We’re used to accolades here in Boulder County (after all, our new office is in Louisville, one of the most celebrated of them all!).  But we were pleasantly surprised to see Boulder performing well in this recent feature on America’s top midsize U.S. metro areas.

What happens when right-sized design meets smart building technology? Homebuyers get a home designed around how they want to live today. Main floor living, energy efficiency and spaces that are thoughtfully proportioned are just a few of the exciting results.

Boulder Creek Builders has just released a newly designed series of homes dubbed the “Right Size” series. These ranch style patio homes were designed with valuable input from the Longmont Senior Advisory Council.

“For Boulder Creek, Right Sized was the logical solution for Shadow Grass Park” says Principal David Sinkey. “After consulting with the Longmont Senior Advisory Council, we developed a myriad of thoughtful design concepts for residents of every age, from standard slab on grade foundations with zero step garage entries to wider hallways and doorways. With front-yard maintenance, it’s a lock-and-leave lifestyle that appeals to a wide variety of residents…the people who ultimately give Shadow Grass Park its special charm.”

When you enter a new Right Sized home, prepare for a big surprise. Each home features convenience with everything a homeowner needs right there on the mainfloor; from the master suite to the laundry and even a home office. The main floor highlights a spacious light filled Great Room connecting the kitchen to the living areas.

“How often do you have people over and everyone gathers in the kitchen? We thought, our designs should provide those spaces which reflect the way we live today, ”states Paul Gortzig, sales manager for Boulder Creek.

Right Sized ranch style homes come in a variety of sizes dependent on a homebuyer’s particular needs. Those looking for additional bedrooms for visitors or a rec room for grandchildren will find what they need by adding a finished lower level.

Boulder Creek gives homebuyers the opportunity to express their personal tastes by choosing interior finishes of their homes. From modern contemporary to country craftsmen, Boulder Creek’s professional design studio helps buyers select colors and materials to turn a house into their home.

Staying true to itself, Boulder Creek has incorporated green building techniques and Energy Star guidelines into its homes. Homebuyers receive a higher standard in building: 2×6 wall construction to allow higher insulation levels; advanced framing techniques to produce sturdier buildings with less outside air penetration; concrete-based siding to create a durable exterior and provide a quieter interior; and new Energy Star Rated furnaces, water heaters and appliances to help the home run most efficiently. All these efforts are designed to produce a more comfortable interior living environment with greater air quality as well as save on monthly utility bills.

Third party inspection companies audit the home during and after construction. These inspections ensure quality of building and incorporation of green building and energy efficiency techniques.

“Once a home is complete,” says David Gregg, principal and architect for Boulder Creek, “we bring in an energy surveyor to evaluate the home’s performance. We are very proud to say our homes test out to exceed the ratings provided for the ‘Energy Star’ designation.”

But main floor living, highly personalized interiors and energy efficiency are just the beginning. Located near wonderful amenities, Boulder Creek at Shadow Grass Park has easy and quick access to shopping, recreation and breathtaking mountain views. Major retail centers are only blocks away and the Jim Hamm Nature Area, Ute Creek Golf Course and Union Reservoir are right next door. When you live at Shadow Grass Park you will have more time to do what you enjoy.

Going to the mountains for the weekend or Denver to visit friends? Shadow Grass Park is located minutes from major roadways, making travel a cinch.

Ready to discover Right Size? View Boulder Creek’s energy-efficient designs at Shadow Grass Park. Homes range in size from 1,300 to over 2,400 square feet with finished lower level. From its tree-lined streets to generous porches and traditional architecture that recalls small-town America, Shadow Grass Park is priced in the mid $200s. Discover the Clear Creek, Wolf Creek, Woody Creek, Maroon Creek and Roaring Fork floor plans today.

Visit Shadow Grass Park at 1534 Moonlight Drive-in Longmont. Model Home hours are Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from12:00 to 5:00 p.m. You can also visit the Boulder Creek website at www.LiveBoulderCreek.com or call the Information Center at 303.776.3331

Article courtesy of Boulder Daily Camera – At Home

Today marks the last weekday of the first-ever World Green Building Week, a week celebrating the potential and promise of green building in all its glory. So it was more than appropriate that we got word recently that 84% of all waste generated on a home at Blue Vista was recycled.

Why does this statistic matter? Because the more builders can do to keep the environment in mind, the better.

Traditional buildings consume a whopping 40% of the nation’s energy, create nearly 40% of the country’s carbon emissions, and constitute 40% of the waste stream of the entire United States combined every year. In contrast, green buildings can help reduce that impact while delivering homes that are healthy to live in, valuable to invest in, and great for the Earth at large.

Green homes make dollars and sense, and we’re proud to add “green” to our list of the invaluable features that make Boulder Creek communities the perfect mix of life and home. Happy World Green Building Week!

Boulder Creek’s The Cottages at Erie Village: “This is a great situation for people who are working all the time or those who are retired.”

Only a few choice homes remain at The Cottages at Erie Village, the classic neighborhood known for its tree-lined streets and colorful ranch-style homes with welcoming front porches. Residents are attracted to the low-maintenance lifestyle and semi- rural living, located just minutes from shopping and recreation. Pedestrian trails, dotted with pocket parks, wind through the neighborhood and connect to enticing city amenities.

A balanced mix of retired couples, working professionals and young families has given this community a vibrant, welcoming feel. And for one family, Erie Village is the perfect place to try something new: they’re buying two homes right next to each other. “I’d been looking for a while, but not real deliberately,” says Shirley Henly, a long-time Aspen resident. “But I knew at some time I was going to need to move ‘down the mountain’ to live closer to my family.”

Shirley was passing Erie Village one day and on a whim decided to take a look. “The homes were very attractive and I liked the floor plans. And I discovered that the two lots at the end of the street were available.” She brought her son, Brantley Scott, back for a look and the decision was made to purchase two adjoining homes. “For us, it’s a good alternative to an assisted-living situation. After a lot of family discussion, we realized this could be the perfect solution,” Shirley says.

Scott, who will be moving into his new home with daughter Jadzia and son Jordan, says, “The Nantucket floor plan is going to work very well for us. It’s just the right size. The kids are actually getting larger bedrooms, and everyone will have their own bathroom. The open plan was just what we wanted, with a large space so that the kids can do their homework, I can have a home office, and we still have a separate retreat on the lower level for hanging out and watching movies.”

Erie Village’s low-maintenance living takes care of all exterior maintenance, snow removal and lawn and landscape care.

“I have been taking care of an acre-size lot, and it’s a lot of work to care for,” Shirley says. “The HOA takes care of all the outside care and keeps the neighborhood looking nice. This is a great situation for people who are working all the time, or those who are retired and can’t manage it anymore.”

The Cottages at Erie Village has been developed by Boulder Creek Life and Home, and like each of their communities, all homes are constructed to Built Green standards, with 2-by-6 wall construction, Low-E Argon-filled windows, advanced insulation package with R-23 walls and R-38 ceilings, Energy Star appliances and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems. “These homes are well built,” Shirley says.

Shirley reports that her buying experience has been pleasant and things went smoothly. She was able to personalize her new home with her choices of finishes, paint and flooring. “I like having a view of the mountains and look forward to having my grandchildren near. I think we are going to be very happy here.”

A Limited Opportunity to Choose Your New Home at Erie Village

Find out for yourself why The Cottages at Erie Village community is such a special place. From Boulder, take Arapahoe Road east to US-287. Turn left (north) on US-287 to Isabelle Road. Turn right (east) on Isabelle Road to County Line Road. Turn left (North) and drive through Erie to Bixler Road. Turn left on Bixler and look for the flag pole. From Denver, take 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, is located at 1111 Village Circle, is open Monday noon to 6 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For information on other innovative communities by Boulder Creek Life and Home, visit www.livebouldercreek.com.

Article courtesy of Boulder Daily Camera – At Home

“I got all the features I wanted in a new home, with everything we need on the main level.”

Gay Kuhlmann, a lifelong, born-and-raised Boulder resident, knew it would take a special kind of place to make her move, if ever. The Kuhlmanns found that special kind of place nestled on the east side of Longmont. A place that allows you to connect back with the country, but also has all the conveniences of what Longmont has to offer. Shopping and restaurants are simply a couple blocks away, and just a few more blocks down is the nostalgic downtown Longmont. That special place is called Shadow Grass Park.

“I’ve never had a brand new home,” she says. The Kuhlmanns, who chose a Woody Creek design, liked the open floor plan and the Low-E glazed windows and loose fill fiberglass insulation help efficient use of space. “I could get all the features I wanted in a new home, with everything we need on the main level.” Two bedrooms and a private study are located on the Woody Creek’s main floor, with the kitchen and laundry area located at the rear for convenient and are more soundproof access to the two-car garage.

“We wanted to personalize our new home a bit,” Kuhlmann says. “I wanted a sitting room off of the bedroom, so we eliminated a bedroom and enlarged the master bedroom. We also reconfigured and enlarged the master bathroom. We have a huge rec room and we added a wet bar, as well.” Working with Boulder Creek was “wonderful,” she reports. “They gave us helpful suggestions and helped us through the whole process.”

“We were excited and honored that the Kuhlmann’s chose Boulder Creek to build their home,” says Paul Gortzig, sales and marketing manager for Boulder Creek Life and Home. “We know there are a lot of choices in today’s new-home environment and Kuhlmann’s selection of Boulder Creek reinforces our efforts to create a unique living experience designed around how people aspire to live today, with our emphasis on Green Building techniques and energy efficiency. These are two big components that went into the Kuhlmann’s selection of Boulder Creek.”

“Our involvement with Shadow Grass Park represents how a builder and a developer team up to provide a consistent lifestyle addressing the needs of the community,” Gortzig adds. “We were able to ‘right size’ our designs with helpful feedback from active homebuyers. Right sizing is utilizing and re-appropriating the square footage centered around how we live today.”

A leading home builder in Boulder County since 1975, Boulder Creek is one of a select few Colorado homebuilders that have been chosen to create the new Shadow Grass Park neighborhood. “We believe in Life first,” says David Sinkey, president, “and Home second to none.” Another key characteristic of every home by Boulder Creek is the quality in design and construction. Every home meets or exceeds Built Green standards for healthy indoor living that reduces the cost of home ownership. Low-E glazed windows and loose fill fiberglass insulation help ensure that these homes are easy to heat and a breeze to cool. 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 construction observation company inspects each home to ensure it is being built to code and to Boulder Creek standards.

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 their 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.”

“I am a real big fan of Boulder Creek Life and Home’s construction,” Gay Kuhlmann says, “and I specifically looked for one of their homes. We care about the comfort and the quality of the air in the house – and we look forward to the savings on the utility bills, of course.”

Shadow Grass Park is located in Boulder County on the eastern edge of Longmont, with easy access to I-25 (north to Ft. Collins; south to Denver) and the Diagonal Highway (west to Boulder). Wide mountain views to the west are crowned by Longs Peak and Mount Meeker. The Jim Hamm Nature Area is just a short walk away, as is the Ute Creek public golf course and Union Reservoir. Homes at Shadow Grass Park welcome you with generous front porches, tree-lined streets and traditional architecture that recalls “small town America” neighborhoods.

Visit Shadow Grass Park

The Shadow Grass Park sales office is located adjacent to the Jim Hamm Nature Area at 1534 Moonlight Drive in Longmont. The information center is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please contact Jill Laudermilk or Noel Zirbel for more information at 303.776.3331, or visit ShadowGrassPark.com.

Article courtesy of Boulder Daily Camera – At Home

This week has been rife with news on green building techniques finally, finally! hitting the mainstream.  The New York Times reports that several significant commercial real estate investors have decided to “green” their portfolios, green building expos are on the rise, and some of the country’s largest builders are finally jumping on the green bandwagon.  Of course this news makes us smile…because at Boulder Creek Life and Home, green building practices have been a part of our business as long as we’ve been in business.

So what does green building mean here at Boulder Creek?  Are we bowing to popular trends when we tell our homebuyers about our energy-efficient techniques and Earth-friendly building materials and construction practices?  No way.  Here’s a quick rundown on our green commitment…one that, like our commitment to building quality homes that combine the best in life and home, has never wavered.

• Green building techniques save money:  There’s a common misconception that a green home is an expensive one.  But we find that using green building practices and installing eco-friendly components actually saves money, increasing a building’s longevity and efficiency without a backbreaking up-front cost.  And once a homebuyer moves into their new green home, the costs of living are significantly smaller than the costs associated with inefficient, poorly insulated and energy-wasting structures of a similar size.
• Green building techniques create homes for the long haul:  Not many people realize that many of the very techniques that make a home eco-friendly also increase its durability and “shelf life.”  Properly sealed homes resist degradation from air and water; tough, energy-efficient exteriors require less maintenance and last longer; quality roofing and outdoor components will endure for decades.  This long-haul approach means that your Boulder Creek home is a good investment…not a cheaply-built liability.
• Green building techniques add life to home:  When a home is efficiently lit, properly heated and cooled, well-sealed and decorated with safe, eco-friendly materials, it just feels better.  So you can focus on the things that count.

Learn more about Boulder Creek Life and Home’s commitment to green building techniques (and learn more about the eco-friendly features of our unique communities) by clicking this link.