2009 Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence

Denver Metro HBA Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence (CARE) is the largest, and longest-running contest recognizing remodeling of all types.

It is open to any firm or individual in the state. Categories are numerous, and recognize everything from budget kitchens to green remodels. Unlike other design contests, this one is open to all, not just members of the association. It is judged blind, making it a fair competition that recognizes excellence in remodeling, no matter the authorship.

Cambridge Construction is honored to be recognized in the 2009 CARE Awards for this stunning exterior remodel in Centennial, CO.

Visit the before/after photo gallery to see the complete transformation.

Our gratitude to all of our trade partners, the homeowners and to Jay S. Simon for the beautiful "after" photography.

Great News for Denver

On May 19, Denver was named America’s No. 1 city on the verge of recovery in a segment on NBC’s “Today” show. Real estate expert Barbara Corcoran, a regular guest on the show, said Denver more than any other U.S. city is “clearly on a rebound.”

Forbes Magazine also just listed Denver as the #1 city to buy a home. The report ranked the 25 largest U.S. metro areas on the basis of change in price per square foot, frequency of real-estate transactions, and how evenly distributed home-sales activity is in a metro area.

“Denver tops the list,” Forbes said. “It had 25 percent of its property sales occur within approximately 25 percent of the city’s ZIP codes. This means sales in various parts of the city were fairly evenly distributed, showing proportionate activity. The further a city deviates from the 25 percent mark, the less evenly distributed the market is in that city, and thus the lower that city ranks.” (Read full Forbes article)

Searching for Truth Behind Green-Product Claims

Searching for Truth Behind Green-Product Claims
While we still have a lot of work to do to establish reliable standards for the multiple attributes that define green products, the good news is that there are a lot of dedicated people working on this problem, and there are a good number of resources already available to help you find your own comfort level with third-party verification of green claims. This article will guide you through the complexities of green product selection, help you understand how products are labeled and certified, and lead you to the most useful navigational resources. (Read Article)

Paint Manufacturers Launch Color-Capturing iPhone Apps

For color enthusiasts, two major paint manufacturers have introduced new iPhone applications to help capture color inspiration -- and automatically generate palettes -- all on the go.

ColorCapture Ben, a new iPhone and iPod Touch application, allows users to match any color in a photograph to one of Benjamin Moore’s more than 3,300 paint colors.

The application, which was developed by Benjamin Moore, allows users to zoom in on a particular color in a picture they’ve taken or loaded onto their device, tap a “match” key and see a display of the paints closest to the color desired, plus a range of darker and lighter shades on either side. These color “chips” can be saved to a favorites folder for future reference. Should users want to take the next step, the application will use the device’s built-in GPS system to find the nearest store carrying Benjamin Moore paint.

Sherwin-Williams is also joining the fun with ColorSnap, an app that feeds off the maker’s more than 1,500 available colors. Both apps offer the same goal with different levels of functionality.

Applications: apple.com/iphone/appstore.

Adding Value

Why are you remodeling? If your main goal is to increase the value of your home, keep in mind:

• The costs for your remodeling projects should be based on the value of your home. Investing too much or too little could lead to a poor return on investment or a home valued outside the local market expectations.
• Your home size and your neighborhood should be considered too. If your improvement or remodeling project are extensive compared to the rest of the neighborhood or size of the home, then a high expectation of return on investment may be unrealistic.

You should always consider function and livability, especially if you plan on living at the home for some time to come. You might even love your updated home so much that you forget about any notion of selling and moving out. At the very least, you've considered function and flow which can also help resale!

Remodeling Magazine puts out a great report each year which covers costs vs. value: costvsvalue.com.