Before + After

Before + After | March, 2016

Berglund Architects currently has three projects under construction in Vail with a fourth about to start. All four homes are being built on sites in which the owner bought an existing home and subsequently tore it down. During Berglund Architect’s 12 years in business, the firm has designed only six homes, out of about fifty, that were built on sites in which an existing house was torn down. So, the trend is growing as there are essentially no unbuilt lots left in Vail. Of the firm’s tear down projects, all but one were built in Vail, with the one outsider being on a spectacular property in Lake Creek in Edwards, CO. However, in the not too distant future, we predict that new houses on tear down sites will become much more common in Beaver Creek, Mountain Star and Edwards as unbuilt lots become even scarcer and land values increase. Here is a link to a recent blog post by Shaeffer Hyde Construction on the topic which inspired our post. They discuss many of the reasons why homeowners decide to buy houses with the intent of tearing them down and building a new home. Instead of us repeating them here, we thought it best if you take a look at their post and see a four minute video of the demolition of an existing house for the construction of a new a home that we designed and which Shaeffer-Hyde is building. In our experience, tear downs are often more economical than significant remodels and result in a much better final product. As outlined in Shaeffer-Hyde’s post, we encourage our clients to donate as many usable products and building materials to Habitat for Humanity or other charitable organizations which can give them new life and to recycle when items from the existing homes cannot be reused.

Below are before and after images of 6 of Berglund Architects completed and currently in process homes. (Image at top of page – West Fairway Drive Residence))

Vail Valley Residence – Before