Living Large

Building a better community with the Meridian Food Bank

2009-02-10T14:59:00.001-07:00

Last month Corey Barton and our CBH Homes construction team joined forces with BMC West, Builder’s Interiors, Precision Design & Trim and DNI to lend a hand in our community.

The Meridian Food Bank had outgrown its headquarters and found a more spacious location at a time when demand for free food is growing every month. The building however, was in need of renovation and some tender loving care. CBH Homes jumped at the chance to help out and put our expertise to great use.

“With the help of our community partners, we had loads of fun sprucing up the place. We tore down old walls, built new walls, and installed new flooring, countertops and wall paneling,” said Casey Whittenborn, a superintendent for CBH Homes.

The Meridian Food Bank will officially open their new doors later this month and plans to hold a grand opening for the community in March. “Everything has worked out extremely well,” stated Dan Clark, chairman for the Meridian Food Bank. “It was a delight to work with Corey and his team.”

CBH Homes featured in Builder magazine

2009-01-12T16:48:00.003-07:00

Corey and I have been anxiously awaiting the January issue of Builder magazine to hit the streets. CBH Homes is the No. 1 builder in Idaho and ranks No. 67 nationwide on the 2007 Builder 100 list, but our company had never been featured prominently in the magazine before. Penned by senior writer John Caufield, the article highlights some of the things we’ve done at CBH Homes to remain competitive in the Treasure Valley market.

Mr. Caufield singled out our transition to Square One centers as one of our most innovative ideas. The Square One centers are a one-stop shopping experience where customers can save themselves time and money by finding information on each of our communities in that city, touring model homes, viewing over 50 floorplans and meeting with a mortgage planner onsite.

We want to thank Builder and Mr. Caufield for the article. We had a nice interview with him in November, soon after Deal of a Lifetime II, and the thing he asked us at the conclusion of the interview was “Why haven’t I heard about you before?” We laughed and said we hadn’t tried to remain a secret at the national level, but we had been really busy in Idaho, focusing on providing our customers with quality homes at unbelievably affordable prices.

Cozy Kids 2008

2009-01-09T12:54:00.002-07:00

In its seventh year, Cozy Kids 2008 was a great success! We changed things up this time around by making it a competition among CBH Homes Square One centers to see who could collect the most winter coats for kids in our area. The Square Ones had from December 1st – December 17th to garner as many donations as possible. All Square Ones had donation bins in their sales centers, and some went above and beyond by collecting donations from local businesses or driving door to door in certain communities. After everyone’s hard work… drum roll please…

Kuna Square One won the competition by a hair, collecting over 70 coats and bringing the CBH total to 254 coats! Thank you to everyone who helped us keep kids warm this winter!

The CBH Team delivered the donated coats to participating schools and very appreciative school counselors on December 19th.

“I'd like to send a thank you note to your Nampa branch for giving our school a box of coats. Several students were able to have warm coats over the Christmas break because of your generosity. We are so grateful!! Unsolicited generosity like yours in difficult economic times is the glue that holds communities together. Thank you so much, from all of the kids who excitedly received a lovely coat.”

Miranda Palmer
Roosevelt Elementary School Counselor

We would like to thank all of the people who helped make this possible: our homeowners, school counselors, friends and families of CBH Homes. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Jennifer Glauser,
Sales Concierge
Nampa Square One

Customize Your Home: CBH Design Studio

2008-11-19T11:46:00.006-07:00

So you have found your dream home, congratulations! And guess what? The fun is just beginning. It’s time to customize and personalize your new home. From the color of your front door to the color of your doorknobs, you can let your creativity flow at the CBH Design Studio.

Do you need some design ideas and inspiration? Try looking around your current home. Find your favorite thing in the house: a pillow, a family vacation photo, a favorite shirt. Whatever it may be, it will have a color or theme that will get you pointed in the right direction. Looking through magazines can also inspire you to find the color or style you’ve always dreamed of. When you find it, make sure to bring it with you to the Design Studio. Your Design Consultant will be able to use it as a guide in helping you to choose the perfect color palette.

We are actually undergoing a transformation ourselves here at the Design Studio. We’re excited to announce that we are expanding our studio to bring you even more options, and new, charming vignettes to further inspire your creativity. Stay tuned for details on our Grand Opening. In the mean time, stop by Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm or Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Amy Watson, CBH Homes Design Studio Consultant

Mountain Home is a new home for us

2008-11-12T14:21:00.004-07:00

We've been building homes and communities in the Boise area since 1992. And have now expanded into Mountain Home, with four exciting new communities.

In fact, we've just broken ground on two of them: Silverstone and Colonial Estates. At CBH Homes, we're very excited about our arrival in the town that's home to the 366th Fighter Wing "Gunfighters" -- and we look forward to building great homes for the residents of Mountain Home.

Holly Haener, Director of Sales & Marketing

Buyers find a “Deal of a Lifetime”

2008-10-31T15:33:00.006-06:00

It was an exciting weekend for all of us here at CBH Homes as we celebrated Deal of a Lifetime 2! We launched our sale last Friday morning and were thrilled to see hundreds of prospective buyers through the doors of each of our five Square One centers throughout the Treasure Valley. The number of visitors to our sites more than tripled and our website received thousands of hits.

In addition to selling homes this past weekend we made new friends and followers on Twitter and caught lots of attention with our guerilla marketing, Big Red Tag.

Make no mistake about it: there are buyers in the Treasure Valley looking to purchase new homes. For Deal of a Lifetime 2 we offered over 200 homes in Boise, Meridian, Star, Kuna, Nampa and Caldwell for up to $50,000 off. We sold 77 homes ranging in price from $88,000 to $275,000. We’re thrilled with the results and happy to be a part of helping over 70 families find and purchase their new home.

In addition we have launched the CBH Homebuyer’s Club as a resolution for buyers who have obstacles to overcome prior to qualifying for a loan and being able to purchase a new home. With the help of our CBH Home Loans loan specialists and the Homebuyer’s Club, our buyers will receive guidance to help them plan, save, and potentially repair their credit in order to purchase.

If you missed out on Deal of a Lifetime 2, there are always great deals to take advantage of. Visit one of our five Square One centers today.

Most of all, congratulations to our 77 new Deal of a Lifetime 2 homebuyers!

Deal of a Lifetime 2

2008-10-21T17:36:00.003-06:00

Here at CBH Homes, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve. We know that a company that doesn't take chances and try unique approaches won't survive in today's crazy market. That's why we are so excited to announce we are hosting the epic CBH Homes Deal of a Lifetime Sale again! We are slashing prices on nearly 200 homes by up to $50,000. You're reading that right - from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 25 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday Oct. 26, you can save up to $50,000 on your new dream home.

We've been telling people for a while that it's an excellent time to be a new homebuyer, with uncharacteristically low interest rates and a $7,500 tax credit offered to first-time homebuyers. Couple that with our massive sale, and you could get yourself into a brand new home for a jaw-dropping price.

The best way to shop for your Deal of a Lifetime is to visit one of our five Square One centers:

From there, potential homebuyers can search for homes that contain the features they want, head out to tour the properties at your leisure and talk to a CBH Home Loans Specialist about getting pre-qualified.

During last years Deal of a Lifetime sale, over 100 people who came out to a CBH Homes Square One center seeking their dream home found and purchased one... the deals are simply unbeatable. If you're even considering shopping for a new home, you absolutely can't miss the Deal of a Lifetime! We can't wait to help you find your new home!

After 4 years at Boise State, CBH's Touchdown Lounge has graduated.

2008-09-25T15:56:00.005-06:00

Lot's of Bronco fans have been asking, "Where's the CBH Touchdown Lounge?

It's not on the field in Bronco Stadium any more."

Actually, there's a good reason.

After four years, CBH Homes has retired as a Team Bronco partner, and we've donated the house for Camp River Run, a camp for kids with cancer, to auction off. Camp River Run's charity auction and fundraising efforts were a huge success and we were proud to have played a part.

Though the Touchdown Lounge has graduated from campus, our support of Bronco football - and all Boise State sports - is stronger than ever. We're really excited about this years season and the big win over the Oregon Ducks! Go Broncos!

CBH building homes for giraffes?

2008-08-29T12:37:00.002-06:00

We’re always looking for new and fun ways to put our building expertise to the test. But we never thought of building a home for giraffes before! That is until one young man recently brought the idea to our attention! Read more here.

Thanks for thinking of us and we’ll see what Corey can do!

Foster families make their home in brand new CBH homes.

2008-08-13T18:18:00.001-06:00

Earlier this year we were contacted by a local non-profit organization called The Bridge, which is a program of the Children’s Home Society of Idaho. The Bridge works hard to ensure that Idaho’s children in foster care find loving, lasting families matched to their background and needs.

The Bridge was looking to build two new homes that they could provide to two deserving foster families in Caldwell rent-free, thanks to a grant that they received from the Troxell Fund. Last year, we partnered with The Bridge and built two foster homes in Meridian. So, we were excited to have another chance to help build better lives for these children and families who are so deserving of a safe and comfortable home.

These two new homes in Caldwell were selected with the needs of foster families in mind. Both homes have spacious floorplans , that feature four bedrooms and two and half baths, a bonus room and a fully landscaped backyard, perfect for these young children.

To learn more about The Bridge program, and how you can help children in Idaho’s foster care system, visit The Bridge.

Makeover Update: Stockdale's One Year Later

2008-08-05T09:24:00.004-06:00

It was just over a year ago when we were contacted by ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to help build a home for the Stockdale’s, a very deserving family in Middleton.

After we learned a little bit about Ryan and Karia Stockdale and their four children, who all suffer from a rare blood disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis, we rallied our troops and decided to do the impossible – build a home in less than a week.

What we learned through last summer’s experience was an invaluable lesson on how fortunate we all are to live in such a great community. We will never forget the support that we received from friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and even complete strangers. The entire experience left all of us at CBH with priceless memories and we’re thankful that we had the opportunity.

We are so thankful for all of you who have inquired as to how the Stockdale’s were doing in their new home. We have received updates from the family who report that they are extremely happy in their home, and most importantly, that the children are doing well.

In fact, in an interview with KTVB-TV, Karia said, “It feels like we’ve lived in this house forever. It feels so comfortable.” Karia also mentioned that the new filtered air and water systems have made a huge difference with the health of their children.

Click here to view the entire ktvb interview

To view some of our photos of the many people who helped make the project possible, and to see some pictures of the Stockdale house, you can view them here.

CBH Homes maintains position on Builder 100 list

2008-07-07T16:40:00.006-06:00

When I heard that the Builder 100 list was going to be published online, I was nervous and excited all at once. Where would we land, I wondered? 2007 was a challenging year for the entire real estate industry nationwide. But I knew we had a good year considering, and that our economy in Idaho was in much better shape than in many parts of the United States.

I am proud to say CBH Homes ranked No. 67 among all home-building companies nationwide, with 833 home sales in 2007! Despite the testing market, we held strong and kept the same position from 2006. CBH also maintained its position as the No. 1 home builder in Idaho.

Here’s a link to the complete list

We were ranked just above Avata Holdings of Coral Gables, FL, No. 68, with 780 homes and just below Polygon Northwest Co. of Bellevue, WA who climbed up the list to No. 66, with 849 home sales.

Along the way we have tried a number of innovative techniques to keep home sales moving along, including selling homes on eBay last August and discounting prices from $30,000 to $70,000 per home in a single weekend campaign titled “Deal of a Lifetime” in October 2007. We’ve also redesigned our website to provide more information to the user and held a Guitar Hero tournament at our Square One center to attract young first-time buyers.

Flexibility is our key to success in a market that bends and sways in all directions. We are constantly listening to our customers and searching for new ways to improve and stay on top of the market.

Please Excuse Our Weeds...

2008-06-19T13:39:00.008-06:00

It is every year about this time that our Sales and Marketing department starts to go crazy when we drive through our communities and see the weeds are thriving better than most lawns. It seems that even with constant mowing and weed management, the task is insurmountable and it isn't long before the weeds have grown taller than the fences in some cases!

No matter what we do, year after year, the weeds just take over for a few months. Now, with that being said I have often wondered why when I drive through other communities the weeds don't seem to be a problem. In some communities I cannot find a single weed on a lot of in the planter area of an available home. How is that possible? Do the weeds only love CBH Homes; our developments, homesites and the planter areas of our available homes?

It has recently come to my attention, although I had finally bought off on the idea that weeds only love CBH, this is not the case at all. It is with a huge budget and arsenal of chemicals that some communities are able to better manage their weeds. Now, I have decided not only do weeds love CBH, but CBH loves weeds! We would rather avoid the chemicals and instead live with a few frustrating months of trying to keep the weeds mowed down and to a minimum.

So with that being said, please excuse our weeds and LIVE (for being green)

Holly Haener
CBH Homes
Director of Sales & Marketing

It’s fun to live in a city that’s a shining star

2008-06-06T09:43:00.018-06:00

Those of us who live in Boise and the Treasure Valley know it’s a great place to live. That’s why we’re here.

Lately, Boise has been getting positive, national recognition for being one of the best places to live and work. Sometimes local residents cringe when Boise gets singled out like this because they want it to remain a secret, but when economic times are tough, it sure is nice to be a shining star.

Last week, Boise ranked No. 4 in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s annual list of the Top 10 Best Cities to Live, Work and Play. They called Boise "Rocky Mountain High Tech."

“How do folks get any work done around here? The skiing, snowboarding, fishing, biking and kayaking in and around Boise are an almost irresistible temptation to desert your desk,” wrote Amy Bickers of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.

In March, Forbes magazine selected Boise as the second-best place in the country for business and careers, and it ranked Boise seventh among the top 10 Up-and-Coming Tech Cities. Boise also ranked No. 2 on MSNBC's Top 10 Places To Live In America largely because of housing prices.

There must be some truth to Boise being a great place for business and careers because Forbes keeps ranking the city in the top 5. This was the fourth year in a row when Boise was in the top 5. Last year, we were ranked third, and we ranked first in 2005.

Boise owes its high ranking to a low cost of doing business (rent is reasonable, power costs are among the lowest in the nation, regulation is minimal compared to bigger states, the cost of labor also is reasonable, and Boise has a well-educated work force).

So if you’re already in Boise, enjoy it. If you’re not, and you’re thinking about coming here, then these new reports might give you even more incentive.

Affordable homes for first-time buyers

2008-05-28T17:13:00.010-06:00

Give me an “A” for Affordable. It was gratifying to read in the Idaho Business Review recently that home buyers are finding homes that fit their budget and preference. Not surprisingly, first-time home buyers are looking for new homes priced at affordable levels. In the Treasure Valley market, the article said, it is possible for couples to find their dream home.

“We’ve really tried to design more efficiently, and of course we’re building houses that are more suitable to what the buyers can afford to pay for,” CBH President Corey Barton told the Business Review. “We’ve designed some smaller square-footage plans that are very appealing as well as some larger homes that are more efficient, more cost-effective to build.”

To keep the price down, we have introduced a new line of homes that start out with just the bare essentials at a baseline price. If a buyer wants more and can afford more, then he or she can add upgrades, from soaker tubs to three-car garages. The new Advantage Line homes, for example, come in models ranging from 900 to 3,500 square feet per unit.

We’ve also taken steps to streamline the efficiency of the construction process. “We’re paying especially close attention to time, efficiency and communication so we’re not doing things over and over again,” Corey told the Business Review. “We’re being very careful not to waste materials, and we’re looking for better materials that are less expensive.”

By paying attention to these details, we’ve been able to cut 10 percent to 15 percent from the cost of building and passing on a 10 percent to 20 percent cost cut to home buyers. For example, a 916-square-foot home from CBH’s older collection is priced at $112,490, while the 900-square-foot Advantage version costs just $98,990.

That’s the kind of swift action we’re taking at CBH Homes to make our homes more accessible to buyers. Check out our home search for a model and a price that fits your budget.

FIVE STARS

2008-05-20T14:00:00.010-06:00

Having worked for two national homebuilders before working for CBH Homes, my list of must haves in our first home were long and all equally important. Top of our list were affordability, great location, superior quality, livable floorplan design, and unique exterior and interior style enhancements. In today’s market, it wasn’t hard for us to find a home with one out of our five “must-haves”…the tricky part was finding a homebuilder that saw the importance in providing all five.

Lucky for us, CBH Homes knocked it out of the park and offered all we were looking for in a home. The cherry on top of our delightful, affordable homebuying sundae is the comment we keep hearing over and over. “This is your first home? Wow! It doesn’t look anything like the typical first-time home.”

And that is the key. Buyers in today’s market don’t have to settle for less. Your dream home does exist at a price you can afford. Believe me, I speak whole heartedly from experience. Our first home far surpasses any image or idea of what we thought we could afford to own. All I can recommend is to make a list of what is important to you in a home and go out and search for it. We did and couldn’t be happier!

Michelle Budell
CBH Marketing Manager

Rock the House

2008-05-01T12:36:00.003-06:00

If there's one thing we love at CBH, it's music! (We even have our own Playlist.) Combine our love of music with our fearless drive to develop innovative ideas and you get one crazy Guitar Hero tournament!

In the process of organizing the grand opening of our new Meridian Square One location, we took advantage of the opportunity to be creative with how we could, 1) provide entertainment at the grand opening, and 2) grab people's attention in a world where different messages and offers are being thrown at them everywhere they look. It's a struggle sometimes to stand out from the crowd, and in today's real estate market it is even more important to do so. With that, we simply couldn't resist holding the first-ever CBH Guitar Hero tourney.

We had 75 contestants throughout the weekend that jammed to everything from Alice Cooper to Led Zeppelin. And in between the contest and rock music we managed to tour customers and Realtors around our new Square One location to see all the fun new tools we've added to the home shopping experience. Check out some photos here.

Our proud Guitar Hero winner was Kyle Randolph from Kuna. Kyle is now the proud owner of a brand new Wii system! Congrats Kyle! Keep on rockin' on!

Stay tuned... We just might do it again!!

TheStreet.com: A Great Time To Buy A Home

2008-04-28T10:49:00.017-06:00

It's hard to turn on the news today and not hear negative comments about our national economy. But, while things can seem universally unfortunate, if you're in the market for a new home, this is actually a fantastic time to buy! But please, don't just take my word for it...

Last week one of the leading online financial companies, TheStreet.com, posted seven positive financial opportunities this market currently provides to consumers. The first two opportunities they listed were:

1. AFFORDABLE HOMES. Down economies are short-lived and housing markets should recover long before most people are planning to sell their home.

2. LOW MORTGAGE RATES. The Fed has made interest rates incredibly low, resulting in more affordable loans for those wanting to purchase a home.

The complete article is great and discusses other opportunities as well such as inexpensive stocks and financial streamlining. Something everyone should read when they get a chance. To view their full piece, please click here.

Yes! The day has arrived!!

2008-04-07T16:50:00.006-06:00

It is with much excitement that we officially launch the newly refined CBHhomes.com! We hope that our buyers, realtors, homeowners and builder partners all enjoy our new look!

The new website carries over much of the helpful content from the previous site, but we've added a few things that should make your CBH Homes online experience much more enjoyable.

First, we've significantly changed the way you can search our homes and communities. By combining the technology of Google mapping and the information in MLS we've created new "mashup" technology that we haven't seen before in our industry. With Google and MLS together, buyers and realtors can quickly search for a home under specific criteria and see exactly where that home sits in town while viewing all the details about the product! You can bookmark homes and come back later, email it to a friend or family member or print it out and find the nearest Square1 location to inquire about it in person.

Second, 2008 is the year of the buyer so our promotions are extremely important. To make sure buyers and realtors are aware of the latest CBH promotions we've significantly increased the size of our home page viewing screen and will rotate all our promotions and events here. Also, if you're not currently receiving our newsletter, please be sure to sign up (in the upper right corner) so we can keep you up to date on all recent CBH news!!

There's lots of fun stuff always going on at CBH so we've created a new section of the website called The Neighborhood. Here you'll find Flickr photos of our events, personal employee profiles, some iMix music that inspires us, our Living Large blog posts and even a re-occurring podcast series called Inside CBH where Corey Barton describes the behind the scene ways that CBH continues to produce top-quality homes at prices you love.

So go ahead, play around! And after you've played, come back! We can promise to always add fresh content and new ideas so your CBHhomes.com experience is always fun and time well spent!

Love at First Sight

2008-03-03T09:36:00.003-07:00

No, it is not a man. It is a house! Who knew I would walk in to my future CBH home (when I was not even house-hunting) and instantly know that it must be mine? Maybe I will one day feel this way about a boy.

It has now been just over a year since I met, fell in love with, and purchased (the next day) my CBH home. And I have to say, I still heart it more and more as time goes by.

Since the beginning of our relationship, my Montico 1934 and I have been best of friends. I shower him with gifts like a custom paint job, a patio cover, and surround sound speakers. In return, he is always there for me, whether I am cooking, doing laundry, watching TV, even sleeping. He even lets me have the entire master closet!

At the end of the day, boys may come and go. But I will always have my Montico.

Tara Cheney
Assistant to Ronda Conger
Vice President

All Of This For A Handout?

2008-02-28T14:09:00.006-07:00

I wanted to create a handout for future homebuyers to help them understand the journey of buying a home. Now most graphic artists would throw in some clip art and call it a shift. Seeing as I work for CBH, I am not your average designer. I do my homework, research my product and in the end, give results. So for this handout it was obvious, I had to buy a house.

Anyone that has ever built a home or even purchased a home knows that it comes with a great deal of emotions ranging from excitement and happiness, down to doubt and worry. Buying a home is the largest expense most of us will ever have, and making that decision should not come lightly. For me, my feelings were all over the board. One would think working for CBH looking at floor plans all day long, would make it easy for me to have my dream house already picked out, but that was not the case. I knew what I wanted, how many rooms I needed, but had not pinpointed a single house in an ideal neighborhood, for the right price that included all the features I wanted. My excitement about getting a new house soon turned into frustration. I had so many great choices and pretty much wanted them all, but my mortgage specialist said I could only have one.

My husband was in love with one particular floor plan called the Rutherford. I still thought the Rutherford was hot too, but there was one little problem that was not going to work for my family. The laundry room was connected to the garage. For most families this is ideal, but anyone who has seen my husband do laundry knows it is something that needs to be kept a family secret, far away from any major entrances. So I did what any smart woman would do, I took the floor plan to our architect and ask him to fix it. And did he ever! My laundry room is now upstairs close to the bedrooms in its' own little private world, just waiting for my husband to take it on. The old laundry room is now a cute little mud area where my kids can take off their shoes and coats. (This change is now how we build the Rutherford, so if you love it thank my husband for his mad folding skills.)

After seeing the new laundry set up, I had no choice but to sign on the dotted line. The new Rutherford was perfect for us. Prefect. So then why did I not feel content? It was not the house keeping me up at night, it was the idea of paying for it. This is when I began to question my decisions. Did we really need that big of a house? Did I want to adjust my budget for my new mortgage? Did I really need that Jacuzzi tub or did I need to put in a water softener? Even though my rational side knew I did the right thing, my cautious side gave me a dose of buyers remorse. Luckily this all passed after a few days. I remember feeling a sense of pride and ownership as my foundation was poured and the framing was beginning. Man I loved it already, even without walls.

I am not going to feed anybody full of anything here, there is always going to be hick ups when building a house. Whether minor or major, they are there, no matter whom you build with or where you build it. Fortunately for me we had very few problems, which were promptly resolved. Even though most people would call me biased because of where I work, I can honestly say that building our house with CBH was not only a good experience, it was also fun and enjoyable. In the end I got a smoking hot yellow house, which has properly been named Big Bird.On March 4th, I get the keys to Big Bird. I will be a homeowner for the first time in my life, and I am beside myself with excitement. Like all homeowners I have to be realistic, there will most likely be some adjustments that need to be made once the house settles, but I am cool with that because I have seen the CBH Warranty Department does for their homeowners.

As you can imagine, the research for this handout cost more than making it, but come on I have a Jacuzzi tub to show for it! What I am really getting at is, with any rewarding experience in life there are ups and downs. Building or buying a home is the same way - the end results make the trip well worth it.

Happy Home Ownership To All!
Devri Roubidoux
CBH Homes Graphic Designer

One side note: Confession time. Yes I am still a fabulous, dedicated designer, but I have to admit I was already building my house I decided to do this assignment. However, if I ever feel the need to design a handout about Europe, I am so booking my ticket.

Bold, Beautiful, Box?

2008-02-06T12:35:00.001-07:00

I have been very lucky in that during my 14 years of designing homes in the Valley. I have been able to design some very unique and unusual homes. They have ranged from smaller entry level homes to multi-million dollar estates-from the simple to the complex. One thing that I can say with certainty is that you do not have to spend a million dollars to have a cool and unique home. Take a stroll through the North End in Boise or some of the older areas in Nampa and Caldwell. You will find homes are simple, graceful and unique. Strip away the paint and some of the simple details, and they are basic in shape and form, boxes. One of my favorite things that I do when looking for inspiration is to look through the Sears Archives where you will find homes that Sears sold through their catalogue. They are unique-dare I say cute, yet very similar. Small simple details give richness to what would be described as a boxy floor plan and elevation. Material changes, window placement, and most importantly color can change something from simple to BOLD and add uniqueness to something that, on paper, would normally be judged ho-hum.

Homes located in downtown Boise; very simple yet very unique.

The Alturas 1209, designed for our alley load garage home sites, was created with simplicity of shape to make it affordable but at the same time we wanted to create something that was rich, bold and unique

The Alturas 1209 that is being built in these CBH Communities; Peppertree, Devonshire, Bridgeview, and Chesterfield.

On paper it is a simple home, but with a few details and some color selected from our Design Studio (we have over 100 color combination choices; I counted them) we have a home that would stand out in a crowd; different even when built next to one another. They can be as unique as the individuals that choose to live in them. Always look at what you can add to your home no matter how simple, small or large it may be. That is what is really cool about CBH Homes; we let you add you, we want you to.

LIVE (to be bold)
LIVE (for colors)
LIVE (for simple coolness)

Mark Waldorf
CBH Designer

Square One

2008-02-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

Today is February 5th, 2008 and we are in the process of swapping out our signs that read Sales Centers to signs that read Square 1. The phrase Square One peaked my interest so I decided to look it up on dictionary.com.

square one
a starting point; initial stage or step: If this plan fails, we'll have to go back to square one.
[Origin, alluding to board games in which a player is penalized by being forced to return to the starting point]

square one
the situation in which you begin an endeavor and to which you return if your efforts fail; "the police are now back at square one after having arrested and released 27 men"; "she has tried to diet but always ends up back at square one"

square one
The starting point.
[Alluding to board games with numbered squares in which a penalized player may have to return to the starting point.]

Although square one may elude to a board game in which a penalized player may have to return to the starting point, I promise that at CBH Homes we wont penalize you! Since buying a home is the object of the game, I will do whatever it takes to give you the opportunity to beat the game on your first visit! I do not have any get out of jail free cards but I am sure that CBH Home loans could find you some get into a home quick cards! All kidding aside, the next time you or your friends and family go looking for new homes, remember that you should always start at square one!

Chase Craig
Kuna New Home Specialist
CBH Sales & Marketing, Inc.
Office: (208)922-3955 Cell: (208)284-0829

Community Donates

2008-02-04T15:53:00.001-07:00

It's Saturday morning February 2, 2008 and I've been thinking about the family that just lost their mother in a car accident this past week in Boise. I pass by their home everyday when I go to work and now when I drive by I can only hope the husband, kids and new born baby are hanging on.

While in my office earlier this week, which happens to be in the community where the family lives, I had a neighbor walk in and ask if I would like to donate some money to the family to help with extra expenses.

I thought to myself, "why not ask the entire company of CBH Homes if they can donate some money?" I mentioned to the kind neighbor I would have some money for the family by the end of the week, I just needed to make a few phone calls.

To my surprise I received an email later that afternoon from another individual that was concerned for the family. This individual also wanted to know if CBH Homes could do something to help the family.

And thanks to the help of CBH Homes, Pioneer Title and lots of very generous community members, we ended up raising $2,154 for the Stoch family. I appreciate the kind neighbor who approached me in my office and the concerned parent for emailing CBH Homes and asking for help! Your generosity has gone a long way.

Thanks so much for all your help!

Calie Rasmussen

My Favorite Question...

2008-02-04T15:46:00.001-07:00

My Favorite Question...

I love when you run into someone and they ask you where you work! I respond very proudly, CBH Homes! The typical next question is, what do you do there? I take in a deep breath before I start my long winded explanation. I do anything and everything! Sometimes I am taking out trash or cleaning up after a meeting, other times I am running reports and planning company events, maybe sending out purchases from Club Red, really just working on whatever is needed. Then they might say, you went to college to take out trash? I carefully respond, no, I went to college so I could have a great job and I DO! I work with the most driven people I have ever met, they are truly wonderful. The last question, and my favorite question always comes next..."Are they hiring?"

Bridgette Rutz

CBH Homes

Assistant to Holly Haener

Director of Sales & Marketing