Photo slide show of Denver metro, Colorado resort and foothill communities.
Mar 19, 2009
Denver Photo Slideshow
Mar 19, 2009
Denver Photo Gallery
Photos of the Denver metro, Colorado resort and foothill communities.
Mar 19, 2009
Denver Home Tours by Bike
Please come back soon for detailed information and photos about our Denver area home tours on bicycle. If you are a Denver home buyer looking to purchase a home in Denver, contact us to take one our tours!
Mar 19, 2009
Denver “Green” real estate, is it really green?
There has been so much press and buzz out there when it comes to “green” Denver real estate. First things first. Most new homes being built can be called green through the requirements of the local Denver home builders Built Green program. This is great to see, but it doesn’t take that much more to reach that level. If you really want a green home look for one that has been independently certified by an outside source. This encompasses having a company come in and create a checklist of green features and aspects that are done throughout the building process. A well built home will have two to three times the minimum “built green” requirements.
Look for a home that has been Energy Star certified as well. This process ensures that the home has Energy Star appliances, low E windows, tightly wrapped exterior, sealed and wrapped HVAC ducts, high efficiency furnace and A/C, blown-in insulation, and most importantly be independently certified. Typically, builders who complete this process are very focused on building green and thus providing a home that goes above and beyond what is common place in the industry.
The newest and highest level of a green built home is being LEED certified. LEED is a certification that is completed by the United States Green Building Council and is the highest certification a home can have. LEED was only seen in some of the newest commercial buildings and not typically seen in residential homes due to the added cost and also the items that are required to get this certification. There are different levels of LEED certification from bronze to platinum. Basically, you have to satisfy certain requirements for each level and the platinum level home is the highest achievable. Some of the examples of LEED checklist items are water retention from rain fall for irrigation, foam insulated foundation, use of low VOC paints and flooring, solar, geothermal heating & cooling, and many other detailed requirements.
As we move forward with remodeling our homes and building new homes, these changes will become common place and mainstream. If you are looking for someone who is knowledgeable on these items you can look for a real estate agent that is a certified Ecobroker. An Ecobroker is a realtor that has been trained on the key aspects of green construction, sustainable living, solar, geothermal, wind power, and other key aspects surrounding living green.
Mar 19, 2009
Earth Hour 2009
On March 28th at 8:30 p.m. millions of people will take part in earth hour 2009. By joining millions of other people in this effort you show everyone that you are concerned for our living planet and show our leaders that this is important and needs to be addressed. Last year more than 40 million people in 400 cities and 40 countries joined together and participated in Earth Hour. This year the stakes and goals are higher than ever and we need to do our part, one home at a time, to make change happen.
In December the UN will meet and discuss the plans for the new climate treaty that will be adopted in 2012 when the current Kyoto Protocol expires. The hope with this plan is further action to drastically reduce the greenhouse emissions that have caused our current climate issues. Earth Hour puts change at the forefront when we show our commitment and support for this event. If you are interested and want to research further please visit www.earthhourus.org Together can make a difference in the future of our planet.
