image via Flickr

Solar panels are an alternative energy system that reduces your energy costs and actually increases the value of your home. In fact, buyers will “pay a premium” to own a solar-paneled home.

No longer considered “ugly,” solar panels can now be attractively incorporated into your green home design. Another option for larger roofs are solar shingles that look like traditional shingles.

Trilogy Partners combine sustainability and visual ambiance in Colorado solar power installations. Internationally, six home designs have been recognized for incorporating eco-friendly solar panels into attractive and striking home design:

1. Activehouse, Austria and Denmark – Solar panels actually generate more energy than the families need.
2. Malibu 5 Modern Beach House – Roof solar panels and hot water collectors are invisible in this home built from recycled materials.
3. Enertia Home, Blue Ridge Mountains, NC – Solid-wood walls are energy efficient and the roof solar provide electricity.
4. Cornell University Solar Decathlon Home – Solar power is the only energy source for this 800 sq.ft. home.
5. SunPower – Westport, CT – A 5kw solar system using 225-watt solar panels works well on smaller roofs.
6. SRS Energy Palm Springs, CA – Solar roofing tiles blend into the home’s tiled roof.

Is your home a good candidate for solar panels?

Design by bhh Partners

For our many projects, we choose to work with only the best in Colorado architecture, design, and construction. This is why we have teamed up with bhh Partners, an award-winning architecture firm.

Formerly known as Baker + Hogan + Houx, bhh Partners has catered to the Rocky Mountain region since 1976 with residential and commercial design services. The firm is composed of a team of experienced professional architects skilled in creating architectural plans that address specific client needs and maximize natural surroundings at the same time.

The architects for bhh Partners’ Colorado offices are Marc P. Hogan, Michael R. Houx, Jarrett L. Buxkemper, and Tim Gerken. You can get to know more about them on the bHH Partners’ bio page.

Aside from highly customized projects for each client, bhh Partners also delivers excellent customer service and high attention to details. They are passionate about their craft, work well with one another as a team, and have great visions for their designs — and it shows in their work. These reasons are what convinced us that bhh Partners is a great addition to our team here at Trilogy.

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.

If you enjoy reading the Trilogy Partners blog, be sure to subscribe to our blog to receive the latest updates in your inbox! We will keep you informed on the latest tips and trends concerning sustainable building, design inspirations, events and happenings, our projects and more, with a convenient email each time new information is posted to our blog!

To subscribe, simply enter your email address in the subscription box located to the right of this post. Then, be on the lookout for a subscription confirmation email and follow the instructions in that email to make sure your subscription is activated. After that, you’ll receive an email from Google’s Feedburner each time we post something new to our blog. You can read the post in your inbox, or visit our blog directly!

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Are you thinking about remodeling your home in the near future? If so, now is a great time to begin making your plans since the National Association of Home Builders designates the month of May as Remodeling Month! There couldn’t be a more perfect time to start the plans that will help make your home a more comfortable and functional place to live.

Remodeling can be both exciting and intimidating, but the good news is that the entire process doesn’t have to be stressful if you have planned carefully. The National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry have lots of resources on their websites that are helpful for every step of the remodeling process, covering topics like hiring a contractor, green remodeling, budgeting, and more!

Trilogy Partners can help you with your remodeling plans, too. Contact us to learn how we can assist you with your remodeling needs. Also, check out our posts on remodeling topics for great information and inspiration, and be sure to subscribe to our blog for the latest updates!

Images Courtesy of Nahb.org and Nari.org.

Many homeowners are now leaning towards going green to save energy costs and to create a more comfortable and healthier place to live. There are many ways to go green from switching to energy-saving appliances to repainting your homes with non-toxic paints. These kinds of changes you may feel comfortable doing yourself. But should your project be more complex, you might want to consider getting some help.

Remodeling whether green or not can be a huge undertaking. It’s one thing if you’re going to be turning a bathroom into a mini spa. But many makeovers involve changes to floor plans, electrical and mechanical infrastructure, or structural elements. There may be a significant amount of demolition and even exterior reconstruction if you plan to add windows, doors, and skylights. Any physical change to the exterior envelope of the house is going to be rather complex and will involve careful planning, design, and materials selection.

Why Hire a Remodeling General Contractor?

Professional remodeling contractors have the skills, knowledge and experience to successfully plan and complete a remodel. The pros will save you from major stress and significant time commitments during the course of the project. And because you will avoid costly mistakes, you probably won’t end up paying any more for their expertise than if you had done the project by yourself.

And since you are specifically doing a green remodel, you will need additional expertise. Installing solar panels, adding insulation and eco-friendly home fixtures must be left to your trained tradesmen. Contractors can also identify other things that need upgrading during the process of remodeling such as defects in mechanical systems, wiring problems, mold issues, and structural abnormalities. These can and should be remediated during the course of the remodel.

Tips on Hiring a Contractor

There are many people in this world who call themselves contractors but lack the expertise you will be needing for your project. Putting the project in the hands of the right person is critical to the success of the project. So where to start. The best source of information on a contractor comes from direct referrals. Friends and associates can often recommend someone who did work for them. You can also contact professional organizations such as the National Association of the Remodeling Association (NARI) or the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers. Ask for a project resume, sample budgets and inquire into the method of accounting the contractor will employ. Do check references. Do make a call to the Better Business Bureau. And if possible, ask to see other completed projects in person. The contractor should at least have a portfolio of photographs from completed projects to show you. And certainly, if this is to be a green remodel, the contractor should have a commitment to green practice and procedures as well as expertise in the specific areas of sustainability you wish to employ. And last but not least, be open in discussing a budget and put procedures and policies in place, and in writing, to help control the project costs. It’s better to delay the project and take some time in the beginning to lay everything out with the contractor than it is to rush in and have things spiral quickly out of control.

Source: TreeLiving.com

Did you know April is considered New Homes Month? If you’ve been thinking about planning and building a new home, now is definitely a great time find information on constructing your dream home! Current homeowners looking to build a new home and prospective homeowners alike can find lots of beneficial information on the National Association of Home Builders website. There you can find resources on the home building process, as well as the basics on financing a home and so much more information that can help make the process of becoming an educated consumer a lot less stressful.

Trilogy Partners can help you create the home of your dreams! Since 1998, we have partnered with our clients to create custom homes throughout the Colorado mountains. We use an integrated design-build process to serve our clients from concept to completion. Visit our website or contact us to learn how we can help you build the mountain home you’ve always dreamed of!

Contact Trilogy Partners to begin planning your new home!

Image Courtesy of Trilogy Partners.

Last month we told you about the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) survey study that was presented at the NAHB International Builders’ Show, which revealed what builders expect new homes to be like within the coming years. That survey study predicted that homes will become greener and smaller by 2015. Recently, the NAHB told Builder magazine exactly how small they expect homes to be in a matter of two years.

According to Builder magazine, the average home is currently about 2,380 square feet in size, but the NAHB expects that number will drop to 2,150 square feet by 2013. Stephen Melman, the director of economic services for the NAHB, noted that affordability is driving all the decisions when it comes to new homes. He said that home buyers, especially those looking at custom homes, are saying “This is how much I can spend. How can we make it fit?”

One way smaller homes will achieve an open feeling as the average home size decreases is through a spacious, open floor plan. Many consumers have noted that a great room, as opposed to several smaller rooms, is the No. 1 item on their wish list for a new home. Additionally, walls are being eliminated, ceilings raised, and brighter, more interesting materials are being used to make spaces fee larger.

We found this information to be very interesting and intriguing. If you would like to read more, check out the article “The Shrinking New Home” on the Builder magazine website.

Photo credit: Nahb.org.

Coverings 2011, the International Tile and Stone Exposition, was held earlier this month in Las Vegas and revealed the latest trends in tile and stones. According to Editor at Large, new technology has had a great impact on the latest innovations, bringing about an abundance of unusual textures, shapes, and sizes.

Tiles that take on the appearance of other materials, like wood, are expected to be popular this year.

Porcelain tiles that mimic other surfaces are expected to be highly popular this year, as many manufacturers present at the show presented porcelain tiles that take on the appearance of materials like marble, travertine, wood planks, and bluestone.  For texture, dimensional dots are appearing on tiles to create the illusion of linear patterns, as well as enhance color contrasts by making them appear more dramatic. The hexagon was a most popular shape among all the exhibitors present.

You can learn more about the latest tile and stone trends at Editor at Large.

Photo credit: Editoratlarge.com.

Builder magazine has recently revealed the top housing markets to watch in 2011 and we here at Trilogy Partners were delighted to see that a Colorado market made the list of 22 “intriguing markets.” All 22 markets appear on the Builder Health Market, which scores the top 100 housing markets based on the number of building permits pulled. Check out what Builder magazine had to say about the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield market.

The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield housing market was named as one of the top markets to watch in 2011.

The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield market was at number 40 out of the top 100 markets and has a projected building permit forecast of 8,178 for 2011. According to Builder magazine, Denver has already moved into the recovery stage as foreclosures are down 9 percent since 2008. Denver was the 24^th largest housing market last year and has a growing population as more people are drawn to the nearby scenery and recreational opportunities. Additionally, the unemployment rate in that area is below the national average and building permit activity rose by 22 percent last year, which leads to the expectation for a faster increase in 2011.

It’s exciting to hear about such great things going on in Colorado’s building industry! You can check out Builder magazine for additional information.

Photo credit: Denver-travel-services.com.