The New Mexican had a nice article today about the community:

ARTICLE:

ElderGrace housing community: An ‘oasis’ of green living

Residents share effort to live with less impact

By: Dennis J. Carroll

They’re not quite there yet, but the 26 residents of the ElderGrace housing community see a day when they share vegetables from the community gardens, all get money back from the power company and carpool around town in communally owned electric vehicles.

“This kind of feels like an oasis” from the nearby congested and highly paved cacophony of central Cerrillos Road, said Adele Strasser, who spoke about the community’s environmentally friendly water-diversion and landscaping systems.

Strasser happened to be the self-taught water expert; Garland Bellamy figured out how to construct solar water-heating and photovoltaic systems for his home; Rose Driscoll is organizing a communal compost pile composed of residents’ kitchen scraps and lawn trimmings, Starbucks coffee grinds and the occasional bear scat she brings back from hiking trips. Pauline Sargent, meanwhile, is working on car-sharing plans.

“I am really looking forward everyone eating lots of healthy vegetables that will come out of our garden, which will feed us well,” Driscoll said.

ElderGrace celebrated its first anniversary Sunday, showing off its many minimalist carbon-footprint features.

The community sits on 3 1/2 acres about three blocks south of the 3400 block of Cerrillos Road. It was built, organized and designed by its association members in partnership with the Housing Trust a year ago.

Its residents, who are at least 55 years old, live in one- and two-bedroom homes that are priced between $198,000 and $228,000 and range from 960 square feet to 1,250 square feet.

Residents say the community tries to balance personal privacy and group participation in a semblance of communal living.

Strasser and others noted the short walking distances to shopping and recreational sites, and the quick access to hiking trails.

The homes were designed and constructed with a variety of green and sustainability features, including water-saving devices, passive-solar orientation, in-floor radiant heat, cellulose insulation and a host of other such amenities.

Del Wilkerson, 63, bought an ElderGrace home in late August. “I didn’t want to grow old and be alone,” he said. “I wanted a place that could be a community and not just a place to live.”

Sunday’s event organizer, Pamela Gilchrist, said four out of the total of 28 residences remain to be sold.

For information regarding Eldergrace or any other real estate in Santa Fe, don’t hesitate to contact Matt and Ryan.

Link to Original Article Here.

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

Festivities are abundant in Santa Fe as well. Throughout today and the rest of the week there are many activities for the environmentally conscious.  Check out the list below for a schedule of eco-cool activities in the City Different.

Today!

9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Tree planting at Agua Fria Elementary with The Santa Fe Watershed Association and Earth Care International.

3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: La Montanita Co-op is hosting an Expo of local nonprofits and businesses.

6:00 p.m.-8:00p.m.: Join the Green Drinks  group at the Rio Chama Steakhouse for a presentation and book signing by San Francisco eco-entrepreneur Scott Cooney.

6:30 p.m.: The Native Plant Society of New Mexico presents a free talk by Robert Sivinski, New Mexico state botanist on “Southwestern Cienegas — Rare Habitats for Endangered Wetland Plants” at REI in the Railyard.

Friday (23rd)

10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: Garden celebration and work at the new Hopewell Garden.

6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.: Earth Care International’s Youth Allies present an Art and Social Change Show at Warehouse 21

Saturday (24th)

10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: Tree planting and service day at The Community Farm and San Isidro Park

10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: Santa Fe Garden Fair with garden exhibits and discounted plants at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds.

10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: Water and Energy Expo at the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza

Sunday (25th)

10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: The Water and Energy Expo continues at the Hilton Santa Fe.

Contact Matt Desmond and Ryan Bolton

The city has been offering rebates on water harvesting rain barrels and low flow toilets for the past couple of years. This year they decided to step it up a notch with the new rebate program in part due to the federal stimulus money for such programs.  The federal grant is for $440,000, which means that many more people can cash in on the program.

Rebates are distributed as credits on city water bills, and are only available to customers with their name on the city water bill.  The program does not apply to new construction within the city and it should be noted that not all “energy efficient” appliances qualify for the rebate.  Due to this, the city is advising consumers to read the guidelines prior to purchasing a new water saving device. Consumers must also fill out and submit a rebate form within 90 days of purchasing the appliance.

Ultimately, the rebate program saves the consumer in 2 ways.  First, the rebate helps pay for the new appliance.  While this won’t cover the total cost of, say, a new washing machine, it will help considerably. Second, over a short period of time the amount of water saved will add up significantly, leading to reduced water bills.

So, if you have an old washer or toilet that needs upgrading, now is the time.  It will save you money and conserve water.

Contact Matt Desmond and Ryan Bolton

As with the rest of consumer goods, real estate buyers are spending their money more wisely, and being significantly more thoughtful about the process. Gone are the days of significant amounts of buyers looking for home theatres, 10 car garages, and foyers the size of football field. In general, buyers are thinking smaller, more efficient, and “green”.  All of these, of course, when the price is right.

Below is a list of 5 features that today’s home buyer is looking for:

1) The Kitchen Still Rules.One thing that hasn’t changed over the past 20 years is that people want a spacious, well organized kitchen.  This is the place where most buyers are willing to pay a bit more and sellers are smart to upgrade prior to putting their house on the market. This includes having upgraded counter tops, nice appliances, and an island.

2) Work From Home? Many buyers today would rather have a home office than a formal dining room. Why? Functionality.  More and more people are working from home, and this trend will most likely continue for some time.

3) Energy Efficiency. From energy efficient windows to energy efficient appliances, people are wanting to conserve.  This is not only an environmental movement, but an economic one.  It’s amazing how much money can be saved by upgrading windows, insulation, and appliances.

4) Outdoor Living Rooms. When you live in a place like Santa Fe where you can comfortably entertain outside 9 months of the year (O.K., this year may be an exception), buyers are looking for outdoor living areas. More and more buyers are wanting outdoor spaces to cook, eat, entertain, and just relax.  And with Santa Fe’s sunsets, who can blame them.

5) Main Floor Master Bedroom. With the baby-boomer generation aging, first floor master suites are steadily increasing in popularity.  We are especially seeing this trend in Santa Fe, where the population is, in general, older.  Even younger types are considering this as a nice option, with the ability to have doors that open directly to outdoor living spaces (see above).

I’m sure these trends will continue to change, but for now this is the norm.  And I like it.  I am really into a nice kitchens, I love to entertain outdoors, I enjoy my first floor bedroom, I often work from home, and I’m all about being green and saving money.

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Bigger Projects

1) Re-stucco your home: Nearly every home in Santa Fe has a stucco exterior, and ALL stucco exteriors need routine maintenance.  Parapets need re-stuccoing often, and cracks all around the house should be repaired when needed.  For a larger project you can re-stucco your entire home. This will certainly add value to your and keep pesky leaks and drafts out.

2) Remodel your kitchen: O.K., this isn’t the easiest task, but it will increase the value of your home significantly.  It will take a bit of a budget, and it will take a bit of time, but if needed, it is well worth it. If you do enter into a kitchen renovation project upgrade as much as you can.  Home buyers don’t like to see a brand new kitchen will all new appliances, except for the beige fridge from the 1980s.

3) Remodel your bathroom(s): See kitchen (above).  Another good “bang for your buck” project.

4) Install new windows: Green is in, and even if you’re not into that, saving money is! Windows continue to get more and more efficient, saving significant amounts of energy and money in the winter and summer time.  If your budget is low, consider doing this one room at a time.

Smaller Projects

1) Landscape: It is incredible what improvements to the outdoor spaces can do for a home.  Often times just adding a few plants, a few pots, and a tree can make a huge difference.  This is a great way to add significant value and curb appeal without breaking the bank.

2) Maintain your roof and canales: At 7000 feet the sun really can take a toll on your roof. Every year clean debrit off the roof of debris and unclog canales. Repairs on both of these items should be addressed immediately as well.

3) Install a water catchment system: This can be easier than you think.  All around Santa Fe you can buy water catchment cisterns at reasonable prices.  Full blown water catchment projects require burying cisterns and installing pumps, but it is also possible to find portable ones that a hose can be hooked up to.  This is a great way to conserve water, provide irrigation, and add value.

Happy Spring!

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•Conduct a “draft check.”  Your heating dollars could be going out your windows, doors and electrical outlets. Check for air leaks throughout your home; check around doors, windows, fixtures, electrical outlets, wiring, plumbing and fireplace dampers.  Turn it into a family activity. Draft-proofing is the least expensive energy efficiency investment with the biggest payoff.

•Plug those air leaks. Seal leaks between doors or windows (and their frames) with weather stripping and between window frames and walls with sealant or caulk.

•Install door sweeps on the insides of exterior doors.  Cold air can seep in under doors. Solution: Door sweeps are cheap and keep the draft out. No sweeps available? Even a rolled up towel or blanket will help. And consider twin or dual draft guards on both sides of doors where you feel drafts.

•Open curtains and other window treatments on your west- and south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to make it harder for warm air to escape. If you are purchasing new drapes, consider an insulated lining, which reduces both heating and cooling bills.

•Freezing by your windows?  If that’s the case, and you’ve already plugged those window leaks and can’t afford new high-efficiency windows, consider purchasing a kit containing sheets of plastic film to tape over the insides of your windows. Use a hair dryer to create a tight fit.

•Consider insulating drafty electrical outlets. Use light switch foam insulation pads and wall jack foam insulation pads on outlets on colder exterior walls.

•You’re not in the South Seas.  Don’t turn up the heat so high that you can be comfortable dressed in a T-shirt and going barefoot. Even when indoors, dress for winter weather and layer clothing so that you can keep the thermostat at a reasonable yet comfortable temperature. It’s a good time to wear those holiday sweaters!•Consider a space heater for the room where you spend a lot of time.  But keep in mind that this makes sense from an energy standpoint only if you reduce heating in other rooms.•Keep furnace filters clean.  Check and change your filter every month during heavy-use winter months to assist air flow, so your system doesn’t have to work harder to keep you warm.

•Seal your heating and cooling ducts. In a typical house with a forced air system, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts.  Sealing and insulating ducts increases their efficiency, lowers home energy bills and can often pay for itself in energy savings. Insulate ducts in unheated areas such as attics, crawlspaces and garages with duct insulation that carries an R-value of 6 or higher. Also, a well-designed and sealed duct system may make it possible to downsize to a smaller, less costly heating and cooling system that will provide better dehumidification.

•Let a programmable thermostat “remember for you” to lower the heat while your home is empty and/or overnight to reduce heating costs by up to 10 percent – and allow you to come home and wake up to a toasty, comfortable house.

Contact Matt Desmond and Ryan Bolton

1) A new heating system was installed throughout the house. The old in-ceiling radiant heat was ill-conceived and fairly nonfunctional. Therefore, we installed 7 new Myson radiant heaters throughout the home.  This entailed ripping up some flooring, troweling into some of the adobe, and adding a brand new boiler and hot water heater. With three new digital thermostats, the house is now warm and cozy.

2) Additional electrical outlets and cable lines were trowled into the adobe walls and then plastered over.  This brought the house up to date and created a great media room.

3) The bedroom was completely renovated.  A Murphy bed was taken out, and a cove for a real bed was created. The washer and dryer and an armoire were also moved out to create more space.

4) New cabinets were built in the kitchen, and a space was created for the washer and dryer. A concrete countertop was custom made to accommodate the cabinets.

5) The entire interior of the house was painted. The paint certainly needed updating as some of the previous colors really detracted from the homes character.

6) All of the floors were refinished and stained. The same stain was used throughout the house to create continuity between rooms.

7) Little clean up projects happened in nearly every room.  Ceilings and Vigas were oiled, dampers were put on all three fireplaces, and touch ups were performed all over the place.

Check out the video below.

To watch the progress of the entire project, click on any of the links below.  It’s amazing how much has changed in such a short amount of time!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Worried that you will now go through withdrawal from a lack of updates on the house?  Don’t despair, we are planning on continuing posts that follow the furnishing and decorating of the house.  Currently, drapes are being made, a bed is being fabricated, chairs and a sofa are on order, and all of our eyes and ears around Santa Fe are looking for some great vintage pieces to fill the space. Updates may be a bit less frequent, but we’ll keep you in the loop.  Until then, Cheers!

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1) The painting is finished!  Every room has received up to three coats of new white paint, and it’s amazing how different the house looks with all white on the walls.  The rooms feel significantly larger, the floors and ceilings really pop out, and the level of elegance in the home has risen significantly. All of the great details and characteristics of the home are now even more noticeable.

2) All of the new Myson heaters are fully installed and in working order.  Three different digital and programmable thermostats have been wired as well. The house is now warm and cozy!

3) The new cabinets in the kitchen have been installed.  This includes the installation of the washer and dryer and the new concrete counter top.  The concrete was still setting today when we filmed, so over the next day or two the guys will buff it up to bring the color out.

4) The floors have all been sanded and prepped for staining. Previously, the floors were  multiple shades and will now take on a darker stain that will match the vigas above.

5) In general, the guys have cleaned the place up a bit.  The ceilings and vigas have been wiped down and oiled, and many of the little messes here and there are now gone.

 All of the contract work should be finished in the next week.  We will then go into the design phase of the renovation which will entail the installation of window coverings, the building of specific furniture pieces (i.e. the bed), and the entire decorating process. Check back in for updates soon!

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

Another six days has passed since we last checked in on the Palace Avenue renovation. As always, steady progress is being made.  The following items have been the focus of the past week.

1) The cove for the bed is finished! The guys installed recessed reading lights and added light switches on each side of the cove. This entailed trenching into the adobe, running electrical wires, filling the trenched lines, and re-plastering.  It looks great, and we’re now looking forward to configuring the headboard for the bed.

2) Wide plank flooring has been installed in the the Office/Den.  The floor initially had to be completely pulled up to accommodate the new heating lines. The  floor has yet to be sanded, finished, and stained, but that will be done when the rest of the floors are refurbished.

3) Paint, Paint, Paint!  After the walls were primed last week, the guys have started painting almost all of the rooms.  The walls will most likely need at least two coats of paint, and some of the previously “colorful” rooms may need a full three coats.  The white paint really highlights the patina of the old plaster, the details in the vigas, and the character of the floors.

4) The cabinets for the kitchen have  been painted and are now sprawled throughout the house to drying. These should all be installed by the end of the week.

Check back early next week for the 5th installment of our renovation series. 

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

1) The plaster work has been finished in most of the rooms. The cove in the bedroom for the bed has yet to be done, and the kitchen is getting final finishing touches. Before the bed cove can be plastered the contractors need to install two recessed reading lights. They’ll plaster it once the electrical is finished.

2) The entire house except the kitchen has been prepped, primed, and is now ready for paint. The colors in the house were various shades of yellows, pinks, and oranges. The white primer certainly gives it a different look, and we look forward to see how new coats of white paint brighten and add character to the space.

3) The floor that was completely torn up in the office is now ready to be replaced. According to the contractor, this will happen tomorrow!

4) The boiler for the new heaters is almost finished. A couple tweeks here and there and we’re in business. The Myson heaters have arrived and will be installed after the paint and floors are well under way.

Check back in with us later this week for Part 4.

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond