From left to right, Capstone owners Brian Rhoton, Clint Whiting, Jerry Abbott.

Kaitlin Olson

For the Capstone Homes team, being named Flagstaffs Best Home Builders seems an especially fitting distinction for its most productive year ever.

Whereas in a normal year the 40-person team might sell 100 of the houses it creates, it will close 2020 with more than 165 home sales. In custom homes alone, the team is currently working on 40 homes in contrast with its normal 11-per-year average.

The company, which has been building in Flagstaff since 2010 and is currently expanding into Prescott and surrounding areas, is the creator of communities including Flagstaff Ranchs Aspen Ridge and Aspen Shadows, Crestview and Flagstaff Meadows. Lots in its newest community off West Route 66 and Woody Mountain Road, Timber Sky, which opened this year, as well as the second stage of Flagstaff Meadows, are completely sold out.

Lately, more buyers are coming from urban areas of California, as well as Phoenix, as families use their savings from the lack of travel this year to invest in a second home, said Marketing Director Janell Wilson. Custom home requests have also seen some changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic as families seek larger homes with enough space for home offices and study rooms for their children as they complete school remotely.

Wilson said part of the appeal of Capstone Homes as a builder is their environmental friendliness, which goes beyond installing energy efficient appliances to include the structure of the building itself, from sealants and insulation to windows and air filters.

See more here:
Capstone Homes: The business of building lives - Arizona Daily Sun

The Memorial house once owned by late Enron executive Kenneth Lay is back on the market. This time its listed at $1.6 million, for less than its 2015 price tag of $2 million.

Lay commissioned custom home builderSam Marshall Senior to construct this Colonial-style estate in the prestigious Hunters Creek enclave.

Built in 1983, the six-bedroom,5,538-square-foot house sits on more than half an acre of land and welcomes guests witha long, winding driveway and vaulted-ceiling foyer. The formal dining room is outfitted with herringbone-patterned cherry hardwood floors andchinoiserie-print wallpaper. In the updated kitchen, there's a light-flooded crystal display case and granite counter built-in desk.

OPENINGS, CLOSINGS: What's new in Houston food

Custom molding and millwork feature prominently throughout the interior.

Upstairs, a large game room boasts a wet bar and built-in surround sound. The wood-paneled study has bay windows, with plantation shutters, that overlook the patio.

Outside, canvas awnings cover a terrace and professionally landscaped backyard.

Lay and his wife Linda reportedly paid $672,000 for the custom construction in the early 80s.

Lay, who was convicted of corporate fraud, died of a heart attack in 2006, months before his sentencing hearing.

Read the original here:
Enron exec's former home is back on the market - Chron

JESSE JAMES PUSHES CUSTOM BUILDS TO THE LIMIT IN "MONSTER GARAGE", PREMIERING JANUARY 4 ON DISCOVERY+

(Los Angeles) - Jesse James, legendary fabricator and founder of West Coast Choppers is returning to Discovery after fourteen years with a renewed passion for creating some of most mind-blowing vehicles to ever drive across television screens. James, along with a new crew of maverick mechanics each week, set out to continue his legacy and inspire a new generation of builders in a brand-new season of MONSTER GARAGE, premiering January 4, 2021 exclusively on discovery+.

With a focus on elevating mechanical and automotive vision in the shop, James is once again looking to accomplish the impossible and will be working with some of the most talented craftsmen and women in the country. Each episode will feature five builders from diverse backgrounds who are given five days to transform an ordinary street vehicle into a one-of-a-kind monster machine. If they're successful, they leave the garage with $5,000 worth of tools, and Jesse can take the vehicle out for a high-octane monster challenge. But if they fail, James gets to blow it up.

"I'm very thankful for Discovery CEO David Zaslav for keeping the Monster Garage candle lit for the last 10 years. We always knew we would eventually bring it back. I also knew when that day came, I needed to be ready. More skills in my toolbox and a clear mind and schedule. Ready to put my head down and work as hard as possible to push the limits of TV again," said Jesse James.

James challenges each team of mechanics with some of the wildest builds they've ever heard of - from constructing the world's largest pulse jet engine to use as the power source for a vintage Jaguar to turning a typical farm tractor into a dragster, these builds lead to some of the most epic endings in MONSTER GARAGE history. In addition, James takes another shot at one of the builds from the original series that has been haunting him: The Hovercraft DeLorean - and it will either be a complete failure or one of the garage's most insane redemption stories.

Jesse James is more talented than ever and he's ready to break all the rules when it comes to custom builds.

Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #MonsterGarage and follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.

MONSTER GARAGE is produced for discovery+ by Fremantle's Original Productions. For Original Productions, Brian Lovett, Jeff Hasler, Ernie Avila and Sam Wasserman are executive producers. For Discovery Channel, Kyle Wheeler and Gretchen Morning are executive producers and Jessica Mollo is associate producer. Jesse James also serves as executive producer.

About discovery+

Available in the U.S. on January 4, 2021, discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service. discovery+ will launch with a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. At launch in the U.S., discovery+ will have the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment, and a slate of high-quality documentaries. For more, visit discoveryplus.com.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 88.3 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit http://www.discovery.com.

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Breaking News - Jesse James Pushes Custom Builds to the Limit in "Monster Garage", Premiering January 4 on discovery+ - The Futon Critic

With the first round of third-party AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT cards now on the way, we caught wind that Asus spearheaded the movement with the custom, factory-overclocked TUF Gaming RX 6900 XT GPU. A sneaky move from Asus, having crept the design out the day before AMD's reference cards were set to go on sale.

This pioneer AIB card is based on the 6000-series flagship model, the AMD RX 6900 XTaffectionately known as 'Big Navi'will be powered by dual 8-pin connectors, and features a massive, enhanced triple-fan and triple-slot cooling solution to keep the fully custom PCB design from running hot. Clock speeds are TBD at this point, but we're expecting these to boast something in super-excess of the reference cards 2,250MHz max recommended boost clock.

Joining the Asus TUF Gaming GPU in the Big Navi AIB lineup, comes the ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D. The Phantom Big D (please let this catch on) not only features a wider and longer, fully custom PCB, it also necessitates triple 8-pin power connectors, and a beastly aluminum heatsink cooling solution with nine heat pipes to boot.

Following this, ASRock pulled out a non-public version of the Phantom Gaming D, with a further enhanced radiator and PCB materials. Again, the actual specs for both the public and non-public cards are nebulous at the moment, and are apparently "subject to change without notice," not that there are any to speak of yet. Still, it's fair to say that the 3x8-pin power connectors point to some thirsty clock numbers or overclocking potentialthat which there is potentially plenty of with the binned Navi 21 GPU at this card's core.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming and ASRock Phantom Gaming D RX 6900 XTs are expected to come in at way over the reference RX 6900 XT's $999 MSRP. And with more third party manufactured Navi 21 cards on the way, you can look forward to a varied lineup of these top-end AMD cards slowly rolling out.

Still, don't expect to be able to get hold of any for a good few months yet, even if we do see a fair few designs coming our way. The GPU stock landscape is a barren waste at current, but there's no harm in looking.

Originally posted here:
The first round of custom AMD RX 6900 XT graphics cards includes one with triple 8-pin power - PC Gamer

For residents of Washington, Idaho who are looking for the perfect place to live, they can turn to Cedar & Sage Homes. They can help anyone create their dream homes right in the middle of one of the countrys top outdoor destinations. Theyve helped create a number of communities for people to thrive.

When it comes to luxurious and comfortable living, there is no better development company or custom home builder than Cedar & Sage Homes. They are a premier development company based in Suncadia, Washington and Eagle Idaho. They have a team of highly skilled and experienced staff members who can make anyone's home building experience stress-free and relaxed. They offer turn-key custom living on a streamlined budget and timeline. From acquisition to design and the building process, they will make sure every small detail is taken care of. They have all the tools, equipment, and other resources to deliver amazing results to all their clients.

Cedar & Sage Homes is locally owned and operated. Their mission is rooted in their passion for developing a beautiful and comfortable mountain communities in Suncadia Resort, Tamarack Resort, and the greater Pacific Northwest region. No matter the needs or the preference of each individual client, the skilled people at Cedar & Sage Homes are sure to meet and even exceed them.

The company has established a proven 9-step process to help anyone realize their dream home. And it all begins with planning. This involves a 30-minute introduction to the company and what they are about. It also involves a private consultation with the design team, as well as an initial financial assessment. Next is to get the design approved. A contract will be drawn up, the design created, and all submitted to the DRC. Once approved, then the building can commence.

Cedar & Sage Homes have been responsible for a number of well-loved and respected communities. They recently completed building a luxury line of townhouses in Suncadia Resort. Cle Elum is an incredible little city southeast of Seattle. It's popular among people who love the great outdoors. Tamarack Resort in Idaho is another Cedar and Sage location for building luxury custom homes near the popular Tamarack Resort and Ski areas.

No matter the region of the country, Cedar & Sage has the experience and the expertise to create a wonderful place for people not just to live but to thrive. Suncadia is a perfect example. It is nestled in the Cascade Mountains very close to ski resorts, lakes, rivers with trails that are perfect for biking and hiking.

Media ContactCompany Name: Cedar & Sage HomesContact Person: Dave GintzEmail: Send EmailPhone: (509)350-4885Address:533 E Riverside Dr Ste 102 City: EagleState: ID 83616Country: United StatesWebsite: http://www.cedarandsagehomes.com

Original post:
Cedar & Sage Homes can create anyone's dream home without the stress and headache of homebuilding. - Press Release - Digital Journal

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Polaris Slingshot, the ultimate three-wheel vehicle for personalization through customization, today announced the winner of its east vs. west build-off between two renowned automotive customizers: The Auto Firm in South Florida and DUB in Southern California. After a two-week fan vote, DUBs blacked-out 2020 Slingshot for legendary drummer Travis Barker has delivered the Best of the Builders honors to the West Coast, besting pop superstar Teyana Taylor and The Auto Firm in South Florida.

Showcasing the Polaris Slingshot in all its glory, the Best of the Builders program celebrated its one-of-a-kind, head-turning style while emphasizing the vehicle as the ultimate canvas of self-expression. To bring this to life, each builder reflected on their clients personality: Barkers all-black, open cockpit concert on wheels, and Taylors head-turning, show-stopping ride with matte grey and aqua-infused paint scheme.

Customizing vehicles have long been a form of self-expression, and today, theres nothing that serves up a platform for personalization quite like a Slingshot, said Chris Sergeant, Vice President of Polaris Slingshot. Were extremely proud and grateful for the opportunity to partner with renowned builders such as DUB and The Auto Firm, both whom truly captured the personalities of their clients with their show-stopping Slingshot designs.

As Barker recently transitioned to only owning black cars, DUB was tasked with delivering a truly blacked-out design from front to back, inside and out. DUB utilized a combination of matte and gloss black paint and wrapped select parts with Barkers signature graphics. A custom 24-by-10-inch rear wheel along with air ride will demand attention at every stop light and turn heads on every street corner. Barkers seats were custom stitched with his iconic F embroidered into the headrest. And of course, fittingly for a musician, DUB packed as much into the sound system as possible, adding speakers to the exterior and center console between driver and passenger.

As clean and sleek black is, it can be very challenging only working with black, said Myles Kovacs, President of DUB. But our job as a build team is to bring through our clients personality and we couldnt be happier with the finished result.

Squaring off head-to-head, DUB and The Auto Firm are two of the most accomplished and recognizable groups within custom car culture each with a wide-range of customization experience and unrivaled familiarity with the Slingshot platform.

With the builds complete, and the winner selected, fans can visit Slingshots social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to view all the incredible content from each build.

For more information on Polaris Slingshot, visit PolarisSlingshot.com, or follow along on social media: Facebook.com/PolarisSlingshot, @Slingshot on Twitter and @PolarisSlingshot on Instagram. For information on Slingshot rental locations, visit Adventures.Polaris.com.

About Polaris Slingshot

Polaris Slingshot, a wholly-owned brand of Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII), continues to define the category through style, driving experience and community with our three-wheeled autocycle. With AutoDrive and manual transmission options, an open cockpit, side-by-side seating, 5 drive height and a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, Slingshot comes in a variety of models that are sure to make a statement. Step into a Slingshot for an adventurous and unrivaled experience. Learn more, visit slingshot.polaris.com.

Slingshot is a three-wheeled motorcycle. It is not an automobile. It does not have airbags and it does not meet automotive safety standards. Three-wheel vehicles may handle differently than other vehicles, especially in wet conditions. Always wear a DOT-approved full-face helmet and fasten seatbelts. The Driver may need a valid motorcycle endorsement. Drive within the limits of the law and your own abilities. Read, understand, and follow your owners manual. Never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Vehicle modifications and use of non-authorized accessories may void the vehicle warranty. Unless noted, trademarks are the property of Polaris Industries Inc. 2020 Polaris Industries Inc.

Excerpt from:
Travis Barker's Custom Slingshot Delivers 'Best of the Builders' Title to the West Coast - Business Wire

Located in desirable Webster Park, this handsome 4 bedroom, 2 bath home is full of artisanal elements and plenty of rooms to work from home and accommodate your virtual learners. Gleaming hardwoods welcome you inside to a large living room with beamed ceiling, wainscoting, built-in cabinets, and inglenook...the perfect, intimate warming place for the coming winter, which is forecast to be a long, cold one. Adjacent to the living room is a cozy office, as well as a suite of rooms that make a perfect first floor master. The dining room also features a beamed ceiling and plate rail and flows to the kitchen with 42" cabinets, quartz tops, and stainless appliances that opens to the breakfast room and family room with picture window overlooking the back yard. It wraps to a T-staircase, adjoining the living room and up to 3 bedrooms, 2 with sleeping porches. The back stairs are accessed in the original breakfast nook, now being used as office space. You won't want to miss this one!

View Listing

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3 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the Park Hills Area - Daily Journal Online

by Richard Mize

Published: Thu, December 3, 2020 1:04 AM Updated: Thu, December 3, 2020 1:19 AM

Skyrocketing lumber prices have added $10,000-$15,000 on average to the cost of a new house, so a reduction in duties on Canadian imports has local as well as international impact.

The rapid runup in prices this year caught builders by surprise "with each builder managing the price increase in different ways," said Andrew French, president of the Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association. "The most common responses across the board that I've seen are builders are either raising their home prices or letting already-poured slabs sit in anticipation of lumber coming down."

Prices won't come down enough based on the tariff reduction alone, said Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders and a custom homebuilder in Tampa, Florida.

"The Commerce Department's action to reduce duties from more than 20% to 9% on softwood lumber shipments from Canada into the U.S. is a positive development, but more needs to be done," Fowke said in a statement this week. "Tariffs have contributed to unprecedented price volatility in the lumber market in 2020, leading to upward pressure on prices and harming housing affordability for American consumers.

"The U.S. needs to work with Canada to end the tariffs and achieve a long-term, stable solution in lumber trade that provides for a consistent and fairly priced supply of lumber."

The tariff dispute became acute as the demand for houses, and therefore lumber, soared even as the coronavirus hit and stayed. The lowest mortgage interest rates on record, aided perhaps by a renewed appreciation for domestic life due to stay-at-home orders and the work-from-home movement, fueled demand for both new and previously owned homes.

Unexpected demand came just as supplies of lumber and other building materials grew scarce and supply chains were disrupted due to plant shutdowns, then slowdowns related to social-distancing requirements, said Jim Schuff, co-owner of Vesta Homes in Moore.

It could have been worse both for homebuilders and homebuyers, said Caleb McCaleb, owner of McCaleb Homes in Edmond.

Read more:
Your new house could cost less if the U.S. and Canada keep working through their lumber trade dispute - Oklahoman.com

Tech stocks have been all the rage in 2020. And for good reason, with the tech sector delivering more than 30% in gains and tech companies providing many of the tools that have kept millions of people working during the coronavirus pandemic.

But investors shouldn't ignore a boring industry like homebuilding; after all, many of those tech companies count on millennials as their most important employees. On the Nov. 6 edition of "The Wrap" onMotley Fool Live, host Jason Hall shared some data that lays out the prospects for the housing industry in stark detail, while Motley Fool and Millionacres contributor Tyler Crowe adds some valuable context. In short, the next decade could be a mega-boom for homebuilders as they work to meet the massive pent-up demand and make up for a lost decade of new home construction.

Transcript:

Jason Hall: I'm going to do a quick screen share here. This is contextually, I think, it's really helpful to demonstrate what's going on with housing right now. This chart, I don't know if I need to blow this up a little bit. If you guys, could you see that OK?

Deidre Woollard: Yes, I can see it now.

Tyler Crowe: There it is. U.S. housing, my favorite chart.

Hall: This chart is huge. This goes all the way back to 1970. You see that really sharp drop, the big roller coaster or the big hill on the roller coaster there, that was the global financial crisis, that was the housing crisis in 2008.

Then we spent a decade, that big decade of ramp up, when new home construction was well over a million homes. Consistently, new home construction was well over a million a year for a decade, basically. All this inventory was added. Everybody's heard the stories about people with a second-home, with two mortgages on the second home, and then a third home with three mortgages on it, and they were all zero interest balloon notes that were after 10 years were going to come due.

Anyway, that's what happened, is we had all this inventory and home builders stopped building houses. Look, it dropped to half a million houses a year. That didn't even meet up with replacement of lost properties. We were actually every year for, I think it was like maybe four years, at least three years there. The United States ended each year with less home inventory than it started with. It was that bad.

Then when they started building again, in 2012 or so, they weren't building entry-level homes. Because guess what? You remember that whole millennials are living in their parents' basements, all that stuff. Yeah, that's the story, so home builders spent seven or eight years gradually increasing how many homes they were building every year.

But they were still building custom homes. They weren't building affordable entry-level housing, and that really didn't start until a few years ago when you saw, I think Meritage Homes was the first top 10 home builder that announced, "We're making entry-level our focus," and they started shifting all of their land buying to like 70%, 80% of their new land, was lots they were going to develop entry-level housing. Now, that makes up almost all of their business. LGI Homes, since they started, that's been their entire business.

The point is, you look at that big long tail chart, and we're just now getting to the point of where new home construction (is back to where it) has averaged over the past 50 years, and there's a hell of a lot more Americans now than there were back in 1970. To Tyler's earlier point, there's a lot of old houses out there. So it's just the dynamics if you think about with where the housing market is. The point of this is, yes, it's cyclical. We're going to see these ups and downs, these peaks and valleys from quarter-to-quarter and even year-to-year.

But there's still a massive amount of unmet demand, pent up demand and minimal inventory to meet that demand. I'm going to get out of the screen share here. Go ahead, Tyler.

Crowe: I was going to say that chart also is a great indication of when we talk about this year. Oh my, God. Housing has just been incredible. Are we ever going to see something like this again? Go back and look at that chart. New housing stats of 1.4 million. For the past 50 years was at, excluding this decade, was a down year. That was not a great new housing starts kind of weak that you'd be typically seeing in the United States.

Hall: I'm sharing it again here and I'm adding a little context, US population.

Crowe: You have this decade-long period of just under-build, and it's really coming to roost now more so than ever. I'm 36 years old. I'm considered the first wave, or the oldest wave of the millennial generation, which is the largest population demographic in America.

Hall: Tyler, I think we call you oldlennials.

Crowe: (Laughs) That actually sounds very appropriate for me. But this age cohort that goes from about 36-37, all the way down into the early 20s. This is the age group that is coming into buying homes now over the next 10 years. It is a large group, there is low inventory. We always talk about low inventory. It's been that way since 2018. Unless we see a massive boom in construction, we're going to be almost perpetually in this low inventory cycle for who knows how long?

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The Huge Trend Behind the Most Important Housing Chart Investors Might Ever See - The Motley Fool

This home theater project started off as a room that called for a 75-inch TV, a Sonos amplifier and four in-ceiling speakers. After meeting with the client and builder Jaava Homes, integrator Elite AV asked if it could come up with a concept that would outfit this space with something the family wanted to use on a daily basis, Justin Dohman recalls, and the results proved the inquiry was well worth it. In fact, the end result was so fantastic that the install won a 2020 CE Home of the Year Award for Best Home Theater Under $25K!

Elite AV capitalized on its savviness and creativity to deliver something extra as Dohman refers to this theater build.

On the video side, using a JVC LX-NZB 3,000-lumens projector paired with a Screen Innovations 133-inch Slate screen helped Elite AV overcome the windows in the room while still providing a bright and clear picture for movies and games.

Another hurdle Elite AV handled is that all of the electronics for this home are located inside a central AV rack. This posed a problem as the homeowner had three gaming systems that he wanted to use. Elite AV used an AVPro Edge HDMI switch to toggle between the gaming systems, which reside in custom cabinetry located inside the rack that feeds the Marantz SR6014 AV receiver.

On the audio front, the integrator delivered a Dolby Atmos surround system that sounds absolutely phenomenal, Dohman says, with the Marantz AVR driving seven Origin Acoustics speakers and JL Audio e112 subwoofer.

You couldnt tell this was a project done on a budget. We were given a budget we had to meet to make this a reality as the entire home had to be outfitted, Dohman adds.

Beyond the AV is where Elite AV really added some fun and functionality to the theater. The integrator used Colorbeam color-changing lighting and an epiXsky star ceiling in the theater. The lighting is fully controllable via a Control4 keypad at the room entry, and a Control4 Neeo remote makes commanding the AV simple.

The combination of epiXsky and Colorbeam really sets this room apart, Dohman says. Anyone who has seen it has the same response when they walk in wow!

With four zones of lighting, you can match your teams favorite colors or keep everything a single color, he adds. The epiXsky ceiling is custom made to fit the ceiling coves perfectly, and they also add acoustic treatments making the room sound even better than it already did.

Plus, the combination of hiding speakers behind the screen and creating a movie theater feel when the lights go down keep with the houses modern design and provide a true cinematic flair.

See the rest here:
Lighting, Stars Transform Budget Theater Build into Award-Winning Install - CEPRO - CEPro