Sales Launch for Arizona’s Newest Luxury Home Community – Incorporates Stunning Levels of Innovative Green Building Practices
Scottsdale, AZ – October 21, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Arizona green building innovator Cullum Homes today announced the launch of new home sales for Village at Paradise Reserve – a unique luxury home community of new homes selling at $1.5-$2.5 million that incorporates some of the most cutting edge sustainability, energy conservation and environmental stewardship innovations seen in the nation.
These homes present a rare opportunity to own a new home in Arizona’s most sought-after Paradise Valley area that incorporates characteristics of what is becoming known as “the new normal” in homebuilding.
These features include energy efficient construction techniques, substantially improved indoor air quality and natural habitat preservation techniques – wrapped up into a smaller, more manageable size with the newly popular “lock and leave” lifestyle.
In partnership with Paradiso Development, Cullum Homes Director of Architecture Eddie Strong and NAHB Certified Green Building Professionals Rod and Kim Cullum carefully incorporated green building practices into virtually every aspect of the homes in The Village at Paradise Reserve. From electric car plug-ins incorporated into every garage, to LED lighting three-times more energy efficient than CFL light bulbs and a heating/cooling system that is up to 40 percent more efficient, The Village at Paradise Reserve “thinks green” in every possible way.
Eco-chic Satisfaction Without The Inflated Price Tag
Located in the exclusive Paradise Reserve community – recent winner of a 2010 Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Award – the Village at Paradise Reserve includes 32 single- and two-story homes ranging from 3,321 to 5,593 square feet. The homes are nestled against the Phoenix Mountain Preserve with gorgeous views of Camelback Mountain and the sparkling city lights of Downtown Phoenix.
Construction of the homes launched in August, with two models expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2011. The first “Mediterranean Nouveau” model will showcase the newest trends in Italian design, embodied by warmer colors and softer lines while bypassing the typically heavy, chunky look of traditional Tuscan interior design. The second model, called “Urban Transition,” incorporates the clean, tailored lines of contemporary styling but with increased use of texture instead of stark glass and harsh metals. The use of sustainable materials within the homes is still in the planning stage.
In addition to including the newest in luxury home trends, Cullum Homes President and Founder Rod Cullum is proud of the firm’s integration of green building practices and materials. Unlike many green homes, it was done without the upfront cost increases normally seen in highly efficient or sustainable homes.
“One of the best examples of smart green building in this community is the use of 20 SEER cooling/heating units on the home. Instead of the 13 SEER units that most home builders typically use, we installed 20 SEER units. The short-term cost of the more expensive units was balanced by needing fewer total units for each home, plus it delivered the long-term utility bill savings and reduced energy consumption we were seeking,” stated Cullum.
He continued, “We also treated each major room in the house as its own zone within the HVAC system. Each bedroom and primary living area has its own programmable thermostat, meaning the homeowner can heat or cool only those areas being used. When combined with the highly efficient HVAC units and the thermally sealed building envelope, the cost savings of the zoning delivers a savings of up to 40 percent over comparable homes. This saves the homeowner money while giving them a green home to be proud of, and is something very few builders are able to do.”
The homes also feature environmentally conscious construction materials wherever feasible, such as:
- low VOC paints and finishes
- underground tanks that capture, store and redistribute stormwater runoff
- low flow toilets and fixtures
- thermally protected windows composed of metal-clad wood to eliminate heat conduction
- insulation applied to the underside of the roof rather than the attic floor
The homes will be green certified by the National Association of Homebuilders.
Strong added, “Building green requires a different way of thinking. It isn’t about spending more money, it is about re-thinking how you use materials and how you approach a process. For example, it may save time to discard leftover wood as a home is framed, but it is a better process to carefully re-use these scraps in other areas. Discarding it may save time, but it creates unnecessary waste of materials. At Cullum Homes, every process and material has been carefully crafted to maximize efficiency and respect the environment.”
For the latest news and information about the project, please visit the Cullum Homes Facebook page or http://cullumhomes.com.
About Cullum Homes
Founded in 1985, Cullum Homes is one of the oldest and most reputable luxury homebuilders in Arizona. The Scottsdale-based business specializes in custom and semi-custom homes in affluent areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area such as Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Silverleaf, Firerock and Desert Mountain. Cullum Homes was the proud recipient of a Custom Home magazine Pacesetter Award for innovation, and has been listed twice among the “Fastest-Growing Residential Construction Companies” ranking in BUILDER Magazine. Their projects have been profiled in both local and national publications.
Founders Rod and Kim Cullum are both Certified Green Professionals and alumni of ASU (Arizona State University). They live in Paradise Valley. Their two children, Brad and Lindsay, are currently students at ASU: Brad is a senior working on his bachelor’s degree in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and Lindsay is in her final year of graduate school for a Masters in Architecture.
For more information, visit http://cullumhomes.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT
KWPR for Cullum Homes
Carrie Morgan, 602-953-8211, carrie (at) kwprgroup (dot) com
Jennifer Breitegan, jen (at) kwprgroup (dot) com
