Artistic Homes In Durango Colorado!

Artistic Homes has selected Durango Colorado as their newest location to offer their popular and award winning homes. Artistic Homes is a regional home builder located in Albuquerque New Mexico, and they are the largest homebuilder in the state. Since 1966, they have built over 13,000 homes.

These new homes are offered in Sky Ridge, one of the finest neighborhoods in Durango. It is a convenient location to Fort Lewis College, five minutes to Hillcrest Golf course, and close to all K-12 schools, and shopping. Residents enjoy the many outdoor activities offered in Durango, and hiking and mountain biking trails are accessed from the subdivision. In addition, a City Park with tennis courts, playground, and activities field is only a block away.

Artistic Homes is dedicated to the science of home building, and they utilize the latest and best techniques and materials for building high efficient, high perfomance, and safe & healthy homes. Justin Erickson from E3 Energy, a rater and provider for home science and energy, has been quoted to say: "There is no better site built home in this price range in the United States".

The energy efficiency of the Artistic Homes is way beyond the average code built home. Homes are rated with the Home Energy Rating System (HERS), and a typical code built home scores approximately 100 on the scale, and many older homes are much higher. The HERS Index is a scoring system in which each 1 point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption, so a home with an Index of 85 is 15% more efficient than a home rated at 100 on the HERS Index. Builders desiring to participate in energy efficient homes can advertise an Energy Star Rating if the home scores at least 85 in this climate zone, and the Builders Challenge from the Department of Energy has places 70 on the HERS Index to meet that certification. The average Artistic Home is 55 on the HERS Index, 45% more energy efficient than an average code built home! Every Artistic Home is 100% documented for the homeowner. This is the new neighborhood bragging right, as energy usage of an average home is equivalent to operating 5 automobiles, and homeowners should be proud of owning a more environmentally friendly home, with a lower carbon footprint. These homes are built green and they meet the standards to be LEED certified. (LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability, and achieving LEED certification is the best way for you to demonstrate that a home is truly "green")

A solar option is available in some markets, and it may be offered in Durango. Depending on the climate zone, the solar option (a $40,000-$50,000 upgrade) can provide a Net Zero on the HERS Index, which means the total energy consumption is replaced by the solar. How would you like to compare your utility bills with your neighbor if you had the Net Zero home?

How is Artistic Homes able to build to these higher standards? The choices for materials and building practices must work together, and these homes are engineered from top to bottom. The key is building tighter homes, utilizing the best materials and techniques. Artistic Homes are built with 2" x 6" construction, R 23 insulation in the walls, R50 insulation in the ceiling, and they have replaced headers over windows, and instead, they use engineered mini-trusses which can be insulated. They build with an advanced engineered framing system, three stud corners, which allows the corners of the home to be insulated, and they utilize slab insulation. The choice for windows are Andersen Windows. They are beautiful, high quality windows, Low E, very durable, and Andersen is a leader in the window industry. The 95% efficient furnaces, and the tankless water heaters are more efficient. The ducts are sealed and tested for air loss, and every penetration is foamed and caulked.

The challenge of building tight homes is air quality. The EPA estimates the inside of homes may be 20 times less healthy than outside the home. The key is "Build it tight, and ventilate it right". Artistic Homes uses the Venmar Heat Recovery and Ventilation System, which replaces the inside air of the home with outside air. This system replaces 30% of the air every hour, so the total air is replaced in just a few hours. In addition, they have a garage air ventilation system to remove the toxic air from the garage, and a passive radon mitigation system is also included. This makes the Artistic Homes the safest and healthiest choices for new homes.

Artistic Homes have one of the best warranties in the industry. Each home receives the 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty. It basically provides a "bumper to bumper" warranty for the first year, covers all of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for the second year, and it has 10 years of structural coverage.

Here is a list of certificates each home will receive:
HERS Rating
Energy Star Certification
EPA IAQ Air Quality Certification
E-Scale Dept of Energy Certificate
LEED-H Green Certification

Did I mention they are also AFFORDABLE? Most of these homes are offered with a final cost of $309,900 to $349,900 with the $30,000 pre-construction discount. How can this be? These are the best quality home at affordable prices. Currently, we have five models available, and only 12 potential homes to be built in Sky Ridge. If you are interested, don't wait, choose the model and your lot now.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.

You can reach me, Don Ricedorff, at The Wells Group 970-375-7014, don@frontier.net, or at my website at durangorealproperty.com.

Don Ricedorff is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Colorado, with 16 years of experience, and he resides in Durango Colorado. He has numerous real estate designations, which have provided him with an unparalleled education to assist his clients. The designations include:

CRS, Certified Residential Specialist
CRB, Certified Residential Broker
CCIM, Certified Commercial Investment Member
CDPE, Certified Distressed Property Expert
ABR, Accredited Buyer Representation
GRI, Graduate of Realtor Institute
RSPS, Resort and Second Home Property Specialist
CIPS, Certified International Property Specialist
SRES,Senior Real Estate Specialist

He is also an active volunteer in the community and his church. His highest aspiration is spending time with his wife, Janet, and his three children Kelly, Katie, and Kyle. His other interests include playing tennis, fly fishing, hiking, boating, and water skiing.