Show Homes Make Final Push in Preparation for IBS 2020

The latest editions of The New American Home and The New American Remodel are nearly complete and ready to make their debuts during the International Builders Show Jan. 21-23. [caption id="attachment_16744" align="alignright" width="300"] An aerial view above The New American Home 2020 shows the property's unique architecture and superior view of the Las Vegas Valley.[/caption] Following the success of last year's show home, Sun West Custom Homes was selected once again to build the 2020 home. It is the first time in The New American Home program's 37-year history that the same builder was chosen for the project in consecutive years. "It has been an honor to take part in this premier event two years in a row and we could not be more excited to show builders from around the country and around the world this truly breathtaking home," said Dan Coletti, president of Sun West. "It's even exceeded our own expectations in terms of design and beauty, and we've succeeded in creating what we like to call an 'oasis in the desert.'" Like the 2019 New American Home, this year's home is in the luxury community of Ascaya, located high up on the hillsides of the McCullough Mountain Range. It features more than 7,000 square feet of living space, including four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a four-car garage and a study. Seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor living areas are made possible with innovative, large, sliding pocket doors, which completely open to showcase panoramic views of the Las Vegas Valley. Energy efficiency is, yet again, top of mind for the 2020 home. Besides energy-saving appliances, the home boasts a top-of-the-line solar package from LG, a comprehensive water-use reduction system, and high-tech insulation features. The result is a preliminary HERS Index of -22 — meaning it is 122% more efficient than the average new code-built home. [caption id="attachment_16745" align="alignleft" width="300"] The original 1977 ranch-style home was transformed into a modern showcase of home building techniques and high-tech products in The New American Remodel 2020.[/caption] The home's counterpart — The New American Remodel 2020 — is also sure to impress with its design and energy efficiency. Element Building Company took an outdated, 1977-built, single-story ranch home and transformed it into a modern, two-story residence with more than 7,500 total square feet of living space. The remodeled home not only asserts a comprehensive array of energy-efficient features, but also showcases a wide range of the latest smart-home technology. Examples of this include:

• All interior and exterior lighting managed from a centralized control system.
• A whole-house audio system operating in 16 zones throughout the home, allowing each room to customize music settings.
• An integrated security system offering location awareness features that describe the exact reason(s) for an alarm activation anywhere inside or around the home.

Final Push [caption id="attachment_16751" align="alignright" width="300"] A view of the kitchen of TNAH 2020 in October during cabinet installation.[/caption] Getting to this final stage in such a short amount of time was a significant feat considering the size and complexity of each home. "Working within a shortened schedule often presents a lot of challenges. We’ve got so many [workers] on site, it’s like controlled chaos," said Carl Martinez, president of construction for Sun West. "But we learned a great deal while building last year’s home, and we’re trying to apply that building methodology and greener mentality to every phase of the project." A similar flurry of activity is taking place at the remodeled home. Thankfully, Element Owner Josh Anderson has also built previous New American Homes and has leaned on his experiences to deliver within an especially tight project timeframe. [caption id="attachment_16752" align="alignleft" width="225"] Workers at TNAR 2020 in October installing one of the home's staircases.[/caption] "It's fun to see the home come to life, but it certainly requires a tremendous amount of coordination because so much of the work is overlapping," Anderson said. "Like with any project of this size, you’ll be continually orchestrating work schedules. But [to build this home] within four months, it’s to the nth degree. Actually getting the guys together and figuring out the flow of work — room by room, for each and every day — so that you have everyone working in concert." Anderson says his goal is to provide other builders with several takeways that they can incorporate into their own projects, regardless of which segment of the market they cater to. And with the 2020 remodeled home, he is confident he will achieve that goal. Register for IBS today so you can tour either or both homes during the show. Complimentary shuttle buses depart every half hour from the Las Vegas Convention Center beginning at 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Shuttle bus tickets are available on a first-come, first served basis at the TNAH/TNAR booth which opens each day at 7:15 a.m. For more, visit tnah.com or tnarh.com. [caption id="attachment_16753" align="aligncenter" width="580"] An exterior view of TNAH 2020 at night.[/caption]