Yesterday I took a drive to the northwest valley to see the new community at Cibola Vista by Meritage Homes. I'd caught wind that the new line of Meritage Homes are super eco-friendly and I had to see them for myself.
I have to say, I'm a bit of a skeptic when I hear a builder call their homes "green", for good reason. Many builders misrepresent their homes as "green" because they use common building materials such as dual pane low-e windows, R19/30 insulation, CFL light bulbs, and energy star appliances. In reality, these are quality building materials that all builders should include, but are hardly grounds for classifying a home as "green".
However, when Meritage set out to build eco-friendly green homes, they meant business!
Upon my arrival at Cibola Vista, I was greeted by a friendly sales associate named Brandye who was welcoming, knowledgeable, and most important a true believer in the Meritage product. The sales office had lot of literature on the technology and features that make Meritage a green home. I spoke to Brandye for a bit asking questions and coming to the conclusion that these just might be "green homes" after all.
I went on to check out the models. Usually, I walk into a model and start to pick it apart, finding flaws in the design, construction, and quality of the home, but not this time. Immediately I noticed how quiet the model was inside; you close the door and it's completely silent. Walking from room to room, I didn't feel the typical temperature variation you experience in model homes. As I walked around the model, I was impressed and felt the quality of the home was much higher than most other builders.
The second model is where I felt like a kid in a candy store. This model is a showcase of the quality of construction and actually shows you how the home is built, the materials used, and demonstrates the technology behind their homes. Half of the home is fully finished, and the other half is finished at the frame to show you the "behind the scenes" features of the homes. Demonstrations of window efficiency, insulation efficiency, a bathtub with warm water heated from the solar water heater, and tons of other hands on demonstrations are there to interact with. This really puts into perspective what sets these homes apart from other builders. After seeing this model, I was a believer in these homes and how incredible it is to offer homes of this caliber to the mainstream public.
Cibola Vista is a true testament to Meritage Homes' commitment to the future of homebuilding with respect to Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, Sustainability and Green Building Practices. The homes in this community incorporate advanced building science practices like:
Included ECHO Solar Electric/Thermal System
Included Meritage Home Performance Wall System
Included Spray Foam Insulation
Included Super-high Performance Windows
Included Energy Efficiency Lighting
Included Weather Sensing Irrigation
Included High Performance Plumbing Fixtures
Included 14 Seer Air Conditioning Unit
And many other included features
I see a lot of new homes in my career and believe that purchasing an eco-friendly home, especially in Phoenix, is extremely important. Meritage went above and beyond in the design and construction of these homes and I was pleasantly surprised at the level of quality and value in their product. If you'd like to see a tour of these homes, please email me at sean@myPHXagents.com
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