Peaks both the People’s and Architect’s Choice awards.
The Indian Peaks South sales office is located at 2818 Crater Lake Lane, Lafayette. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, noon to 6 p.m. Contact Neighborhood Consultant Jésus Orozco, Jr., at 303.665.8200, jesus.orozco@mcstain.com. For more information, visit www.McStain.com.
Scridb filterNew from Sopris Homes: The Sanctuary at Huntington Trails, The Redstone, and Promontory at McKay Shore
By Judy Finman
Sopris Homes lives by a simple motto: Build amenity-rich, energy-efficient luxury homes in the most desirable communities.
No wonder homebuyers fall in love with Sopris homes. Offerings at The Sanctuary at Huntington Trails, a brand-new community in Westminster, are a perfect example.
Stylish Tuscan, European and Craftsman exteriors complement functional and architecturally enhanced interiors. These homes are designed for the way people really live – with Great Rooms, spacious kitchens with large islands and breakfast-bar seating, luxury master suites, inviting indoor and outdoor courtyard living spaces and rich-looking hardwood floors.
All Sopris homes come with an Owner’s Entry complete with coat closet and a beadboard-backed bench with plenty of hooks and cubbies, as well as the unique and functional Home Center with its elegant Tharp cabinetry to match your kitchen – designed as a place for briefcases, mail, backpacks, you name it. Spaces like this, plus numerous walk-in coat and linen closets, make it easy to live and entertain in every Sopris home.
In the dream kitchen, Tharp custom cabinets are staggered in height and depth, with architectural details, crown molding and deep drawers. A professional stainless steel range hood with five-burner gas cook-top and spacious islands top off a gourmet cook’s delight.
Built Green
Sopris Homes was the first builder in Colorado to build to Energy Star standards, which include energy-efficient criteria for insulation, windows, ductwork and heating and cooling systems, all set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sopris provides superior HVAC systems with multi-zone engineering and casement (crank-out) and low-E windows on all its homes.
Sopris Homes is also the first builder in Colorado and the only builder in Boulder County to build to Environments for Living standards, which include strict guidelines for the amount of energy used to heat and cool your home.
“The goal of Environments For Living is to build a cleaner, healthier, longer-lasting and more energy-efficient home,” Sales Consultant Jen Schell says. “The bottom-line benefit for the buyer is in every home they actually guarantee what your energy usage will be to heat and cool your home at 72 degrees.”
At The Sanctuary at Huntington Trails, Sopris offers these features in four ranch-style floor plans, as well as two-story models. Home sizes range from 2,693 to 5,029 finished square feet. All have full basements.
The new community, with 204 home sites that range from the low $600,000s to more than $4 million, is situated in Westminster at McKay Lake. It offers easy access to the Westminster trail system and open space, plus a private community pool, clubhouse and children’s playground.
And now: The Redstone from Sopris Homes
The new Redstone courtyard-style home is inspired by La Maison des Vues in this year’s Parade of Homes at Solterra in Lakewood, on view July 26 to Labor Day. This award-winning residence was built by Waterstone Homes in partnership with Sopris Homes. Despite its grand appearance, the Redstone also epitomizes homeyness. Inviting courtyards blend indoor and outdoor living spaces; it’s perfect for comfortable family living and entertaining. Like all Sopris Homes, the Redstone provides plenty of functional living spaces and a place for everything from the trademark Owners Entry and Home Center to a second-floor bonus or children’s family room.
Come see La Maison des Vues, at 15291 West Warren Drive at Solterra during the Parade of Homes. It sells for $2,150,000. Or consider its cousin, the Redstone, which starts at $774,900 in The Sanctuary at Huntington Trails, or $918,650 on a one-third acre home site in Promontory, Sopris Homes’s newest community.
Promontory at McKay Shores
Promontory at McKay Shores is in Broomfield, on the northeast side of McKay Lake, at 138th and Zuni. Featured are luxury and custom home sites from one-third to more than one-half acre, walk-out and garden-level basements, and West-backing mountain-view home sites on open space. This premier community offers a private pool and clubhouse, shore fishing on McKay Lake and an abundant trail system. Promontory is near neighborhood grocery shopping, restaurants, multiple golf courses and I-25, with an easy commute to Denver, Boulder or Longmont.
Sopris Homes has first choice on premier home sites scattered throughout the community, so if a Sopris home on a larger home site with a spectacular view is what you have been waiting for at a great price, take advantage of this opportunity to select your home site. Sopris luxury homes start in the $800,000s.
How To Get To The Sanctuary and Promontory
The Sanctuary at Huntington Trail is located at West 144th Avenue and N. Huron Street in Westminster. To get there from Boulder, take US 36 to McCaslin Boulevard north, then head east on West Dillon Road, which becomes West 144th. Turn right into The Sanctuary at Huntington Trails just past McKay Lake Open Space, before you get to Huron Street.
The Sopris Homes sales office is open from noon to 5 p.m. daily, or by appointment. Call Jen Schell at 720.224.2044, or e-mail her at JenandDaltin@msn.com.
For more information or to view completed homes by Sopris, visit the model home at 144th and Huron or tour the Web site at www.soprishomes.com.
From the moment you step inside the award-winning model home, you will see why Sopris’ Carbondale Model Home at the Sanctuary at Huntington Trails was honored in the 2007 Flatirons Tour of Homes and was named the 2007 Home Builders Association Bar Awards Home of the Year.
Scridb filterVerlo® Mattress Factory: Custom-made just for you
By Judy Finman
Verlo Mattress Factory in Boulder has a provocative slogan: “Not Just Made. Made Just for You.” In fact, every mattress Verlo sells has been handcrafted to your preferences by master craftspeople on site in Verlo’s factory store. Each bed is in a class by itself – with no resemblance to the ready-made mattresses advertised by national chain stores.
Custom-made Beds
“We make a bed just for you,” says Dick Sumerfield, owner of Verlo Mattress Factory in Boulder. “All our beds are custom-made here in our factory. You try out the beds in our showroom – we have 22 different types, each available in a range of firmness options. Once you choose the one you want, we tailor it to your needs for comfort and support.” Sumerfield and his highly trained staff, who guide you in the showroom, will also help to build your bed.
Since 1958, the Verlo company has combined fine materials with local craftsmanship and a commitment to customer satisfaction. With 70 stores nationwide, Verlo has the cooperative buying power to purchase the best materials and pass the savings on to the consumer. Each Verlo store is locally owned and operated, creating a direct-to-the-customer experience that saves money and ensures high quality.
Sumerfield opened the Boulder Verlo Mattress Factory in 1989. Five craftspeople are kept busy in the factory area, turning out hundreds of custom mattresses and futons each year. They also supply many hotels.
The Verlo Difference
There are many different types of mattresses on the market – natural, air, inner spring, latex, memory foam – to name the most advertised. What are the differences?
“At Verlo Mattress, we handcraft the various mattress types, so we know how they differ,” Sumerfield says. “Our craftspeople are experts on the raw materials used in crafting beds. They help a shopper find the healthiest, safest, most comfortable sleeping environment for them. Depending on your mattress selection, several layers of various elements, such as cotton, Talalay Latex and wool, are added to create the perfect comfort level for your needs.
“We want to build a long-lasting, durable bed. At every point in creating our product we use the best quality we can, and it’s better than any competitor’s. Other manufacturers will cut down on materials. For every product we build, we do more – the density of the foam, the fabrication of our insulator pad, the long-fiber cotton we use, which holds together better and won’t bunch up. In our construction methods we can change the firmness or softness with foam and firming pads. Our 805-coil innerspring has more heavy-duty border rods, and we put more turns in our coils, so there is more steel and it lasts longer. With our futons, we build each one under 500 pounds of pressure, and then we put an 8-ounce twill cover on it, tuft it more times than our competitors do, then tie on the inside of the mattress – not on the outside – so there are no bumps.”
He adds: “We are the experts in the mattress industry. We know what makes a mattress perform because we make them!”
A good night’s sleep is a kind of health insurance policy. Since about one-third of our lives is devoted to sleeping, why not spend that time as comfortably as possible?
Test Rest a Verlo Mattress
Call a Boulder Verlo Craftsperson at 303.447.1154, or visit the Verlo Mattress Factory at 3080 Valmont St. in Boulder, to find your best mattress. Store hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See Verlo’s exceptional collection of beds, futons and bedroom accessories at www.Verlo.com.
Some key elements of Verlo mattresses:
IntraTouch™ Sleep Technology combines contoured upholstery layers, innerspring zoning and box spring technologies. These elements are designed to displace body weight throughout the sleep set.
Cotton: to breathe. Sleep sets that contain cotton help you stay cool during summer and warm in winter.
Wool: One of the oldest materials known, wool is strong, elastic, water-resistant and heat insulating. Wool acts as the climate-control element of the sleep set by keeping your body dry and at the right temperature.
Latex: Inherently anti-microbial and dust-mite resistant, a latex mattress is perfect for allergy sufferers. Latex is breathable, so your latex mattress is warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. A latex mattress will not allow moisture to build up next to the body.
Upholstery: Only the finest, most luxurious fabric is selected for Verlo’s sleep-set covers. The soft, smooth texture of the tickings complements the bed’s comfort and quality. With great precision, each craftsperson sews the sleep set together, ensuring it will withstand the test of time.
Innerspring: Verlo’s exclusive posturized innerspring unit features alternating coils that work together to provide the right level of firmness where you need it most.
Visco-elastic memory foam: Visco-elastic beds are designed with unique temperature-sensitive foam that allows the mattress to contour to the body. Visco-elastic memory foam is firm at room temperature but is receptive to the warmth of body temperature. Improved circulation is an additional benefit of visco-elastic memory foam. By reducing pressure on hips and shoulders, tossing and turning is reduced. The result is sweet slumber!
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