A Literary Life

By Kate Jonuska

When it becomes clear that you want to build your next home, the first choice you’re forced to make is between national and custom builders, as if they’re two diametrically opposed sides of a scale. On one side lies choice and personalization, while cost and convenience weigh heavily on the opposite. But with a unique method of operation, honed over decades of building experience,

G.J. Gardner Homes had found a way to bridge the gap, offering completely customizable homes in an efficient and cost-effective manner – astonishingly cost effective, starting in the high $100,000s.

“We bring all the good things about an international builder to the table, things like proven systems, scheduling, buying power,” says Brook Swientisky, who directs G.J. Gardner’s Colorado operations, explaining that each office of the international company is a local franchise. “There are a lot of efficiencies builders like us have, but then we partner up with local builders, growing locally owned and operated businesses, too.”

When the Colorado Springs G.J. Gardner opened almost two years ago, it was 25-year veteran of custom building in El Paso County Dennis Wheets who took the helm, along with his wife and family.

“In the last two years, I still haven’t built the same house twice, not even close,” says Wheets, who teamed up with the company because “they built their reputation on custom building, and that is what I was doing in my work, so it’s a really good partnership. The G.J. Gardner systems that they have in place have helped me tremendously with things like scheduling, supervising, advertising, but I don’t have to change anything about the quality of service I offer.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the the Feb. 7, 2010 Home & Style.

Charming vintage rancher a hot ticket into a great neighborhood
By Kate Jonuska

Many of the properties that grace the cover of Springs Houses are lavish, upscale homes because, honestly, they’re pretty fun to read and dream about, but in addition to luxurious amenities, such homes come attached to high-end price tags. Therefore, this week’s featured property is a breath of fresh air, an adorable and attainable 1950s rancher in Skyway that’s sure to awaken the real estate dreams of families with limited resources but big plans.

“Skyway is one of my favorite neighborhoods. Many young families are discovering the area, moving into the classic ranchers and revamping them,” says Eric Scott of the Stuart Scott Limited Group at ERA Shields, who lists the three-bedroom, three-bath rancher for $273,500. “To get into (School) District 12 and the Skyway neighborhood at this price point – especially in a single-family home in a mature neighborhood – is a great opportunity. District 12 has won numerous awards and it’s had the highest CSAP scores in the state since 2006.”

With its brick exterior and bright white shutters, the home charms from the outset. Surprisingly open plan for a home built in 1956, the original hardwood floors lead through a living room with a bay window and a refinished natural stone fireplace into the dining area. Completing the circle is the kitchen, which offers black and stainless steel appliances, including a flat-top range.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Feb. 6, 2010 Springs Houses.

Families can experience ideal Colorado living in model-quality Monument home
By Kate Jonuska

In real estate, you usually begin describing a home at the front, because obviously that’s where you begin to experience it. This week’s featured property, however, is best done in reverse, starting just past the backyard fence with the lovely mountain view.

“The best feature, of course, is the the view. Pikes Peak, Mount Herman, the Air Force Academy, it’s all there, and the air shows looks fabulous from here,” says Kathryn Newman of The Platinum Group Realtors, who lists the six-bedroom, four-bath home for $454,670. “The home was really built around the views,” she continues. “I often tell clients to come here in the evening to watch the sunset from here. It’s pretty stunning.”

Such thoughtful planning is certainly why the view is best enjoyed from the heart of the home, a great room with a combined bayed informal eating area, the kitchen and a soaring two-story living room. The latter includes a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows, a gas fireplace, built-ins, and several art niches and shelves. The kitchen appliances have been recently upgraded to stainless steel, adding to features such as a five-burner flat-top range, cherry cabinets and custom tile counter tops with a leather-like finish.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 30, 2010 Springs Houses.

Kings Deer custom dream home, ready for dream owner
By Kate Jonuska

They chose the neighborhood. They chose the site on the Kings Deer Golf Course. Along with their builder, they made careful choices about every detail, from the counter tops and baseboard to the flow of the floor plan and the landscaping materials. In other words, the sellers of this week’s featured property spent time and resources to create the perfect permanent home after a lifetime of travel, and now that they’ve found they cannot stay, another family is sure to find their own dream home there, turn-key ready and beautiful.

“Of homes at a comparable price point, this home has hands-down the best floor-to-ceiling quality because everything was upgraded,” says Dean Weissman of The Platinum Group, Realtors, who lists the four-bedroom, four-bath home for $849,000. “It’s a house that is very well designed to be functional and stylish, elegant and comfortable. You don’t have to dress up in order to come home.”

Located off Roller Coaster Road near Monument, homes in this area of Kings Deer perch atop rolling hills, each with their several-acre estates, this one surrounded by lovely yet low-maintenance rock beds, pines and grass. The stucco-and-stone exterior offers an oversized front door with stone columns, which opens to a massive great room that makes up most of the main level.

“Because we are elevated, we have a commanding view. That’s one of the reasons we selected this lot,” says the seller, walking the wide-plank hardwood floors up to the wall of windows. Sure enough, the mountains and golf course sit front and center. Not a small segment of the golf course either, but a swath that at this time of year resembles part of a ski slope meandering past. “We have privacy without the feeling of isolation,” he adds.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 23, 2010 Springs Houses.

Golf course home offers amenities usually accompanied by higher price tag
By Kate Jonuska

In any circumstances, this week’s featured home would be a crowd pleaser: a remodeled four-bedroom, four-bath rancher located on the 16th hole of the Country Club of Colorado’s scenic golf course. But when economic forces align just right and the deal is sweetened with membership to the country club with purchase, homeowners are sure to be awed by the level of luxury that lies within their reach.

“It’s fabulous in that it includes many of the features that we usually see in multi million dollar houses,” says Stuart Scott of Stuart Scott Limited and ERA Shields, who lists the home for $680,000. He cites the throughly modern and stylish gourmet kitchen, three wet bars, a theater room with equipment included and, he says, “added to the purchase is the inclusion of a membership to the Country Club of Colorado. It’s a really astounding facility, the best in Colorado Springs, I think, because of its beautiful lake.”

It’s difficult not to notice the lush greens and lake from the first step into the 4,810-square-foot home, which opens into an expansive great room with a peaked ceiling, ending in a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows. An elegant chandelier, the first wet bar and a toasty fireplace invite you in, and the hardwood continues into the open kitchen and dining room.

“If you’re lucky enough to have a view, you should try to walk right into it from the beginning. So few achieve that goal, but this one just strikes you with it,” says Scott. Stepping onto the partially covered deck, which stretches the length of the home, he observes that golfers are teeing away from the home, allowing all of the beauty of golf course living with none of the danger or damage.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 16, 2010 Springs Houses.

By Kate Jonuska

There are homeowners who are content to leave all the decisions in someone else’s hands, choosing a prebuilt product off the rack then molding their lives to fit into that box. But then there are UBuildIt clients, owners who settle for nothing, actively grabbing the wheel of choice to drive themselves toward the home of their dreams – and keep their wallets fatter in the process.

“In my years of building custom homes, I’ve come across a lot of people that I felt could have built their own home, people who take an intense and direct interest in what we were doing as builders and contractors,” says Claude Comito, who owns UBuildIt Colorado Springs along with daughter Lauren  Perrault. For 27 years, he’s been a part of Nichols and Comito Custom Homes, and he also heads Comito Building and Design and dabbles in land development. While he’s giving up none of those passions, Comito feels this unique build-it-yourself enterprise fills a necessary real estate niche.

“There was a need where people could with support and guidance get the same results a high quality custom builder could, and yet have total control over the process and save quite a bit of money,” he explains. “UBuildIt is not for everybody, but on the other hand, we’ve found that anybody who expresses an interest in and desire to build their own home, and there are a lot of them, find this very appealing.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 10, 2010 Springs Home & Style.

Broadmoor brownstone offers class, comfort and Golf Club eligibility
By Kate Jonuska

Visiting the Broadmoor area feels like entering a slice of the Old World, with its roundabouts, manicured grounds and striking architecture, including the signature silhouette of the hotel itself. While the Broadmoor and its environs often seem to be reserved for the resort’s guests, the ambiance and amenities of the area are available right from the doorstep of this week’s featured property, a charming yet chic townhome built in the East Coast brownstone style.

“It has the Old World charm of the classic Northeast brownstone combined with the finest of modern day amenities,” says Keith Hayes of the Becky Gloriod Team at Prudential Realtors, who lists the two-bedroom, four-bath home for $1.65 million. “The most unique thing is the location. To have new construction in flatlands Old Broadmoor is a good find and then there’s the proximity to the hotel itself,” which is only a block away.

The melding of the classic and contemporary is visible as you cross the threshold, moving from the imposing concrete steps and tall, narrow stucco-and-stone exterior into a sweeping great room with 12-foot ceilings. Wide plank Hickory floors spill into the elegant space, which offers a bay window balcony, a stone fireplace and elegant architectural columns, part of the high-end woodwork and molding throughout the 4.455-square-foot floor plan.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 9, 2010 Springs Houses.

Broadmoor home offers long history of style and substance
By Kate Jonuska

The 2.18-acre lot once boasted a tennis court and a swimming pool. The dining room has played host to generations of notables who built this city. And yet today, it’s walls could be the perfect cozy nest for a family used to every luxury. This week’s featured Broadmoor area gem, listed at $2 million by Stuart Scott of Stuart Scott Limited and ERA Shields, strikes an ideal balance between esteemed history and modern amenities to create a home that both fascinates and functions.

Scott has become an expert in the history of the home, built in 1949 by Phillip G. Cole. “ I’ve never seen architecture quite like this before,” he says, noting that it was designed with the the owner’s art collection in mind with ample light and display walls. “It’s rather gallery-like, with very high ceilings for the time.”

The home later hosted the commanding generals of NORAD who, as members of the elite social milieu of the day, entertained regularly. Subsequent owners – including at least one artist – left creative marks and improved.

Many original touches shine in the formal living room, a vaulted space with a massive wood-beamed ceiling, wide-panel wood floors and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace of natural stone. A wall of doors peek out at the sweeping yard, while another wall of windows stream with sunshine. An adorable and functional butler’s pantry/miniature kitchen is accessed by an almost hidden panel door.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 2, 2010 Springs Houses.

By Kate Jonuska

With bell ringers outside every market and charity drives in full swing, this holiday season turns the mind toward giving and helping the less fortunate. However, broker associate Courtney Gilmore of Avalar Real Estate Solutions, having dedicated herself to giving back to the community that supports her success, has devised a unique way to contribute to charitable causes year round, by making giving a part of any real estate transaction.

“As long as I’ve done this, the real estate community is close knit and so many people that I know are paying it forward in their own ways. They’re a pretty giving community,” says Gilmore, who has worked in real estate for more than 12 years. “(But) I don’t know any real estate broker that is giving back to the community straight from their commission, a concerted effort like that.”

Gilmore’s giving campaign, which began rolling this year and she hopes will only grow in 2010, comes to fruition at the closing table, where a check gets cut from her commission to one of three organizations about which she feels passionately. A client, whether buyer or seller, simply needs to state that they, too, are associated with or were referred by one of the organizations she supports.

The groups are what Gilmore calls a “tripod of causes: my college, UCCS, which was a huge part of my life; my son’s school, and contributing toward the people who provide his education; and the third one was my always my passion, sports and volleyball, which I played my whole life,” she says. In other words, she’s giving back to the three things she sees as improving her life: education, parenthood and sport. “Usually when you contribute, you contribute to what you’re passion about, and those three things really define me.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Dec. 27, 2009 Springs Home & Style.

By Kate Jonuska

Anyone who loved ListenUp in downtown Colorado Springs for its quality, value and excellent customer service will rejoice at the news that as of this weekend, there’s even more to love: The shop known for providing the best sight and sound technology in the area has doubled in size by moving into it’s new location on Woodmen Road, one block east of Interstate 25.

“It is our largest store now,” says branch manager David Huddleston, who explains that ListenUp has been in business in Colorado for 38 years and in the Springs for more than 20. “It’s very exciting. Being able to expose everybody in Colorado Springs to the best in technology, now with even more services to offer, we feel privileged to be able to do that.”

Instead of buying electronics from a cold showroom floor, where they’re hard sold by an inexperienced salesperson, ListenUp is committed to offering selection, value, expertise and incredible hands-on experiences, allowing people to see, hear and compare almost any product in the store. Customers can test run more than 20 sets of headphones, gawk at walls of dozens of flat-screen televisions or visit the store’s six demonstration rooms.

“You can look at technology in a real world, home-like environment,” says Huddleston of the demo rooms, which include fully furnished rooms focused on hi-fi audio experiences, high definition video comparisons and even video game play.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published Nov. 22, 2009 in Springs Home & Style.