by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

The Graduate offers architecture inspired by an eclectic blend of our northwest craftsman. This practical and tasteful home highlights what living in the Northwest is all about. Unlike many Street of Dreams homes, this is a fully replicable home, whose features can be reproduced in any Renaissance home.

The richly appointed interior is a collage of classic materials, including rich hardwoods and textural tiles. The aim of the interior design is to create a comfortable yet sophisticated look that also incorporates the day to day conveniences of family living. The color palette is kept basic to seamlessly blend the interior with the Northwest exterior of the home.

Buy Your Street of Dreams Tickets Here

Everyone here at Renaissance Homes would like to wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July!

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

The Graduate offers architecture inspired by an eclectic blend of our northwest craftsman. This practical and tasteful home highlights what living in the Northwest is all about. Unlike many Street of Dreams homes, this is a fully replicable home, whose features can be reproduced in any Renaissance home.

The richly appointed interior is a collage of classic materials, including rich hardwoods and textural tiles. The aim of the interior design is to create a comfortable yet sophisticated look that also incorporates the day to day conveniences of family living. The color palette is kept basic to seamlessly blend the interior with the Northwest exterior of the home.

For more information about “The Graduate” or the other Street of Dreams Homes, click here

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Over here at Renaissance we are thrilled to see more and more people going green in their building practices and operations. The Toyota Center, home to the Houston Rockets, this week became the fourth NBA arena to earn environmental certification from the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council.  The Toyota Center received LEED’s silver rating for existing buildings, a score surpassed only by the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., home to the Trailblazers, which has a higher gold certification. It said the other two LEED-certified NBA venues are Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena and Atlanta’s Philips Arena.

Renaissance Homes would like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Memorial Day!

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Nothing affects curb appeal and ultimately the value of a home like the exterior siding. Homeowners wanting the look of lap siding have traditionally had to settle for wood or vinyl siding. However, over time, wood-based siding tends to rot, fade and crack, and is susceptible to termites, while vinyl is easily dented, fades in color, and is perceived as being a lower quality alternative.

James Hardie^® revolutionary ColorPlus^® Technology painting process will ensure your home looks better, longer. That’s because James Hardie^® siding with ColorPlus^® technology comes with a factory applied, baked-on paint finish that is guaranteed not to chip, peel or crack and is protected with a 15-year finish warranty.

Click Here for More Information

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Renaissance Homes announced  that they have begun a new division named “The Vintage Collection” and they will specialize in building in older Portland neighborhoods.  The collection will offer plans featuring traditional ‘old Portland’ architecture while bringing updated interior floor plans and features – all of which Renaissance Homes is so well known for.

“This is a passion for us and we have 26 years of unique insight gained from building homes for Portland area residents.  We are now looking to purchase existing lots in a wide variety of Portland neighborhoods and build homes that blend seamlessly with their neighbors.  We are filling a niche by blending the best of both worlds with a distinctive Portland neighborhood look with all of the consumer advantages offered by a thoroughly updated Renaissance floor plan and interior,” said Randy Sebastian, President of Renaissance.

In addition to getting a new home with current building codes being incorporated which will provide lower maintenance and utility costs, our buyers will have the advantage of the most current ‘green building’ practices of any builder in the Portland area.  Renaissance has long been seen as the industry pioneer and leader in green building, having initiated many practices which will soon become code requirements in Oregon.

Sebastian reported that Renaissance will soon begin work on several lots including one in the Sellwood area, another near the Rose City Golf Course and in North Portland.  Our intent is to provide buyers with a new way of thinking about old Portland neighborhoods.  Our homes will provide them with the ambiance of these neighborhoods the great parks, schools and quaint shopping areas coupled with the most modern building practices of any builder.”

“Our intent is to build about 100 homes a year throughout Portland in the Vintage Collection along with our various suburban neighborhoods, such as Lake Oswego, West Linn and Clark County.”  Sebastian added: “the fact is that we will build our customersthe home the way they want it designed and built, where they want it and at anytime.”

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Keller Williams Realty associates may be taking the day off on Thursday, May 13, 2010, but it will hardly be a day of rest. Over 75,000 associates across the United States and Canada will spend a day giving back as part of the company’s community service initiative, RED Day.

Short for “Renew, Energize and Donate,” RED Day was created to unite Keller Williams Realty offices and associates in an international day of service. During RED Day 2009, over 70,000 Keller Williams associates participated in activities ranging from food and blood drives to cleaning up trash in public parks, doing yard work for neighbors in need or revamping gardens at nursing homes. Last year on RED Day, the company donated over 130,000 hours.

The theme of this year’s initiative is “Give Where You Live!”  As part of the RED Day effort, the Keller Williams Portland Premiere office has chosen to spend the day with Trillium Family Services’ Parry Center.  Trillium is the leading provider of mental and behavioral healthcare for Oregon’s most vulnerable children.   Participants will paint pillars in the commons area, assist with fundraising mailings, clear ivy from its park-like setting and provide some good old “TLC” to the campus’ family therapy and visiting rooms.

“We are ready to paint Portland red!  We are excited to be a part of RED Day and continue the important company tradition of giving,” said Portland Premiere Team Leader, Linda Alexander.  “Last year, we cleaned up a community swim park for kids and families, cleaned up and landscaped seniors yards, and beautified a community park.  We can’t tell you what an impact it made on each of us personally – it feels so great to give back to the community we know and love and which has given us so much over the years.”

“We are thrilled to have the crew from Keller Williams join us here in service to children and families who are healing with us,” says Kim Scott, Trillium’s President and CEO.  “We rely on our community partners to help us make a difference in the lives of thousands of young people who represent Oregon’s bright future.”

 For more information about RED Day visit www.kw.com/redday.

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Renaissance Homes announced today that their NW Natural Street of Dreams home will be built under the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System which is underway in Cresap Summit. This marks the company’s second LEED project after building Washington’s third LEED home by the same Construction Manager, Dennis McCrea. 

 The 4,145-square-foot, five bedroom, four bath structure is being built by Renaissance Homes, a leader in “green” building practices in the Portland/Vancouver area, to test the economic and energy-saving practicality of a number of green building techniques, according to Randy Sebastian, Renaissance president.

“The Home Builders Association is very excited for the first NW Natural Street of Dreams to feature all sustainably built homes. Renaissance Homes is leading the way with their ambitious LEED certification, which will be the first ever NW Natural Street of Dreams home to achieve the certification, “says Eric Stride, Home Builders Association of Metro Portland Show Manager.

Click Here to read the Full Press Release

by Laura Wahberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Third-Party Framing Lumber Moisture Test – This requires the moisture content in the lumber used in the house to be below the threshold that can stimulate mold growth, which can degrade materials and compromise the healthy air quality in the home.