by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Framing is well underway! If you have visited one of our homes under construction, you may have noticed the use of Engineered Wood Floor Studs (Flooring). These resource efficient engineered materials are as strong as solid studs but straighter and more stable. This radically reduces the need to cull bad studs, saving materials, time and money.
 
We also use Kiln-Dried Framing Lumber which is moisture tested to ensure that lumber is not covered by interior finish materials before the moisture content is below 19%. This testing can help prevent future wood mold.

by Darby Sargent

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Randy Sebastian, President of Renaissance Homes today announced that his company has been selected to oversee the marketing of a new and well located development in the heart of Lake Oswego.  He said this neighborhood “has the Renaissance feel and is ready to go, so sales and marketing efforts will begin immediately.” He added that: “this development is a sign of an improving market and also the combined and cooperative efforts of land developers, builders and marketing companies.”

“This is a premier Renaissance style location where we can build our homes and have strong market acceptance because of the location, size, lot configuration and  access to Main Lake via swim park and boat easements.”  The 3-lot development of fine homes known as “Westbay Glen” is located across from the Lamont Springs Natural Area at the corner of Depot Street and Lakeview Boulevard.”  The development offers our latest floorplans from 2,575 square feet to 2,893 square feet.  He indicated “These will be family friendly homes because of flat lots with ample back yards.  In addition, the development is in the highly respected Lake Oswego school system, known for academic excellence and parental involvement.  And the desirable location is central to everything including the Bridgeport Village Mall, I-5 and Highway 217 and the charming town of Lake Oswego, he said.    

Base prices begin in the high 400’s  and vary depending on the home, lot and financing option selected.  Sales of Westbay Glen will be handled by Will Fendon of Keller Williams Realty SW, who can be reached directly at 503-432-5450 or wfendon@kw.com.

Sales begin immediately and “Initial interest shows that buyers are excited about the potential of owning a new Renaissance home in Lake Oswego.  People just trust the quality of Renaissance homes and know their neighborhoods always have an upscale feel to them.  Their reputation for creating award-winning homes attracts people seeking a quality neighborhood,” said Fendon.  “There’s a lot of excitement in particular from families who are discovering they can build a new Renaissance home for comparable prices to resale homes they’ve seen,” added Fendon.

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Voila! We have a foundation. The foundation is one of the first visual pieces of a homes construction and creates a base for the rest of a home’s components. On this particular homesite, we poured a Crawlspace Foundation, also known as a Mono Pour, where the footings and stem walls are poured at the same time. We also installed the I Joist flooring system and began under floor plumbing this week.

Click Here to find out more about different kinds of foundations:

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

The holiday gives us a great excuse to dress green, drink green and eat green.  It also offers the opportunity for us to Live Green.  Here are some ways you can enjoy the green holiday.

Dress Green

Eat Green

Drink Green

Live Green

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

by Shauna Crisan

Turn on your AC unit(s) to verify they respond to the programming of your thermostat.  Checking your AC system for proper function now will also allow plenty of time before the heat comes for service if it is needed.  After your warranty period is over we also recommend that you have a licensed HVAC Contractor perform seasonal maintenance.  Ensure that the air supply registers are not blocked by rugs, draperies, and furniture. 

You will likely not need to run the irrigation system yet.  However, we encourage you to check your sprinkler system for heads that were broken or damaged during the winter.  Turn on your irrigation system and adjust sprinkler heads as necessary for full coverage.  Make sure they are not spraying the house or causing standing water next to the home.

Open any foundation vents that were closed during the winter. 

Visually inspect your roof from the ground for loose or missing shingles.  Contact a licensed Roofing Contractor should repairs be necessary.

by Laura Wahlberg

www.Renaissance-Homes.com

Here’s a pre-construction photo of our Street of Dreams lot.  Change will come quickly as we will pour our foundation Friday.  Check back for weekly updates and a behind the scenes look as this home takes shape.    

Here at Renaissance we love to hear from our home owners!  Check out the note here from Bart L.

Hello,

I have seen your building commercials lately and just had to send a note of compliment!  A couple months ago my wife and I moved about a mile in West Linn downsizing 1,000 feet from a more expensive home.  We purchased a 12 year old Renaissance home at  Coeur D’Alene Drive.

We are so completely impressed by the design, quality, and use of space of this new home that we can hardly stand it.  Even the outdoor features are of great quality.

Keep building these great homes!    

Bart L.

Senior Marketing Associate

Thank you Bart!  We would love hear from other home owners as well.  Feel free to email us or interact with us on Facebook or Twitter!

Which housing markets are the best bets to recover first? We present our annual list of the 20 healthiest housing markets in the country.

By:  Boyce Thompson

16. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA

Market Health Indicator: 34.4

2009 Total Building Permits: 3,821

2010 Building Permit Forecast: 10,156

Builders in the Portland area are placing their bets on a strong recovery in 2010; they pulled 17% more permits in the fourth quarter of last year than they did a year earlier, with nearly all the strength in single-family. The locals are betting on some strong underlying demographics, including a projected 2% increase in household growth and continued in-migration from more expensive California markets. The industry doesn’t appear deterred by the region’s urban growth boundaries or its new eco-districts. Market Intelligence is predicting big things for Portland–an increase of 6,200 in building permits. While Portland’s Renaissance Homes became one of the first major builders to emerge from Chapter 11 proceedings, two others–Legend Homes and Pacific Lifestyle Homes–are still working on their reorganization plans.