Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Shawn Eiferman, Canyons Estates Homeowners


Living in Las Vegas is a family tradition for Shawn Eiferman. His father George came here more than 50 years ago. Holding the titles of both Mr. Universe and Mr. America, George Eiferman was a fitness ambassador in Las Vegas, opening gyms and talking the need for fitness and healthy eating long before it was trendy.
Having grown up here -with memories of a new-to-America Arnold Schwarzenegger sleeping on the gym's trampoline - Shawn Eiferman knows the city better than most. A musician, songwriter and entrepreneur, he lives with his son Vaughn, daughter Danielle and his entertainer/entrepreneur girlfriend Dianne Bizzaro in the Distinctive Homes of Las Vegas community of Canyons Estates for very specific reasons...
"First," he says, "it was location, location, location. Then, the casita allows us to have a rec room for the kids so, when I need to use the house fo my home-based business, they still have a place to play and, to work, I don't have to be ejected from my own house.
"Then, I love the 18,000-foot lot. That's a real rarity here in Las Vegas. It's beautiful and, finally, this is an excellent time to buy a house."
Eiferman also notes that the amenities that come with the home are very attractive. He specifically cited "the phenomenal storage. There's a space under the stairwell - we call it the 'Harry Potter room' - where I have 30 guitar cases. The floor plan is also phenomenal. It allows us to have a fully equipped home theater.
"I had put a down payment on a one-story home because I thought I'd prefer that. But, when I saw this I was sold. It has a million dollar postcard view of the strip. I could charge admission to our parties."
A believer in the Green lifestyle, Eiferman says he's looking forward to his first energy bill. He uses solar power for the pool and the Jacuzzi® he's installed. To achieve the energy savings, Distinctive Homes employs a variety of products. One of these is Cocoon® thermal insulation, designed to embrace the home in, literally, a "cocoon" of safety - it's Class 1 fire rated because it increases a wall's fire resistance up to 55 percent - and comfort. It blocks both air infiltration and convection currents to increase energy efficiency and reduces nuisance noise while it preserves natural resources, as it is made from nearly 80 percent recycled paper. The home also features large Low-E vinyl windows.
All of the appliances are Energy Star® products, as the company has been an Energy Star builder since the inception of that program 16 years ago.
"Our Jenn-Air; kitchen design," Eiferman reports, "especially the openness of it and the appliances were the reason my friend Jeff Pappas, the consultant for the soon to open Good Vibrations, Beach Boys-themed restaurant up on the Strip, brought the executive chef and the executive team. They used it as a test kitchen for all menu items and then, because of the openness and the great light, used it as a photo studio. All the photos of the food that will be used on the menu were shot there."
Asked how it was to work with the Distinctive Homes team before he moved in, Eiferman is effusive in his praise.
"Shasta, the salesperson, quickly became part relative you love when they come to visit, part cartoon character because she doesn't mess around. She was so much fun to deal with, but there was never an 'i' undotted or a 't' uncrossed.
"They don't mess around. They get it done and they're great to work with."
Now settled in, the family is enjoying their new home. Eiferman adds, "In addition to the great location, it's a great neighborhood. There's a good bunch of kids here, so my children are happy.
"It was a good decision to move here."
Shawn Eiferman, Canyons Estates Homeowners 

Nancy and Bob Herald, Canyons Estates Homeowners

Just listen to them for a few seconds and it is crystal clear that Nancy and Bob Herald are excited about moving to their new home at Canyons Estates.
Now living in San Diego, the couple is about to retire — he from the local community college; she from the school system — and join most of their relatives here in Las Vegas.
“Our house now is small and since we’re retiring,” Bob explains, “we wanted a larger house. You get more for your money in Las Vegas than you do in San Diego and all of our close relatives are in Las Vegas, so we decided to move"...
The Heralds spent a great deal of time over the past several months looking for a home here and, they say, when they saw Canyons Estates Plan 3240, a four-bedroom ranch with a casita, their decision to buy was instantaneous.
He says, “I’ve been in construction all my life and I’ve built houses. This is a well-built excellent product.”
Nancy adds, “We’d been looking for an open floor plan. When we walked in and saw this we just said, ‘Yes! This is it!’
“We’ll be having a lot of family to visit but, aside from that, it will just be us living here. The wide-open plan allows us to talk to each other, to see what the other person is doing, and be involved with each other even when we’re in different places. It is ideal.”
The Heralds have already begun to decide on uses for each room. “The front bedroom,” Nancy says, “will be an office. The back bedroom facing the back yard will be a craft room for me where I can sew and do my genealogy research. The casita will be for family and guests. If necessary, a family member could live there”
They also liked the lot size. He points out, “We wanted a big lot. This was the really the only place of all we looked at that had everything we were looking for. We love to spend time outside by the pool we put in. The outdoors is important to us.”
Among the amenities that appealed to the Heralds are the energy saving features that are standard in all Distinctive Homes.
“The insulation, for example, is more than they are required to build in,” Bob observes. “I have these same Low E windows in my home now that they have here. When we first went to see the home in December, it was 34 degrees outside. The heat in the house was not on and it was a nice 71ยบ in there.”
Distinctive Homes employs a variety of other energy-saving products. One of these is Cocoon® thermal insulation, designed to embrace the home in, literally, a “cocoon” of safety — it’s Class 1 fire rated because it increases a wall’s fire resistance up to 55 percent — and comfort. It blocks both air infiltration and convection currents to increase energy efficiency and reduces nuisance noise while it preserves natural resources, as it is made from nearly 80 percent recycled paper.
Since the Energy Star® program was launched 16 years ago, Distinctive Homes has been on board, providing compliant appliances that both protect the environment and save the homeowner money because they are so efficient to run.
As they bought a house that is still being built, the Heralds believe, “The people here at Distinctive Homes — Shasta, our salesperson, and everyone else — has been outstanding. They keep us posted and current on what’s going on and they’ve all bent over backwards to help with anything we might want.”
Even though they’re about to retire, the Heralds say they didn’t consider a retirement community. Nancy Herald says, “We never considered living only with people over 55. We’re going to miss our old neighborhood. It’s very tight-knit, even though the majority of people are in their 30s, we all socialized, had barbeques together. We’ve already met a neighbor in Canyons Estates who is so friendly. We’re looking to create a similar atmosphere when we move to Las Vegas.
“We think, with this house, we’ve found everything we’re looking for. We’re looking forward to moving into our wonderful new home in October. We cannot wait.”

Nancy and Bob Herald, Canyons Estates Homeowners 

Steve & Erin, and son Cooper, Taos Estates III Homeowners



“At Taos there is a sense of rural community with the feeling of openness, mixed with modern development and urban amenities.”
Steve & Erin, and son Cooper, homeowners

Arthur and Sharon, Taos Estates III homeowners

“Our beautiful home at Taos Estates III is everything we could have hoped for and more.  We love the loggia in our 2489 plan which looks out over the backyard bringing the natural beauty and serenity of the outdoors into the center of the home.”

Arthur and Sharon, homeowners

Annette, Taos Estates III homeowner





“The serenity of Taos Estates allows you to remove yourself from the fast paced environment of the city and provides the perfect tranquil atmosphere.” 

Annette, homeowner

Charles, Taos Estates III homeowner




“The Taos Estates III made an immediate impression on us, just the exterior alone with the Paver Stone driveway and walk. There was a definite 'wow' factor. All of the features that are included really impressed us.”

Charles, homeowner

The Crawford Family, Taos Estates III homeowners


"There were so many custom options that we kind of went crazy and had a great time. Distinctive Homes was very attentive. They provided access to designers who help you with everything. We were able to choose the kind of tile we wanted and even how many inches from the wall the carpeting would be. It was really fun"
The Crawford Family, Taos Estates III Homeowners