Getting your player ready...
When Jared and Sara Berg of Louisville decided it was time to sell their 1980s house in favor of something bigger, they were looking for something greener, too. “A big part of my life is the environment; everything I do revolves around it,” said Jared Berg, consultant in exercise physiology/endurance, who ran eight miles that morning after dropping the kids for school, and makes environmental education a family priority. Today, at any of Ryland Homes’ neighborhood in the Denver area, you can come see what the Berg’s found – very livable floor plans, lower energy bills, a planned community with parks and trails – all at a price that was very reachable.
“Everything we wanted was right here,” Berg added…noting that it was in reach financially, too. At Steel Ranch, north on 95th/96th from old downtown Louisville, the Bergs have a new Ryland home that’s larger than their old place by 110 square feet, not counting a 900-foot basement (their old tri-level didn’t have one). The new home is HERS energy-rated at 62 — projected to deliver bills averaging $125/month for everything – heating, cooling, water heating. (Their older, smaller home had average bills in the $170/month range). The family jumped from a 1-car garage to 2-1/2 – plenty of room for bikes, and places to ride them, too. “We’ve designed our HouseWorks package to deliver sustainability features that an average family can afford,” said Ryland Colorado Division president Dan Nickless. “That encompasses energy features, but also other elements that make our homes more sustainable, better in carbon reduction, and eco-friendly. We’re every shade of green.” That means that Ryland not only meets Energy Star standards – with high performance heating/cooling/appliances, Low-E windows, 2×6 exterior walls with R-20 blown cellulose insulation and extensive sealing and weather proofing – but has water conservation features including Moen Watersense faucets and a low-use front yard landscape with rain sensing-irrigation. Homes get air-quality ventilation, and are given solar-ready access for future solar panels. In the models buyers see recyclable and sustainable materials such as recycled/recyclable carpet, kitchen recycle centers, quartz countertops, and designer furnishings that are eco-friendly. “We could see them doing the insulation, everything looked rock solid tight,” adds Jared Berg. You can visit Ryland at Vista Ridge, north from Highway 7 on Mountain View in Erie, from the $350s; Kings Ridge, south of downtown Castle Rock on Wilcox to Crystal Valley Parkway, from the $250s; and Steel Ranch in Louisville, from the $350s. Or visit RylandDenver.com. If you go… WHERE: Ryland Homes, offering comprehensive sustainability features including Energy Star qualified design, environmentally friendly construction, neighborhood planning, indoor air quality, water conservation, in six Denver-Boulder neighborhoods including Kings Ridge in Castle Rock, Steel Ranch at Louisville, Vista Ridge in Erie.
