Boulder Creek Life and Home – More Than a Generation of Green Building in Boulder County

Homebuilder announces My First Home Expo, Saturday, Feb. 27

With roots that go back more than 30 years in Boulder County, Boulder Creek Life and Home was building homes before “green” practices were widely considered in the housing industry.

“A long time ago, we made a commitment to build all of our homes to Built Green standards,” recalls company principal David Gregg, who guides the architecture, project development and community planning. “As we analyzed the requirements, we discovered that in many instances, we were already building to those standards. We tweaked some of our construction specifications, and created some new efficiencies in our methods. Overall, going green was a pretty easy transition for us.”

To understand the full impact of Boulder Creek Life and Home’s commitment to green building, consider this: every home it builds meets or exceeds Built Green standards. And the builder is doing this in six different Front Range communities, every day, across every price point.

“What we do is utilize proven and practical green building techniques and materials, bringing them into the mainstream to create homes that deliver high value and lower energy costs,” explains David Sinkey, vice president and co-owner. “This allows us to do more with each home, and to do more of them.”

Gregg says it all comes down to the details. “The insulation we use, the type of windows, the framing techniques and the way we seal the homes to prevent air leakage, it all requires strong field coordination and the willingness to follow through, to make sure that all the steps are done right.”

Low-E glazed windows and blown-in cellulose insulation make your home easy to heat and a breeze to cool, lowering your annual cost for heating and cooling your home year in and year out. Two-by-six framing is standard instead of the two-by-fours you’ll find elsewhere, creating sturdier, deeper walls that hold more insulation and are more soundproof.

At two points during each home’s construction, an independent third-party construction observation company inspects each home to ensure it is being built to code and to Boulder Creek Life and Home standards, Gregg says. “They conduct a pre-drywall inspection, checking the ducts, caulking and sealing.”

This dedication to quality construction and design earned Boulder Creek Life and Home nationwide recognition in 2008 when the National Association of Home Builders recognized the Blue Vista community in Longmont with a Development of the Year Award for “excellence in green residential design and construction practices, and outstanding green advocacy efforts.”

Me? Buy a home? Don’t miss the My First Home Expo on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Are you considering your first home purchase? Boulder Creek Life and Home invites you to an exciting and informative event, designed to help you get the information you need to make an informed home buying decision. Attend free seminars on financial planning, lending practices, tax credits  and organizing your first home – each presented by professionals who are recognized experts in their field.

Enjoy a free barbecue lunch and refreshments, and watch the home energy efficiency demonstrations by Home Performance Solutions (complete with a blower door test and thermal imaging). Register to win one of several iPod Nanos. And you’ll be helping a good cause just by attending, since the event sponsors will donate $20 to the Emergency Family Assistance Association for every registered attendee.

Expo sponsors include Boulder Creek Life and Home, Taylor Moving Company, County Line Lumber Company and Advantage Bank.

My First Home Expo will be held at Kingsbridge Townhomes, 1656 Venice Lane, Longmont. For more information and directions, call 303.502.5338 or e-mail info@LiveKingsbridge.com.

MY FIRST HOME EXPO ON FEBRUARY 27th BRINGS TOGETHER INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND TAKES THE GUESSWORK OUT OF FIRST TIME HOME BUYING
Boulder Creek Life and Home to provide free expert advice on lending, tax incentive, greening a home, financial planning and more

Boulder Creek Life & Home www.livebouldercreek.com announced today that it will host the first ever My First Home Expo at their West Longmont townhome community of Kingsbridge on Saturday, February 27th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. This FREE event will bring together industry professionals from all walks of life to conduct short presentations and question and answer sessions about topics relevant to the first time buyer. Information will pertain to all aspects of home buying and ownership from financial planning to lending options to organizing and greening a home.

“It’s clearly a great time for the first time home buyer to get into the real estate game,” said David Sinkey, Principal of Boulder Creek Life & Home. “But many first time buyers have a ton of questions and concerns about the process and they don’t know where to go to get their questions answered. This expo is a one-stop shop to get all the information they need to move forward and take advantage of both the tax incentive and the buyer’s market.”

Kingsbridge Townhomes were selected for the expo because they are a short ten minute drive from Boulder and offer a price point starting at $200K, which is rarely seen in the area and appeals to first time home buyers eager to take advantage of the current tax incentive. Each of the sessions, all focused on different topics, will take place within one of the model homes on property.

For every registered attendee, a $20 donation will be made to Boulder’s Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) by Boulder Creek Builders and it’s sponsors Advantage Bank, County Line Lumber and Taylor Movers, and all attendees will have four chances to win an iPOD Nano during two separate drawings.

The expo will be made up of two different sessions taking place at 11:00 am and 1:00pm with speakers from the following areas:

* Financial Planning
* Home Performance Solutions – Home energy efficiency presentation
* Lending Practices
* New Homebuyer Tax Credit and Tax Breaks on Your First Home
* Organizing Your First Home
* iPod Nano Giveaway!

“We are excited to bring the My First Home Expo to Kingsbridge, our newest community in Longmont,” said Sinkey. “We hope this event will get us acquainted with the local community, raise money for a great charity and offer a valuable resource to first time home buyers.”

About Kingsbridge Townhomes

Each Kingsbridge home offers two to three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a private, attached two-car garage, wonderful storage space and a myriad of features that can be personalized, all starting at $200,000. There will be four different two story plans available, ranging in size from 1,400 to 1,800 square feet. There will be one plan that features a bedroom on the first floor. Kingsbridge currently has 22 homes built and occupied. Boulder Creek will build and sell a total of 109 homes in the Kingsbridge community with construction starting immediately and the first homes likely to be completed in Spring 2010. There are currently three model Homes onsite. Marketing efforts for the new community has begun and Kingsbridge has enjoyed wonderful early reviews with 5 homes under contract.

About Boulder Creek Life & Home

Boulder Creek Life & Home www.livebouldercreek.com is an award winning, Boulder-based homebuilder that creates innovative communities across the Front Range of Colorado that embrace green building practices, energy efficiency and a true sense of place. The company’s mission is to build homes that are more than just bricks and mortar, but are actually modeled around how people aspire to live, thus appealing to the active lifestyle. Each of Boulder Creek’s six current communities Kingsbridge, Calmante, Heritage at Vista Ridge, Erie Village, Blue Vista and Shadow Grass Park, vary in size, price and concept, but have one common thread: they embrace quality craftsmanship and green building techniques and provide an unmatched lifestyle.

Realtors are reporting that new home sales are picking up across the Front Range as buyer confidence gradually returns to the marketplace. But these buyers, having witnessed the recent dramatic declines in real estate prices, have a keener eye than ever for value. They want quality-built, efficient homes with innovative design, in well-planned neighborhoods that will preserve the value of their investment.

For many new home buyers, The Cottages at Erie Village is exactly that kind of community. Residents enjoy a quiet neighborhood with open space in Boulder County that is just minutes from shopping, recreation and city amenities. Mature trees and picket fences line streets of colorful Victorian and Craftsman homes, each with a welcoming front porch, set-back garage and private patio space. Pedestrian trails wind through the neighborhood, which is punctuated by pocket parks that invite you to linger while visiting with neighbors.

“I like the rural feel at Erie Village,” says new home owner Jim Ely. “I retired recently, and was looking to upgrade from my condo to a home where I could do some entertaining. I chose the New Haven for its efficient, open floor plan. I liked the fact that I could pick my design in a nice, quiet neighborhood. And I like the low-maintenance living here.”
Ely says that he has been out of the home market for a while but had been looking, “on and off. I was very pleased with the assistance I received from everyone at Boulder Creek Life and Home (developers of Erie Village). I got the floor plan I wanted, at a price I liked. I guess you could say I got lucky.”

For some owners, it seems to be love at first sight. “We liked the layout of the Nantucket floor plan from the moment we walked in,” says Janis Tracy, who with her husband Jim is relocating back to Boulder County from Arizona. “We didn’t know about Erie Village, but we were driving down County Line Road and saw the ‘Patio Homes’ sign and decided to take a look. It only took us two days to make our decision.”

“We like the home styles and colors, and the small size of Erie Village. It’s also close to our family, very convenient,” Janis Tracy says.

Like each of the communities that Boulder Creek Life and Home develops, all homes in Erie Village are constructed to Built Green standards, with 2-by-6 exterior wall construction, Low-E Argon-filled windows, advanced insulation package with R-21 walls and R-38 ceilings, Energy Star appliances and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

Sales at Erie Village are outpacing many communities, and with only seven remaining home sites, the opportunity to choose your new home here won’t last long. These sites, which feature popular western exposure and are adjacent to open space, are some of the most desirable in the community. And with 15 homes closing in the past seven months at Erie Village, availability is clearly limited.

“It has been exciting to see families like the Tracys and Jim Ely act on their desires to move and make something happen for themselves” says Bill Besher, community sales manager for Boulder Creek at Erie Village. “We have had a very busy fall and winter. Our sales activity has outpaced the market activity, and our available seven sites are some of the best sites to choose from. If you’re looking for low-maintenance living in a quiet neighborhood with open space, you will find Erie Village a pretty special place – don’t miss this opportunity!”

You Need to See This for Yourself

Find out for yourself why The Cottages at Erie Village community is such a special place. From Boulder: Arapahoe east to 287. Left (north) on 287 to Isabelle Road. Turn right (east) on Isabelle Road to County Line Road. Turn left (North) and drive through Erie to Bixler Boulevard. Turn left on Bixler and look for the flag pole. From Denver: I-25 to Exit 229, drive three miles west on Highway 7 to County Line Road, north through the Town of Erie to Bixler Boulevard, look for the flagpole on the left.

The sales office (303.772.3063), located at 1111 Village Circle, is open Monday noon to 5 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For information on other innovative communities by Boulder Creek Life and Home, visit www.LiveBoulderCreek.com.

At Home Article Provided by the Daily Camera