Blog | Black Canyon Builders

Harvard Finance Prof Expresses Optimism for Housing

jogdenMay 8th, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

In Durango, we’re seeing prices start to crawl back up to sustainable levels and interest rates stay historically low. Properties – vacant land and homes – aren’t moving as fast as they did at the height of the housing boom, but they are moving faster than just after the bust.

Havard finance lecturer, Nicholas P. Retsinas, suggests three reasons for acceleration in the national recovery.

The improvement of the national economy, as a whole,
Changes in household formation (such as adult children finally able to leave the parental home due to stronger job market), and
Abnormally low interest rates.

In the interview, from the Harvard Business School “Working Knowledge” newsletter, Retsinas dives minimally into the regions most hard hit in the downturn, too. For instance, in Southern California and Las Vegas, institutional buying of properties is bolstering those markets. Corporations buy much of the inventory to rent to individuals, until prices come up to effective levels to consider selling.

Retsinas points to discussion of the mortgage interest tax deduction as potentially one of the biggest influences on full housing recovery. It is a marked fiscal benefit to buying and owning a home, especially to the less affluent.

How does this apply to Southwest Colorado? Well, first, I’m not an economist – so I’ll keep my observations to what seems to be happening right now. The strengthening economy helps all of us, obviously. Land and properties are still plentiful, but the market is not as flooded as it once was. Interest rates are possibly the strongest reason to buy right now. If you’re in a position to buy, it would be a shame to not lock in at these rates.

The ultimate good news, in my opinion, is that Southwest Colorado – while not immune to the larger market trends – is slightly more insulated. We remain an area that people want to live and own second homes. It is a lifestyle choice to live here and as such, our steadfast population tends to weather the spikes and drops in the market with slightly less drama. Bottom line: Southwest Colorado is and continues to be a wonderful place to live and a solid investment for the future.

Tax Benefits of Second Home Ownership

jogdenApril 16th, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

Before we begin, please note that Black Canyon Builders is neither offering financial guidance, nor are we tax professionals. Our goal with this post is to gather resources to help you prepare for consult with your financial and tax professionals.

With tax time season just wrapping up, you may be contemplating the financial benefits and costs of building a vacation or second home. Land prices are still suppressed in the Southwest and loan rates are still at all-time lows. It’s a great time to build.

Vacation Home or Rental Home: Did you know that you are allowed to rent your vacation home for 14 days or fewer without claiming the rental income? Use it as frequently as you’d like for your family and friends, and let the rental income offset some of the costs. Other scenarios present different tax implications, with deductible opportunities and the need to claim rental income. Click here for general info, then check with your CPA.

Interest Rate Deductions: If you exclusively use your second home for your own vacations (i.e. no rentals), the mortgage interest and property taxes are fully deductible. Click here for more info and check with your CPA.

Think Toward Retirement for Equity and Reduced Expenses in the Future: If you know you’d like to retire in Southwestern Colorado, start planning now. With interest rates low and property values destined to increase over the long run, a vacation home now is a solid investment in your future. Click here for more info and check with your financial planner.

If you’re ready to build, click here and check in with Black Canyon Builders!

Thanks,

Jared

Mitigating Noise in Open Floorplans and Timber Frames

jogdenApril 12th, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

As we reported earlier this week, two Woodhouse team members will be featured in the June issue of Timber Home Living. The revered magazine selected the kitchen from a custom Woodhouse timber frame for its “Kitchen Showcase” feature. In the second Woodhouse feature, director of design, Ray Lefebvre, chimes in acoustic management in timber frame homes.

It can be difficult to mitigate noise in open floor plans, often preferred in timber frame homes. Ray goes over some of the solutions we can implement in ceilings, flooring choices and walls. To read the full article, buy the June issue Timber Home Living. A few select paragraphs are also in the Woodhouse newsletter from April.

Here are some highlights:

Ceilings: The good news is that the typical vaulted ceiling design in a timber frame breaks up noise travel better than a flat ceiling, which just bounces sound right back at you. Also, tongue & groove will be quieter than drywall due the varied texture.

Flooring: Wood and stone floors definitely won’t dissipate noise as well as carpet. However, noise can be mitigated with simple solutions like well-placed throw rugs, and well-conceived planning with flexible underlayments (foam rubber, cork or Homasote).

Walls: By definition, an open floor plan will be light on walls, which break up sound travel. With strong consideration to traffic flow and aesthetics, partial walls can make a notable impact. Also, never underestimate the significant impact of window coverings, upholstered furniture and even artwork. These items notably reduce sound transmission.

Well done, Ray!

Thanks,

Jared

Woodhouse-Designed Kitchen in Timber Home Living

jogdenApril 9th, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

As you may know, Black Canyon Builders is an Independent Builder Dealer with the premier timber frame company, Woodhouse. The June issue of Timber Home Living magazine will feature both the president of Woodhouse, Pat Seaman, and director of design, Ray Lefebvre.

Seaman was interviewed for June Kitchen Showcase in the magazine. While the Showcase is simply designed to celebrate a gorgeous space, I think Seaman’s comments can be applied to nearly every kitchen design. Below is a summary of his points in bold, followed by my editorial.

Overhead beams. This is a bit specific to the kitchen in question, but goes to show how versatile and adaptable timber frame design can be. The featured kitchen felt too big in scale, so Woodhouse milled and installed joist timbers to “humanize” the space. Quick solution and gorgeous result.
Color combinations. Play with color and texture in materials (wood choice, cabinetry, flooring and countertops) – not just paint – to add depth and atmosphere to a space.
Open concept. Open concept kitchens are, and will always be, desirable. That said, they can be adapted to your own interpretation. Open to the outdoors with large windows and patio doors. Or open to a living space with well-placed architectural details. Open concept does not need to be synonymous with one, expansive and overwhelming space. Scale and flow are critical.
Specialty items. The kitchen in the showcase is made unique by professional kitchen influences like a Wolf range and a pot-filling water faucet over the range. It doesn’t matter what your preference is, but definitely examine your lifestyle to determine what specialty item will improve your daily life – or even just make you smile.

To read the full article, sign up for the Woodhouse newsletter and check out the June issue of Timber Home Living. To see more images of the particular Woodhouse home (8500-sq. ft custom lake home), click here.

Check back later this week for our post sharing Ray Lefebvre’s interview in Timber Home Living.

Benefits of SIPs Panels for a Distinguished Home

jogdenApril 2nd, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

While well known by custom homebuilders, structural insulated panels (SIPs) are little known by the broad market. They are a remarkable product that deliver unparalleled performance, so it’s time to celebrate SIPs.

SIPs panels are essentially a sandwich of structurally engineered oriented strand board (better known as OSB) and either a polyurethane or expanded polystyrene insulated middle. [Please note that Black Canyon Builders works with Murus SIPs, so we are referring to that company's top tier product lines.]

If you’ve heard of SIPs panels, the first association is the superior R-value they provide. While a notable energy efficient and comfort attribute, SIPs panels provide a host of other benefits. Here are a few:

Clean construction ~ SIPs with a Woodhouse Timber Frame come measured and cut to precision, leaving no need for the on-and off-site mess of additional insulation.
Fast construction ~ Fewer cuts and nearly instant structure.
Consistent and superior temperature moderation ~ SIPs provide consistent heating and cooling, without hot and cold spots of “tradtional” construction.
Fiscal savings ~ Savings in energy costs to heat and cool, both throughout the year and over the lifespan of the home, are significant.
Design Flexibility ~ Since SIPs panels are (or can be) structural, a homeowner isn’t constrained by traditional construction limitations. SIPs can support large window expanses and powerful architectural detailing.
Structural SIPs mean every square inch is habitable ~ If SIPs are used for the roof structure, for instance, trusses are unnecessary and the attic space is open. More square footage for your dollar. For wall structure, SIPs walls require comparable space to most masonry walls.
Air tight ~ Many SIPs homes are so airtight, we install an additional ventilation system to ensure clean air. Off the cuff, that may sound like a negative, but the positive side is that you’re not losing the air you’re paying to heat.
Minimal cold bridging ~ Cold bridging is the inevitable “break” in continuity where construction materials meet. For example, “traditional” construction will have a cold bridge every 16″ inches. SIPs panel construction significantly minimizes this phenomenon.
Flexibility of interior choices ~ The rigidity of SIPs panels can reduce the need (in many instances) for additional support systems for heavy, interior design elements.
Solid, luxurious feel ~ Yes, this point is a little strange to associate with a home. Just think of the difference between opening a solid wood door and a cheaper, hollow-core door. The solid wood feels sturdy and as though it will stand the test of time. Now imagine that feel extending to an entire home. Your custom home should feel equally solid, sturdy and luxurious – from the outside in.

Special thanks to the Build It Green, UK website for adding to our long list of SIPs benefits.

Thanks!

Jared

The Other End of the Spectrum: Pre-Fab Homes

jogdenMarch 22nd, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

Black Canyon Builders works with our clients to create fine, custom homes. Every detail can be individualized for personal tastes, lifestyles and site placement. We’re also an award-winning green builder and we appreciate minimal site disruption, repurposed materials and energy efficiency. With those things in mind, today I’m going to go “off topic” and share some of the latest examples of higher end pre-fabricated design.

Black Canyon Builders doesn’t build pre-fab homes. We’re sharing the other end of the spectrum from custom homebuilding as part of our mission to consistently expand our knowledge of the full range of homebuilding options, materials and inspiration.

[Sidebar: In working with Woodhouse Timber Frame Company, we offer the Smartwood Series of pre-designed floor plans. Though all Woodhouse timber frames (Smartwood and custom) are cut and engineered off-site, these are not pre-fab homes. Once they arrive on-site, we join the frame and build from the ground up.]

This article in Kiplinger’s originally piqued our interest – simply to satisfy visual curiosity. A click through the gallery of impressive pre-fab homes is worthwhile for the array of eco-sensibility, variety of design and luxurious touches. These homes range from rural family homes to $1.2 million dollar homes with tawny addresses.

I hope you find it interesting and valuable to take a look. If you do find inspiration, we can discuss how to customize it to your exact needs and standards.

Thanks!

Jared

Repurposed Wood Pallets. Are they safe?

jogdenMarch 7th, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

We’re seeing it everywhere: boring wood shipping pallets transformed into something new, attractive and on-trend.

I first noticed wood pallet slats transformed as a rustic wall (example: click here). Transforming pallets into usable art and design has been around forever, but not always in the most aesthetically pleasing ways. Lately, they are popping up in:

Wood pallet walls,
Wood pallet headboards,
Wood pallet cabinetry,
Wood pallet art, and
More. Entire websites are dedicated to repurposing pallets.

The appeal is rustic, affordable and rich in character. As an appreciator of any effort to repurpose old wood, I’m prone to like this trend. It does, however, come with a serious warning.

Wood pallets may have been treated with chemicals that are dangerous to keep in the home.

Older pallets, which tend to have the most character from age, are likely to have been treated with chemical preservatives, fungicides, insecticides and more. Newer pallets may have been treated with “safe” heat for the same effect. Heat-treated pallets are typically marked with a stamp that says, “HT.”

Organic Authority has a brief, yet effective, write up on the safety of reusing pallets. Their recommended solution is simply to keep them to outside applications.

My recommendation: Achieve the same look with other repurposed wood. It may cost a little more, but you’ll have a better idea of the source and how (or if) the wood has been treated. Bonus: with typically less effort, we can source a previously used wood that is not rough hewn, but retains a rustic character. Trust me, when it comes to cleaning, this will be a decision you never regret.

Thanks,

Jared

Black Canyon Blog is Back!

jogdenMarch 3rd, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

So sorry for the long absence. We weren’t gone for lack of trying, but rather some technical difficulties. We’re back in March with a lot to talk about and excited for a big spring.

Please check back regularly this month (or better yet, set the RSS).

Thanks, as always, for being part of the Black Canyon Builders community.

Jared

Black Canyon Builders Featured Builder For February

jogdenFebruary 1st, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

With humility, we’d like to say thanks to Woodhouse, who covered Black Canyon Builders and myself as the featured Independent Builder Dealer (IBD) for February 2013.

The article is copied below. Even aside from this nice honor to be featured, I encourage everyone to sign up for the Woodhouse newsletter. (Click this link, and type your email address in the “Submit” box located in the upper right hand corner of the page.) They share great insight and info for builders and clients alike.

Thanks to Woodhouse and thanks for reading!

Jared

Reprinted from the February 2013 Woodhouse, The Timber Frame Company Newsletter:

Featured IBD - Black Canyon Builders

One of our most successful Independent Builder/Dealers, Jared Ogden and his team have built some of the most beautiful timber frame homes in Colorado. He’s not just a successful builder, but a truly fascinating person to work with. Jared has spent the past 15 years as a professional athlete that brought him to over 24 countries from Chile to Tibet, and Greenland to Nepal. His passion for climbing and alpinism has led to major successes and he’s received notable recognition by his peers and organizations worldwide. Jared has been featured in numerous print publications like National Geographic and Outside, and has been seen in documentaries for film and television by National Geographic Television, The Outdoor Life Network, NBC, ESPN, and RUSH-HD to name a few. In 1997, he won 2 gold medals in the Winter X-Games!

Jared’s ability to transform a vision into action and ultimately into a final product is a major reason why he had such a successful career. Jared has taken that same passion and poured it into crafting extraordinary custom homes. Just as Jared had to choose the right partnerships in climbing to complete a challenging first ascen t, he’s now put together a successful team to complete these custom works of art. His most recent accomplishment was winning the top award in the Durango Parade of Homes in the Green Building category for a custom Woodhouse timber frame home.
His company, Black Canyon Builders, has been an Independent Builder/Dealer of Woodhouse homes since 2010. Jared and his team are ready and waiting to build your very own Woodhouse in the Durango, Telluride, and Pagosa Springs area of Colorado.

Photo Update of Downtown Durango Remodel: Maximizing Natural Light

jogdenJanuary 15th, 2013UncategorizedNo Comments

Black Canyon Builders has built several new custom homes in the past year. While I love the freedom of designing from scratch (so to speak), the challenge of remodeling an existing structure is always a fascinating journey. The owners of our current custom remodel wanted to retain the charm and historically accurate facade of the existing home, while completely renovating the interior to meet their contemporary design aesthetic.

The challenge of this particular property is that it is snuggled in between two existing homes and shaded by a lovely tree-lined street in the front. The property is backed by an alley, and is about a block away from a tall hill beyond which the sun sets. If not accounted for, the home would lack natural light.

We’re maximizing natural light and fresh, circulating air with strategically-placed windows that let the light in and maintain privacy at the same time.

Black Canyon Builders, custom home builder, Durango, CO - downtown remodel

The kitchen and main entrance with oversized picture windows.

And clerestory windows capture southern light and warmth. Approximately every other window opens for air circulation. The main living space is lighted with these south-facing windows.

See the rectangular clerestory windows in the upper center of the image. This image, shot from the dead center of the house, is lighted with entirely natural sunlight. Bright, no?

The next image shows two of the several skylights in the home. The skylights below are on the north-facing angle of the roof. With Durango’s hot summer season, these will bring in light without heat.

Here is a view of the kitchen (to the viewer’s left of the main entrance) with sheet rock and exposed beams. One the high ceilings make the room feel spacious, and the steep pitch makes it feel cozy and maintains historic accuracy.

And one last detail that maximizes space. The next image shows the fireplace, which is double-sided to warm (and add ambiance to) both the master suite and the main living room.

Keep checking back for more photo updates.

Thanks,

Jared

970.903.9577

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