Metro West Advertiser May 23, 2024

Aurora Model Home Event Was Uninspiring. Where’s the Innovation & Sustainability?

Last Wednesday, I joined 50+ metro area Realtors for a “progressive model home tour” at the Painted Prairie subdivision in Aurora, just south of the Gaylord Rockies resort near DIA. The weather was perfect, and the turnout must have exceeded expectations since the food ran out early at the seven different builder sales centers on the tour.

Six builders partnered in this event which was sponsored by the two metro area Realtor associations — Denver Metro and South Metro. It was well planned and executed, with registration happening at Honeysuckle Park, and the sales offices of the builders all within walking distance. Free shuttles ran constantly, too.

gas forced air furnaces and gas water heaters that I have seen over the last decade at new-home subdivisions.

tification but didn’t want to pay the EPA’s fee for it.

Of these builders, Meritage has the best reputation for sustainability. Our office did a field trip to their Richards Farm subdivision in Arvada many years ago, and we were impressed at their use of spray foam insulation and conditioned attics. Instead of finding further progress toward sustainability, I found that only the front and back walls of the Painted Prairie homes have spray foam insulation, although they still have conditioned attics.

Last week I wrote about the new “Energy Star NextGen” certification, which requires all-electric design, not just Energy Star appliances. None of these builders even aspire to that certification. For that, you need to look at Thrive Home Builders, which is building allelectric homes in Loretta Heights, Baseline (Boulder), and Lone Tree. Thrive homes are also EPA Indoor airPLUS qualified, something not even mentioned by any of the Painted Prairie builders.

At registration we were given a map of the sales offices. The participating builders were KB Home, Berkeley Homes, David Weekley Homes, Meritage Homes, Remington Homes, and New Home Co.

KB Home had two sales offices on the 7-stop tour — one for their paired homes and one for single-family homes. I had my own agenda for that day. I wanted to know what innovations and sustainability features these builders were incorporating in their 2024 products. I saw very little of either. These were the same stick-built homes with

All the builders are installing highefficiency gas forced air furnaces (93% to 96% efficient). There wasn’t a heat pump system in any of the homes, nor was a heat pump upgrade possible. All the water heaters are gas units, half of them tankless, and a heat pump water heater is not available as an upgrade, despite the huge tax credits available.

Several of the builders were including 220V wiring to the garage for electric vehicles and prewiring or conduits for roof-top solar PV — making them “solar ready” — but both were options if available at all.

All of the builders said their homes are “Energy Star certified,” except for one which claims to qualify for that cer-

Just Listed: 4-Bedroom Arvada Home

If I were in the market for a new home, I would certainly look at a Thrive Home Builders community.

All the builders promoted the fact that they will continue paying a co-op commission — typically 3% on the base price at closing — to agents who bring them a buyer. Given the turmoil in the resale market regarding buyer agent compensation, a new home is the one purchase in which buyers can have professional representation without paying for it themselves. This will not be going away.

Sustainability aside, there was one builder at Painted Prairie that I liked, a company I had never heard of before — New Home Co. What impressed me

was their lack of upgrade fees. You can choose different styles of cabinets and countertops, but you don’t pay extra for any of them. Also, they had some innovative electrical components, and they include a video doorbell. They also give buyers $30,000 to use for buying down the mortgage interest rate to 3.5% the first year, 4.5% the second year and 5.5% for 28 years.

Metro District Taxes + HOA Dues

As in many new subdivisions, the infrastructure for Painted Prairie was funded by Metro Tax District bonds. The district has its own mill levy to pay off those bonds. While the HOA dues are spelled out on the MLS, the mill levy is not. At www.LifeAtPaintedPrairie.com the district mill levy is revealed — over 75 mills.

Polis Signs Bill Mandating Accessory Dwelling Units

$750,000

You’ll love this move-in ready two-story home at 7885 Quail Street in the Oak Park section of Arvada. It is just two blocks from Alice Sweet Thomas Park to the west and Sierra Park to the east. The sellers have taken excellent care of this house since buying it 34 years ago. It has four bedrooms and 2½ baths and 2,021 main square feet plus an unfinished basement. The corner lot is just under a half acre and is beautifully landscaped. Built in 1978 of brick with wood framing, it has central A/C and gas forced air heating, plus a wood-burning fireplace. All appliances in the kitchen are included, as are the washer and dryer. Find magazine-quality photos and a narrated video tour at www.ArvadaHome.info, then call me at 303-525-1851 to request a private showing. I will be holding it open this Sunday, May 26th, from 11am to 1pm

One of the housing bills signed by Gov. Jared Polis this month was one which requires larger municipalities and unincorporated communities to allow the building of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on lots zoned for single family homes. Like the other new housing laws, this one is designed to address the shortage of housing units by increasing density.

The new law emphasizes that ADUs provide compact, affordable housing options in established neighborhoods with minimal impact on infrastructure, addressing various housing needs such as rental income generation for homeowners and intergenerational living arrangements.

The law underscores ADUs’ role in addressing childcare deserts and facilitating aging in place, particularly significant as Colorado's population ages. ADUs are noted

for their energy efficiency, environmental benefits, and cost-effectiveness, aligning with the state’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting climate targets.

Furthermore, the law acknowledges the impact of local land-use regulations on ADU construction and affordability, advocating for more permissive regulations to increase housing supply, stabilize costs, and promote equitable homeownership. It emphasizes the need for consistent regulations to foster a robust ADU market and facilitate affordable housing solutions statewide.

Ultimately, the law declares increasing ADU construction or conversion as a matter of mixed statewide and local concern, recognizing the broader implications for housing affordability and community development across Colorado.

We proudly provide free use of this moving truck to our sellers and buyers, along with free moving boxes, bubble wrap and packing paper.

Non-profits and community organizations also put lots of free miles on it!

“Concentrate on giving and the getting will take care of itself.”

La Ciudad

TRIVIA

1. ANATOMY: What does the human vestibular sense do?

2. MOVIES: e phrase “As you wish” is key to which 1987 movie?

3. GEOGRAPHY: What is the largest island in the Caribbean?

4. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What are Chinese astronauts called sometimes in the West?

5. TELEVISION: Which sitcom features a character named Phoebe Bu ay?

6. MEASUREMENTS: What is the square footage of an acre?

7. SCIENCE: What are the four states of matter?

8. HISTORY: Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote?

9. LITERATURE: Which 19th-century novel contains the line, “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship”?

10. MONEY: In the old British monetary system, how many

pennies were equal to a pound?

Answers

1. It is the sense that deals with movement, gravity and balance.

2. “ e Princess Bride.”

3. Cuba.

4. Taikonauts.

5. “Friends.”

6. 43,560 square feet.

7. Solid, liquid, gas and plasma

8. 19th.

9. “Little Women.”

10. 240.

(c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

FLASHBACK

1. Which group got their name from a hat?

2. Name Elvis Presley’s rst No. 1 hit. (Clue: He was still with Sun Records at the time.)

3. Who wrote and released “Angel Baby”?

4. Name the group that wrote and released “Sh-Boom” (“Life Could Be a Dream”).

5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “And if you would let them hold you, Oh how grateful I will be.”

Answers

1. e Tams, from tam o’shanter, which they wore when performing. eir only No. 1 hit was “What Kind of Fool (Do You ink I Am)” in 1964.

2. “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” in 1955. When he moved over to RCA Records the same year, his rst hit with them was “Heartbreak Hotel,” also a chart-topper.

3. Rosie and the Originals, in 1960. To get attention for the song, Rosie asked the music department in a department

store to play it. A record company soon signed up the group.

4. e Chords, in 1954. e Crew-Cuts quickly followed with a cover.

5. “ ese Arms of Mine,” by Otis Redding in 1962. e song was singer-songwriter Redding’s rst major single and it was later featured in several soundtracks, including “Road House” and “Dirty Dancing.”

(c) 2024 King Features Syndicate

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