Pardee design center staff prepares for move

Pardee Homes' design center will soon have a new home, and it promises to be "spectacular," according to the manager, Diane Salas.

"Our buyers are really going to benefit from the larger, more user-friendly space where we will be able to display more standard features and custom options to help them design their new homes," she said.

Seven years ago, Salas conducted business alone from a three-car garage; most recently, the center has operated out of a 1,500-square-foot office near Bermuda and Warm Springs roads. Now, Salas and her staff of seven look forward to the new 5,700-square-foot design center's debut at 770 Pilot Road, just south of McCarran International Airport.

The design team assisted more than 1,200 home buyers last year; that number is expected exceed 2,000 in 2006.

The consultants meet with two to three families daily, and walk them through the decision-making process about everything from counter tops, cabinets and light fixtures to carpeting, stair rails and electrical outlet options.

"It is a wonderful, exciting experience," Salas said. "Everyone has a dream and it is extremely rewarding for us to help them fulfill that dream. It's a little like playing Santa Claus. In the end, (the consultants) provide good, sound suggestions based on individual lifestyle and vision that fall within their budgets."

Pat Paradise, an options consultant, shared an example. She described a couple who were buying their first home at Tamarack, a neighborhood within the Rancho Las Palmas community. The wife's mother had recently sold her Pardee residence and was buying the new home with the couple.

The plan they selected allowed the mother to not only have her own entrance, but also to have electrical and alarm system options to create comfortable and separate living quarters while they shared their "dream kitchen," Paradise said. "They were surprised that we offer so many options, especially the outlet for a second refrigerator in the garage since they will be sharing shopping and cooking chores."

The new design center will also feature a LivingSmart area to showcase Pardee's earth-friendly building features. LivingSmart is designed for families who are concerned about their environment, as well as their budgets.

Environmentally sensitive features and options in the program include solar electricity systems, fluorescent lighting, tankless water heaters, low-VOC paint, and central vacuums. LivingSmart homes also offer flooring made from sustainable and recycled materials such as bamboo and lyptus, as well as carpeting made from plastic bottles.

These features are in addition to the Energy Star/ComfortWise package, which is standard in all Pardee homes and is independently certified to be at least 30 percent more energy efficient than federal standards require.

"Designed and built for energy efficiency, these homes save energy while reducing air pollution and lowering utility bills," Salas said.

The program is available at Pardee's Aliso and Ventana neighborhoods at Vista Verde in the northwestern valley, and at the Palo Verde, Mesquite and Acacia subdivisions at Nevada Trails, which is in the southwest. LivingSmart will also be available at Montelano at Mountain's Edge, also in the southwest.

Pardee has built nearly 30,000 homes in Southern Nevada since 1952. The builder has 11 neighborhoods under development valleywide.

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