Luxury Homes in Disney World!

According to the Wall Street Journal, it's the latest idea from Disney, creating a development of luxury homes allowing for a new way to experience "Disney" and the Orlando area. The Golden Oak housing development will offer homes from $1.5 to $8 million. It is expected to hold 450 homes and a new Four Seasons hotel. There are plans for a clubhouse, parks, walkways, and a wet lands conservation all of which is expected to be completed in 8-10 years. Considering the fact that the area holds one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation it is quite an interesting marketing idea, no?

But it isn't the first time that Disney has created a housing development. Celebration was a 4900 acre community built adjacent to the theme parks in the mid 1990's. But it was a much different idea, there were apartments available for $600 a month all the way up to single family homes at $4 million. It encompassed an opportunity for a larger variety of people to move in, unlike the highly inflated Golden Oak resort community.

I'm not sure that I would take as big of a gamble considering the state of the economy and the housing market in general let alone the horrid housing market in the Orlando area! But it IS Disney... if anyone could succeed in such a venture it would be Disney, Oprah, or Donald Trump right?! So we shall see how this plays out.

All you need is a $25,000 deposit to get on the sales reservation list.

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Planet Reuse: Reclaimed & Salvaged Materials for your project!

Stumbled onto a fantastic website today thanks to the NAHB. Planet Reuse is an excellent resource for builders, designers, and homeowners looking to find salvaged and reclaimed materials for their projects. I am a big fan of antiques and vintage goods. I love the idea of repurposing an old and unusual item or material and turning it into something new and relevant. Pair that with the green attitude of the country and you end up with a company like Planet Reuse.

Essentially they provide a place to track down and find materials that are taken from demolition sites. It's a win win for contractors, they can find a use for your project waste and turn one mans's trash into another man's treasure. They even document this for your LEED waste management program and will handle all of the shipping and storing.

On the other end of the spectrum, designers homeowners or builders looking for unique materials or just looking to save some money by buying recycled goods can check out their listings of available materials. They have all kinds of unexpected things like recycled granite that has been turned into pavers, hand hewn beams from old barns, you can even find old gym floor tiles! If you're looking for something in particular you can submit a request for materials.

As a wannabe designer myself I see it as a gold mine... the recycled clay tiles, the antique marble slabs, the cypress logs, the recycled church pews... it's like a creative designers dream and I can think of a million ways to turn these materials into a work of art in any home.

So support the green movement, builders check off your LEED standards of building, and take advantage of the vast amount of salvaged materials out there!

~5280 Lady

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What does $258 Million buy you?

Well here in the Denver area it buys you an outstanding new judicial complex to house our Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Attorney Generals office! There was a massive demolition today of the previous building. The previous building was the victim of outdated and shoddy building practice from years ago and was therefore destroyed to lend way to a new complex that will be up to date and up to the standards that Denverites expect, especially in a goverment building that our precious tax dollars are funding!

It just goes to show that even the big dogs and government gurus aren't exempt to poor contracting practices. That's why we keep hounding our clients and audience to do their due diligence and research the contractor for your project so that you don't end up on the short end of the stick.

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Less Is More: a new approach in home trends

Here's a great video from the Today Show. It's a good take on the changes we're seeing in home construction. Less is more seems to be the new approach. Plus some great insight from Barbara Corcoran on what home improvements will add value vs the ones that wont.

Does It Add Value? Home Improvement Tips & Insight

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A change in the tide: Renovation & Remodeling trends 2010-2011

As a result of the times people are changing the way they do things in their every day lives and those changes have now translated into the home improvement realm. There is an overall change in the tide with construction these days...

One of the biggest trends we've seen this past year has been the green movement. It started as a catch phrase but has grown into an actual movement since the downturn of the economy and job market. People are changing not only their lifestyles with food choices and exercise plans but they're also desiring a clean and healthy home for their family. Sustainable flooring and recycled building materials are a common request.

The next biggest trend we've seen in the industry is a scaling back of home improvement projects. In the past homeowners didn't put any thought into the future when they splurged on major home renovations. With the economy today homeowners are cautious of the future and want to make sure that they aren't going to lose their investment in their remodeling projects. They realize the possibility that they could become a victim of the poor job market and don't want to find themselves upside down, having to sell their home for less than they've put into it.

So with this cautious attitude we're seeing more and more small scale projects instead of the big home additions. Instead of gutting kitchens, tearing down walls, and purchasing top of the line appliances we're seeing more of a facelift approach. A lot of homeowners are re-purposing and reusing their exisiting cabinetry and flooring, updating only the countertops and fixtures. The same goes for bathroom remodels, adding some tile flooring, a new tub, and a fresh coat of paint is enough to get a noticeable update with a quarter of the cost.

Along those same lines of scaling back the focus of improvement projects has become "maintenance" projects. Replacing siding, windows, roofing, and doors to uphold the integrity of the home are common practice now according to Martin Conneely of Conneely Contracting.

Color is the new black! The color trends that are popping up seem to follow this overall lifestyle change to get back to the basics and back to our roots. The color pallets are broadening and earth tones and deep rich colors are popular. On the design side we're seeing these colors paired with a global influence in fabrics and decor. As the new year approaches expect to see a move toward simplicity and clean lines with more vivid and rich colors. "In 2010-2011, we’ll see a trend toward consumers choosing livelier colours to reflect their optimism in their quest for a brighter future.” says Stéphanie Pelland, Marketing Communication Manager for the Sico brand and member of the international colour forecaster Color Marketing Group.

Check out the Home Renovation Guide for more insight into the upcoming design trends.

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Room Envy: Cozy Great Room

I saw this picture and fell in love with the design and architecture. My favorite parts are the wood clad windows, the architectural beams, and the grand yet subtle fireplace. I love the simple color pallet, it allows for the room to stand alone without overdoing it. It feels cozy and bright and very homey!

Courtesy of Keith Waters & Associates, Inc.

~5280 Lady

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Building for Energy Savings: 9 great tips

So I have to say thank you to Stewart Perry over at Planting Acorns for this list. He attended a U.S. Green Building Council and listened to a lecture from architect Norbert Lechner. Lechner is an energy expert who discussed energy efficiency and green building with the audience. Here's the 9 tips he gave to save energy straight from the building process.

Now before I go into the list I think it's important to realize here that it is crucial to start with the building blocks when making this transition to energy conservation. It is much harder and less effective to remediate problems after the building or home is already in place. A homeowner can switch out appliances, put in different windows, and add skylights after the fact but this is far more costly and your return on energy savings is far from ideal. The key is to make the home as efficient as possible DURING construction.

And from the guru, here's Lechner's take...

1. Building orientation/positioning (can reduce energy consumption by up to 50%) Just by positioning the building in a particular way on the lot and at the appropriate angle we can drop the consumption in half!

2. Building color (reduction up to 20%)

3. Window placement

4. Window size

5. Shading

6. Passive solar heating

7. Day lighting

8. Active solar heating

9. Photovoltaics (PV)

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