Mike Rath is a member of the Trilogy Team and the president of the Summit County Builders Association (SCBA). He is now bringing the same dedication and commitment to the SCBA that he has brought to Trilogy Partners.

As a non-profit organization, SCBA is committed to maintaining an effective networking forum and progressive education regarding the building industry in the Colorado mountain region. The SCBA Board of Directors is the rudder of the organizational ship. With Rath at the helm for two years as acting President, there is great confidence his leadership skills will positively impact SCBA’s growth and the community’s awareness for the most sustainable path for home design, building and land development in Summit County.

Exciting plans are already in the works, as the new president lays the foundation for the SCBA this year. The Board already has a campaign in place to invite in more members from the region, unifying the progressive industry for the betterment of businesses and homeowners alike.

Secondly, Rath is thinking universal, as he was instrumental in designing a blog site for global marketing. Pay close attention Rath makes innovative decisions for the future of SCBA!

Trilogy Partners is a leader in the design and building industry in Summit County, and has proven unswerving dedication to the community in successful, sustainable living since 1998. Our efforts have led us to another Builder of the Year award from the Summit County Builders Association for 2012. This is our second such award including the Builder of the Year in 2007.

Trilogy’s Mike Rath was crucial to the development of SCBA’s global marketing campaign. He established SCBA’s new blog site, which offers invaluable assistance in building a home in Summit County.  His showed his integrity by going beyond his responsibilities to SCBA. Mr. Rath is actively planning all he can to strive to win the award again.

As a active member of SCBA,  Trilogy plans to continue to lend proactive support to SCBA in the popular annual Mountain Home & Outdoor Expo held in June. Equally as important  is the Summit County Parade of Homes that takes place in the fall.

There is no status quo with Trilogy Partners, as an exciting year is already in the planning, and continued community service is at the top of the list. Contact the Trilogy Team to learn more.

Today, we will review one of our luxury homes that truly reminds us of times gone by. Calecho, in Breckenridge, Colorado, is an eye-catching three-story home with a distinct and rustic style that embraces the history of Colorado mining. The home was converted from a mining structure built by an English miner early in the 20^th century in order to convince the woman he loved to leave England and live with him.

Everything about the home captures the essence of the mining era, from the antique timber frame, to the wood clad ceilings, to the stained, aged floors made of granite, sandstone, rejuvenated old wood and exposed concrete. The interior steel accents are forged by hand and the exterior incorporates hand hewn beams and recycled ski-lift cables. Victorian furnishings perfectly suit the period, and a mine shaft elevator connects all three stories.

Although Calecho was specifically modeled to look old, the home operates on cutting-edge building technology. Thanks to its use of recycled materials and the  modern building science here at Trilogy Partners, Calecho is very environmentally friendly. Radiant heat, humidification and air circulation are all regulated by a hybrid heating system, which reduces energy consumption and helps to ease the stress on our environment.

If you are interested in remodeling a rustic mountain home to feature new technology and sustainable feature contact Trilogy Partners at 940-453-2230.

Grid-smart appliances are the future in sustainable design and efficiency. They are able to monitor and measure your electrical use in an effort to save on costs and manage the stress on the local energy grid. This will work well if your house is on the grid exclusively or if you use solar panels to lower your use of community power.

The goal of grid-aware appliance use is to be carbon neutral with  zero net-energy growth. To get there this involves new technology for refrigerators and freezers that use natural refrigerants, such as hydrocarbons in place of hydroflurocarbons which are thought to have an affect on global warming.

When it comes to laundry, clothing will be washed and dried faster with grid-smart appliances. Flat screen televisions will use less energy than the old CRT sets and modern thermostats will be better at regulating room temperatures.

Some of the new grid-smart appliances can even be controlled on your smart phone or tablet. You can be notitifed when your home reaches a certain temperature or when the wash cycle is over and it’s time for your clothes to be dried.

Here at Trilogy Partners in Breckenridge we incorporate grid-aware appliances into our sustainable designs and construction philosophy. Feel free to visit our Facebook page for more on green building.

Image: engadget

Here at Trilogy Partners, we believe that each historical architectural style has something to teach. This week, we’ve been inspired by the upcoming Great Gatsby film to talk about Long Island homes of the past. Here are some of the features of these residences that inspire us:

• Solid materials. The Westbury House, pictured below, has a solid cedar shake roof and hand-made brick. The home, in the Charles II style, has undergone renovations that were respectful to its original architecture. It was completed in 1906.

Image via Curbed. Photos: James Robertson/Pbase.

• Balance and proportion. Winfield Hall embodies Classical notions of balance and proportion. The look may be a bit stiff and formal for some, but it certainly is not going away anytime soon.

Image via Curbed.

• Thoughtful landscaping. Native trees were planted on the grounds of Hempstead House circa 1912. Today, they look as though they have been there forever.

Image via Curbed.

A SIP – Structural Insulated Panel – is a building component sandwich. It’s an energy efficient foam core laminated between two layers of wood sheathing, faced with drywall, fiberboard, metal, and even plastic. Well-designed and manufactured SIPS will make a house more energy-efficient, stronger, tighter, and more comfortable. There are some other appealing virtues to structural insulated panels that will make you want to build with them, including:

Image: Solares Architecture via Houzz

• SIP’s are a green building product. SIP walls demand far less lumber than conventionally framed dwellings. Because the wood panels are made with wood chips, 95% of a tree can be used, as opposed to only 63% if it’s sown into solid lumber.
• SIPs outperform conventional walls in fires. According to data from extensive laboratory fire testing and reports on SIP houses from real-life incidents, they are more resistant to fires.
• SIP walls are highly efficient. Foam provides much greater insulating value per inch than fiberglass batting.
• The foam is continuous throughout the wall, without the pockets and flaws in batt installations between studs.
• Foam won’t allow air infiltration inside the panels; if installed correctly they can be completely sealed.

Since 1998, Trilogy Partners has been building the finest homes in Summit County, contact us about structural insulated panels at 970-453-2230.

We are always searching for unique ways to incorporate green design into our homes, and using reclaimed scaffolding wood for the home’s structure or in its interior design scheme is one way to accomplish this.

Image: Inhabit.com

An excellent example of a home that benefited from the use of reclaimed wood is ‘Casa Box‘, which is a spectacular modern renovation of a caretaker’s home located on a Brazilian island. From the coastline, the home is essentially a concrete cube, but its contemporary design utilizes reclaimed wood from the original structure for the doors, windows, and stairway. Architect Alan Chu of Silveira e Cristiano Arns Kato Architectos designed the home with the intention of using the recycled leftover wood from the original structure to create contrast and layers of depth to the unique and simple structure. The use of the recycled wood adds tremendous character to this already stunning home, reminding it of where it once came from.

To learn more about ways that Trilogy Partners has incorporated repurposed materials into our projects, please be sure to view our sustainable design portfolio.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working on this design with BHH Partners, in Breckenridge. First, we fleshed out the basic floorplan and elevations. I then created a model and applied the exterior materials for the client’s approval.

East Elevation

To help the client better understand the orientation of the house, I geolocated it using Google Earth.

East Elevation with Ten Mile Range behind

After completing the exterior, I began to work on the interior, laying out all the walls…

West Elevation Partial Build

As I model I am also designing the post and beam structure. At the end of the day I sent this model to the client for his approval. The software we use allows the client to view and manipulate the model from an infinite number of orientations. He sees exactly what the design team sees. Because the timber frame is structural but also an esthetic, it is important that the client participates in its design.

Timber Frame Structure in Design

Timber Frame Structure In Design

The 2013 New American Home design is all about creating open and nature-embracing living spaces. In addition to the great energy efficiency features we’ve already discussed, the New American Home has many other interesting and inspiring features.

2013 New American Home

This year’s sits on a 0.66 acre lot south of Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada. It’s four levels and 6,721 square feet, containing an impressive 3 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, enclosed and open-air basements, a home theater, a library and a home office.

The designers kept the huge home feeling comfortable by weaving aspects of nature into almost every living space. From canals of water running through the house to the open air foyer to the zero-edge pools which line the sunken outdoor living area, there are relaxing sights and sounds of nature everywhere.

The New American Home design is complex, creating a home with so many visible layered spaces defined by more natural objects than walls was difficult. But, it’s been done in Henderson in a cleaver and breath-taking way, and it can be done in the Breckenridge area as well.

Contact our team at Trilogy Partners for more information about custom chome design trends and incorporating them into your home.

Source: Builder Magazine

If you want your bathroom to provide more than just a space to clean up, consider including some of these dream bathroom ideas to your home remodeling plans. They are all great ways to make your ensuite master bath feel more like a spa retreat-and we could all use a little relaxation in our day-to-day routine.

Image: Divine Kitchens via Houzz.com

• Spa-Like Shower – Build a shower area that provides plenty of space. You can even install a comfortable bench. Make sure you have plenty of shelves or niches to hold your bathing products.

• Universal Design – Make sure the shower is accessible as you get older and your mobility decreases. These days universal design features like grab bars and curb-less shower stalls can be included in stylish and subtle ways that you’d never notice-until you need them.

Image: Moroso Construction via Houzz.com

• Warming Features – It gets chilly in the Colorado mountains, so a small feature like warming bars for your towels will feel like quite a luxury when you emerge from the shower on a cold morning. For even more comfort, consider radiant floor heating.

• Hidden Convenience – Install drawers that provide storage for your hair dryer, straighter and other bathroom accessories. You can even include outlets into the drawers.

Image: Phil Kean Designs via Houzz.com

• Morning Kitchen – A shower and a coffee are necessary morning rituals. So why not add a coffee maker or espresso machine to your ensuite bath and closet area?

Which of these features would you love to have in your Colorado luxury home? Contact us today to discuss our luxury home remodeling services.