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Glacier Peak High School Visits New Homes in Snohomish

January 27, 2012 By Mike Kinney Leave a Comment
Glacier Peak High School interior design students learning about home design

Mike Kinney explains how how hard surfaces and finishes were chosen at Larimer Highlands

I recently had the opportunity to repeat a very enjoyable day from last year. The interior design class from Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish returned for another tour of our new homes.

As many of you already know, Pacific Ridge Homes takes great pride in giving back to our communities wherever possible. Since two of our newest neighborhoods are located in the prestigious Snohomish School District, this opportunity seemed like a great way to continue our support of their classes.

On January 5th, 27 students in Joan Langkow’s interior design class came to tour two of our newest Snohomish County communities, Larimer Crossing and Larimer Highlands. These 9th – 12th graders have received excellent theoretical and classroom instruction from Ms. Langkow and now had a chance to see how everything comes together in a new home.

Interior design students from Glacier Peak High School touring a new home community

Just one of the five homes Joan Langkow's interior design class toured while visiting Larimer Crossing and Larimer Highlandss in the Mill Creek-Snohomish area.

I walked them through three homes in Larimer Crossing and two homes in Larimer Highlands, showing various interior design features and upgrades and how we work within different square footage constraints. I showed them how lot size plays a very important role in home floor plan design. I explained how we strive very hard to make each home have a unique look as we looked at different exterior elevations in the neighborhoods. I also showcased how our interior design professionals use different colors and finishes to stage our models for maximum appeal.

After touring our communities, the students were heading off to Lowe’s to pick some different materials and finishes to use in a class project involving one of our new homes.

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is watching a community take shape, from the initial land acquisition to the final personal touches of each homeowner. I hope, by providing some hands on examples of community and home design, these students get some great new perspectives about the building industry and how new homes are designed.

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New Homes in Lynnwood from the Low $300’s

January 25, 2012 By Dave Duncan Leave a Comment
2680 sq ft Bryant plan is one of the four homes for sale at Amini Court

This 2680 square foot Bryant plan featuring a downstairs den and a large upstairs bonus room is just days away from being move-in ready.

I’m Dave Duncan and I want to introduce you to a brand new enclave of homes in Lynnwood.

Amini Court is a cozy cul-de-sac in Lynnwood lined with four brand new Pacific Ridge Homes. Each home features a unique four to five bedroom floor plan ranging from 2,123 – 2,774 square feet and comes standard with stainless steel appliances, granite tile kitchen countertops, and extensive hardwood flooring. Checkout the full list of standard features at Amini Court.

One of the most appealing qualities of this area is its close proximity to many big city amenities. Amini Court is located just a few blocks from Alderwood Mall, making all of its great dining, shopping and entertainment opportunities just a short walk or drive away. It’s also on a bus route and less than ½ mile to the I-5 on ramps. You literally have access to all of greater Seattle and Snohomish County right from your front door.

Prices start $319,950 and one these four homes has already been sold  - weeks before completion. Pacific Ridge Homes’ preferred lenders are also offering some amazing finance deals including zero closing costs which means the remaining three homes will likely sell fast.

These nearly completed homes are currently being shown by appointment only while we finish construction. Please contact me today to schedule a personalized showing to assure that you receive one-on-one attention you deserve or visit the Amini Court web page.

Dave Duncan
Listing Agent
425-244-0444
dave@daveduncangroup.com
Keller Williams

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What’s Hot in Baths – Upgrade Ideas for Your New Home

January 5, 2012 By Alicia Goff Leave a Comment
Elegant master bathroom with soaking tub framed by architectural columns and custom tile surround.

Customized tile installations, like this one a Larimer Highlands, is now one of the hottest features homebuyers are requesting.

Of all the possible upgrades for a new home, kitchens and baths are, by far, the most personalized for an individual buyer. We’re focusing on baths here and below are some ideas to consider when upgrading your master bath.

The hottest upgrade in a master bath is tile, tile, tile! Buyers want to talk about tile flooring, tile showers, tile vanity tops, and I am even seeing many folks installing tile halfway up the walls. We actually showcase this upgrade in the master bath of our model home at our newest community, Larimer Highlands.

Borders, accent tiles, baseboard tile and other decorative options are also popular. What I usually tell my buyers is that we can be as elaborate as their imagination can be. The only issue to consider is the more detailed a tile layout, the more labor is required and the higher the cost for the upgrade. Marble, porcelain, ceramic, slate, glass, terra cotta, are all options that work well in various applications. The sky is truly the limit with tile!

Second to tile, the most popular upgrades we are seeing are with shower enclosures. I’ll illustrate with our new Pacific Ridge homes. We offer three basic shower layouts. Our entry level shower is a fiberglass shower stall with a shower rod for people to hang their own shower curtain after moving in. Our second line upgrades you to a chrome framed clear glass shower door instead of the shower rod. Our third line includes a tile shower with a 2-sided glass enclosure with a bronze frame and clear glass. Most buyers go for our third line with various custom tile applications.

Masterbath with glass-to-glass shower enclosure and jetted tub

Our semi-frameless shower enclosure with glass-to-glass corner add elegance and spaciousness to the master bathroom.

Other considerations – I always encourage buyers to upgrade to a 72″ high shower door and enclosure versus the standard 68″ height. This gives a nicer overall look and offers some extra headroom for the men. Upgrading to what we call a CV deluxe semi-frameless shower enclosure gives a rich elegant look (shown above), and with the 2-sided tile shower people can upgrade to what we call a glass-to-glass corner, which eliminates the frame in the corner. Options abound in enclosures and glass.

Some upgrades that used to be popular but are now in decline are jetted tubs, jetted showers, rainfall showers, and heated floors. Buyers are also not bothering with upgrades to powder rooms and their main full bathrooms. A rich looking master bath is the main focus these days.

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