Buy solar home, get a Prius
Purchasing a solar home at Stapleton could net buyers a new Toyota Prius.
Harvard Communities Inc. is giving a new car, valued at $25,000, to buyers of select Architect Solar Advantage Homes through Oct. 31. Prices for the homes start in the low $700,000s.
The homes have solar photovoltaic panels as a standard feature. The panels provide about 30 percent of the homes’ electrical power and integrate with its electrical service, allowing excess power to be sold back to the utility company.
Home improvement weekend
About 20 percent of U.S. homeowners plan to plunge into a home-improvement project over the Labor Day weekend, but most don’t care about the return on their investment, according to a recent survey.
The most popular projects planned for the three-day weekend include painting a room and landscaping, according to the survey by ap Research Corp. and Johns Manville, a Denver-based building and specialty-products manufacturer.
But the survey of 726 homeowners found that just 42 percent consider the return before starting a project.
Videos help with contractor
A series of free videos developed by Golden-based walks homeowners through the process of working with a contractor.
Home-improvement expert David Lupberger offers tips on interviewing a potential contractor and determining who is legitimate. Anyone can access the free videos by going to and clicking on “Working with Contractors 101.”
Poll: 35% of small firms hit
Thirty-five percent of small-business owners said recent turmoil in the housing market has had a significant effect on their companies, according to a recent poll by the Discover Small Business Watch.
About 48 percent of small businesses said they have been approved for a loan or line of credit in the past three months, and 76 percent said that if getting credit becomes more difficult, it will have a negative effect on their business.
Staff writer Margaret Jackson can be reached at 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com.
