Monthly Archive for August, 2008

Denver’s Historical Neighborhoods: Clement’s Addition

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 31, 2008
in Denver neighborhoods
. 0 Comments

If you mentioned the name “Clement’s Addition“ to anyone under the age of sixty, you would likely be met with a confused look. No, Clement’s Addition is not the name of the contracting company your friend hired to pop the top on his two-bedroom bungalow. Although it’s one of Denver’s more interesting, celebrated, and historic communities, Clement’s is not always recognized by name. Much like a lesser-known working actor, you’ll recognize Clement’s Addition when you see it; you just didn’t know its name.

Where It Is: Southeast of Lower Downtown (LoDo) between 20th and 22nd Streets (see map of 20th Street), from Tremont Place (map of Tremont) to Glenarm Place (map of Glenarm).

What It Is: Clement’s Addition is a little sliver of old Denver; it’s the oldest intact block of housing in the city, along with Curtis Park, which remains remarkably intact north of 23rd Street (map of 23rd Steet). South of the line, however, there isn’t much residential remaining with any regularity. The exception is the Arapahoe Square area, with what is becoming a less sparsely-housed neighborhood just west of Clement’s. Clement’s Addition proper is the one surviving block that staved off the bulldozers and wrecking balls of the mid-70’s that made way for the 1976 Winter Olympics Housing.

What’s Nearby: The arts and lit scene, eg the Thomas Hornsby Ferril House on 2123 Downing Street, now home to the Lighthouse Writers Workshop and formerly other fine nonprofit organizations in service to Denver and its people (Ferril was Colorado’s Poet Laureate from the late ’70s until his death in 1988). Also Benedict Fountain Park, Curtis Park, Arapahoe Square, Ballpark, Central Business District, LoDo, Park Avenue Addition, and numerous lightrail stations.

What’s to See: A new 32-story luxury high-rise at 1950 Welton Street, historic single-family homes, historic office conversions, brand-new, one-of-a-kind brownstones at 2137 Glenarm Place, and more.

Also Known As: A part of the greater neighborhood area known as Uptown.

The Peleton: Boulder’s New New Thing

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 29, 2008
in Boulder Condos
. 1 Comment
A New-New Kind of Peloton

A New-New Kind of Peloton

For those of you who were around Boulder during its first tech heyday, you may still refer to the area around 33rd and Arapahoe as the former site of the Exabyte campus. No more.

Because now with an undeniable presence, including a 22,000 foot community center that was finished and fully functional even before the first residents had set foot in their homes, The Peloton is going to teach you a lesson in what’s new at 3601 Arapahoe.

What’s There: Brand new single-floor condos with high-end finishes, such as slab granite counter tops, maple cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. Top of the line landscaping, private courtyards and a dog park. And that community center everyone’s been talking about - think movie theater with leather seats and heated rooftop pool for year-round shenanigans. Secured underground and surface parking and lobby bike lockers in a mixed-use environment. Choose from sixty different floor plans ranging from about 800 to 1900 square feet, each with a private patio or balcony. Oh, and did somebody say mountain views?

How much: Priced from the mid-300s to the mid-900s and up, 38 of the 385 units will be part of Boulder’s affordable-housing program.

Other attractions: Walking distance to 29th Street Mall (with transit to Village coming soon), easy commuter access to highway 36 via Foothills Parkway, University of Colorado, the Foothills Campus of Boulder Community Hospital, downtown Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, and NoBo area neighborhoods.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by cmrowell

What Estes Park, Boulder and Evergreen Have in Common

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 27, 2008
in Colorado Homes
. 0 Comments

Bear Warning

Fair Bear Warning

This isn’t one of those jokes that starts with a rabbi, a priest, and a minister walking into a bar. It does involve bears, however.

Into the Wild (Kind of)
When relocating to Estes Park, Boulder, Evergreen, Lyons, and other towns with lots of lurking wildlife, new residents find themselves charged with the task of making slight lifestyle changes to accommodate their more rugged environment.

To wit…
The Bear Wagon recently made the rounds in the South Boulder neighborhood, or SoBo as we’ve been known to call it. It’s mission: educate residents and renters on what kinds of attractants can lure bears and other wildlife, such as mountain lions, into the neighborhood, thus endangering people and the bears themselves.

Why?
Bears who are found making a nuisance of themselves in residential areas are transported back into the wilderness, unless they become repeat offenders, in which case they are eventually destroyed. To prevent such a lose-lose situation, residents in areas with high wildlife populations are encouraged to leave their trash containers inside garages and sheds, or to bear-proof them.

The Bear Basics
Leaving food out is always a no-no, and in towns farther into the mountains, such as Nederland, it’s recommended that residents take extra precautions to protect not only their disposables, but their domestic animals and livestock as well.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by ground.zero

Estes Park Accolades

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 24, 2008
in Colorado Homes
. 0 Comments

Estes Park, CO

View of Estes Park looking west

In the spring of 2008 Estes Park homes and property owners were thrilled to learn that the town had won four different and important honors as a top place to spend a day or a vacation. They were: The Weather Channel, Kids Pages, the Greeley Tribune and TripAdvisor.com, all of which touted Estes as a top travel destination. It would stand to reason, then, that Estes Park is a pretty nice place to live, too. (Here’s a map of where the 100 newest Estes Park home listings are.)

Geographically, it’s not far from Fort Collins, which was named as one of Money Magazine’s best places to live in 2006. And with the Estes Park climate, amenities, and accessibility to Boulder to the south, Fort Collins and Windsor to the north, and Loveland and Greeley to the east, Estes Park lives at the residential intersection of outdoor recreation, the arts, and business. By the way, how many towns can say they’re home to a 14-thousand-foot-peak and a national park (Rocky Mountain National Park) full of the flora and fauna Colorado is known for?

Take a spin by some Estes Park homes and real estate, and see its surrounding areas for a virtual taste of what the press and visitors have known since before the (in)famous Stanley Hotel broke ground: that when it comes to accessible mountain living, Estes Park marks the spot.

Photo by –Creative Commons, by rjones0856

Down to the Grout with Home Improvements

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 22, 2008
in Home Selling Tips
. 0 Comments

If your bTile and groutathroom, kitchen or floor tiles are looking a little rough, consider renewing the grout, especially if re-tiling an area is out of the question. Considering that grout is dramatically less expensive than tile, your main decision has to do with choosing a grout color, which was recently simplified at Ask a Floor Guy.

There are hundreds of grout colors, it’s true, but according to everyone’s favorite flooring expert, you can simplify your choices in grouts by:

  • matching your tile color
  • choosing contrasting grout color
  • choosing a neutral grout color

Keep in mind that darker grouts tend to hide stains better, while lighter colors can showcase the tiles or accent a design. In any case, re-grouting is bound to improve and freshen the overall look of your home, and therefore is a great addition to any home seller’s strategy. Happy home selling.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by juhansonin

Getting to Know SoBo

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 19, 2008
in Boulder Homes
. 0 Comments

SoBo

If you’ve never been to South Boulder, or SoBo as Boulderites have started to call it, it’s the end of Boulder off closest to Golden, and is also sometimes referred to as the smaller neighborhood components of Table Mesa, Martin Acres, Devil’s Thumb, Shanahan Ridge, and others.

Here’s who lives in SoBo, according to Zillow:

  • Fab Families - High-income, high-profile couples with children.
  • Corporate Cats - High-income, high-expense, “upwardly mobile” urban singles.
  • Bright Lights, Big City - Very mobile, well-traveled singles from the city.

That’s pretty interesting, considering:

  • The high concentration of retirees there.
  • A higher concentration of residents hailing from the Northeast.
  • SoBo-ites tend to get to work by bicycle, and make good use of the South Boulder Recreation Center.

Take a personalized tour through SoBo and draw your own conclusions.

Where is Denver LoHi?

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 17, 2008
in Denver Homes
. 0 Comments

The name LoHi sounds like something you eat in Hawaii, or a gambling strategy you’d use up in Black Hawk or Central City, but if you’re familiar with LoDo (lower downtown), you know that LoHi is the new-new mashup neighborhood name that’s gaining popularity with the Denver crowd.

It’s short for “lower” and “Highland,” of course, which is why you’ll find it between Speer Blvd (map of Speer), I-25, 38th Ave (map of 38th Ave) and Federal (map of Federal), near Hishorn Park and the also new-new LoHi Marketplace.

Maybe we’ll see you there. Wouldn’t it be great if the nearby hangout Lola Coastal Mexican Restaurant started throwing luaus?

Castle Rock Star: Castle Pines Village

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 15, 2008
in Colorado Homes
. 0 Comments

Castle Rock Castle Pines Village

An aerial view of the 80108 zip code with active listings

Today there are over one hundred listings in Castle Pines Village for sale, which makes it one of Colorado’s most active neighborhoods; it’s a top Colorado neighborhood with land offerings, single-family homes, patio homes, and condos/townhomes galore in sub-neighborhoods including Castle Pines North Castle Pines Village Filing, Castle Pines Village proper, and more. Priced higher than the Colorado median, the median price here is $1.2 M, the minimum price is in the high 400s, and the maximum price is up over $6M.

Castle Pines Village is known for its natural scenery, its access to both Denver and Colorado Springs via I-25, and its wide-open spaces. Looking for a gigantic custom home with acreage? You’ll find it in Castle Pines Village. Looking for horse property large enough for multiple barns, dwellings, and income facilities? Ditto. Single-family homes the size of small hotels are fairly common here, but you’ll also find more traditional smaller homes that boast spectacular mountain views from every window. Luxury is the watchword here, in all sizes and configurations.

For numerous other hot offerings in areas near and around Castle Pines Village:

Summer Curb Appeal on the Front Range

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 14, 2008
in Home Selling Tips
. 0 Comments

Sprinkler

A photo of the Denver Botanical Gardens (Flickr–Creative Commons)

Among Colorado home owners, the phrase “water, water everywhere” isn’t a phrase often thrown around. With summertime lawn watering restrictions in Denver, it isn’t always easy to keep things green when temperatures rise into the 90s and higher. But with homebuyers out in force this season, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to wow them with your Colorado home simply because your yard wasn’t all it could be.

Most Colorado consumers are concerned with rising gas prices, but if you’re buying a home in the Colorado Front Range, you probably have some ecological and financial concerns about water, too. Here’s a short list of things you can do this summer to keep your home looking great from the curb, whether it’s on the market or not.

  1. If you have a sprinkler system, make sure it’s properly maintained. Leaks and inefficiencies can cost you both dollars and dead spots. Carefully research installers, and look into receiving an irrigation system audit that measures and evaluates your system.
  2. Follow your neighborhood’s water restrictions (if there are any). Not only will you save the communities water supply, you’ll avoid fines or additional fees.
  3. Water before 9:00 AM. Watering before it gets too warm outside raises the bang for your watering buck because you’re not losing as much moisture to evaporation. Avoid watering at night, however, because doing so can increase the molds and fungi that can take hold.
  4. Ask your water department for literature or material on landscaping in a dry climate; further, ask an expert about landscaping/xeriscaping options.
  5. Careful care and management of grasses can make them more water-wise.

Boulder Colorado Country Club Estates

Published
by
Lane Hornung
on August 12, 2008
in Boulder Homes
. 0 Comments

golf courseIf country club living is for you, the news is good in Boulder. Homes in Boulder’s Country Club Estates are relatively plentiful, and reasonably priced.

With homes starting in the mid-400s to the mid-600s, Boulder’s Country Club Estates is one of the more active neighborhoods in the area’s portfolio - see a map of the 80301 zip code to orient yourself to the overall area.

Located between Lookout Road (to the north), 75th Ave (to the east), Jay Road (to the south), and 63rd (to the west), Country Club Estates is a part of Boulder often referred to as Gunbarrel.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Sunnyvaledave