Las Cruces New Mexico Blog | New Mexico Real Estate | New Homes in Las Cruces | Green Building in Las Cruces New Mexico

Things to Do: Spring Showcase of Homes

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

The warm sun is shining, the flower are blooming, and the fields are being prepared for the next harvest of Hatch Green Chile… It’s spring in beautiful Las Cruces, New Mexico!

In addition to amazing weather Spring means that it’s time for the Building Industry Association of Southern New Mexico’s Spring Showcase of Homes. Every year thousands of people come from around the country to see the amazing custom homes featured in the Spring Showcase of Homes, and get to know a little more about Las Cruces… One of the country’s Best Places to Live!

Two new spectacular luxury homes at Picacho Mountain will be featured in this year’s showcase, including our Million Dollar View home. Picacho Mountain will also be featuring a Rammed Earth Home by Soledad Canyon Earth Builders. Come during showcase hours to see a rammed earth home under construction first hand. Continue reading →

Posted in Best Place to Live, custom home, Las Cruces, Las Cruces Custom Home Builders, New Mexico, New Mexico Homes, Real Estate, Special Events, Things To Do | Tagged Best Place to Live, Las Cruces, las cruces nm, Luxury Homes, New Mexico, NM, Showcase of Homes, Special Events, Things To Do, things to do in Las Cruces | 1 Comment

Things to do: Free National Parks week in New Mexico

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

Looking for things to do in New Mexico next week?

Next week, April 16-24, is National Park Week! National Park Service in New Mexico and other areas all over the country will have free entry, and many will have special activities offered.

Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks are taking part in the free admission program. And at Bandelier, there will be hikes, crafts demonstrators, raptors, an art class, a showing of the long version of the new movie, and even a Nightwalk. Check the park website, www.nps.gov/band, for the complete list, and then come on up!

Did you know that New Mexico has 13 national parks, 12 national natural areas, 44 national historic landmarks, and so much more?

Contact Picacho Mountain today at 888.511.9872 for more information about things to do in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Picacho Mountain features Southern New Mexico’s premier Custom Homes, Patio Homes, Town Homes, Neighborhood Retail, and more!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Las Cruces, New Mexcio National Parks, New Mexico, NM, Things To Do, things to do in Las Cruces, things to do in New Mexico | Leave a comment

Go Green: Energy Star Homes 3.0 requires even more energy efficiency from home builders

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

The following is a guest post by our good friend Miles Dyson of Inspection Connection. Miles is one of Las Cruces, New Mexico’s foremost Go Green experts in home inspection, energy rating, and green certification.

April is an important month this year for the Energy Star for Homes Program. After qualifying more than a million new homes nationwide to the Energy Star standard, this program is determined to step it up a notch.

Energy Star for Homes is a voluntary program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Energy Star requires participating home builders to construct above code homes that incorporate industry-best practices to ensure better comfort and energy efficiency.
Continue reading →

Posted in Go Green, Green Building, Green Living, Las Cruces, Las Cruces Custom Home Builders, New Mexico, New Mexico Homes, Real Estate | Tagged Energy Star, Energy Star Homes 3.0, Go Green, home builders, Las Cruces, Las Cruces home builders, Miles Dyson, New Energy Star Requirements, New Mexico, NM, picacho mountain | 2 Comments

Green Building: Picacho Mountain’s Green Certification Makes Building a Green Certified Home Even Easier

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

Green home certification can seem a bit daunting, but building your next luxury home at Picacho Mountain can make the certification process just a little bit easier.

Picacho Mountain is Southern New Mexico’s only Build Green New Mexico (BGNM) certified community. The BGNM points earned by Picacho Mountain’s certification are creditable to any new home built within the community.

Contact us today at 888.511.9872 to find out how to build your next Build Green New Mexico certified home at Picacho Mountain. Also ask us about our valuable certification resources for Las Cruces Home Builders.

Posted in Go Green, Green Building, Green Building Suppliers & Vendors, Green Living, Las Cruces, New Mexico, New Mexico Homes | Tagged BGNM, Build Green New Mexico, Green Building, green certification, green home, new mexico green homes, picacho mountain | 1 Comment

Go Green: Solar Energy is the right choice for Las Cruces, New Mexico

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

One of the things that makes Las Cruces, New Mexico one of the Best Places to Live is how easy it is to go green. Las Cruces weather and climate make it ideally suited to add solar energy to your custom home. Here is a great report from local station KRWG about why Las Cruces is a great place for Solar Energy.

Contact Picacho Mountain today at 888.511.9872 for more information about why Las Cruces, New Mexico is one of the best places to live, Go Green, and add solar energy to your custom home . Custom Estate Homes, Patio Homes, Town Homes, and Neighborhood Retail.

Also, make sure to check out our friends over at Sunspot Solar Energy to find out more about the benefits of solar technology.

Posted in Best Place to Live, Go Green, Green Building, Green Building Suppliers & Vendors, Green Living, Las Cruces, New Mexico, New Mexico Homes | Tagged Best Places to Live, Go Green, Las Cruces, Las Cruces Weather, New Mexico, NM, solar, Solar Energy | 2 Comments

Things to do: NMSU Astronomy event open to the public

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

The New Mexico State University Department of Astronomy will hold an observatory open house at 9 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the NMSU campus observatory. Astronomy personnel on hand will be James McAteer and graduate assistants Liz Klimek, Chas Miller, Greg Taylor, and Candace Gray. Presenters will speak about events which happened a few seconds ago, an hour ago, 600 years ago and 12 million years ago. Earthshine, Saturn’s opposition, Beehives, and colliding galaxies will also be discussed. Participants will observe the waxing crescent moon, Saturn and possibly Titan, M44 Beehive Galaxy in Cancer, and M81/M82 Galaxies near the Big Dipper. Everyone is welcome to come and spend an evening of stargazing. Admission is free and children are especially welcome to attend.For more information, contact the NMSU Astronomy Department at 646-4438.

Posted in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Special Events, Things To Do | Tagged Las Cruces, New Mexico, NM, NMSU, Things To Do | 1 Comment

Green building: Spaceport America helps promote green building for Earth today, space tomorrow

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

Research conducted for space flight has helped develop technological advances, including green building techniques. Photo Courtesy of NASA

I got a little nostalgic last week as I watched the space shuttle land after its final mission from my Picacho Mountain office here in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The space race was a huge deal for me as a child. I remember so clearly following the Apollo space missions that began when I was just 12 years old. My friends and I would gather around the radio or television with great excitement just to experience space travel vicariously through the astronauts.

It’s a little sad that times have changed and space shuttle lunches don’t gen erate the excitement they once did. It’s rare these days that you encounter a young person who aspires to be an astronaut other than Buzz Lightyear.
Continue reading →

Posted in Green Building, Green Living, History, Las Cruces, New Mexico, spaceport america, Uncategorized | Tagged Green Building, Las Cruces, NASA, New Mexico, NM, spaceport america | 1 Comment

Go Green: New solar energy plant being built near Las Cruces NM

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

Guest Post by Todd G. Dickson of the Las Cruces Bulletin. This article is from the March 25, 2011 issue of the Las Cruces Bulletin.

If you’ve driven out of Hatch up state Highway 26 lately, you might have seen a field of large concrete posts sprouting around the Skyline Produce operations on the hills overlooking the village’s airport.

By July, those 84 pedestals will be topped with advanced solar cells for a 5.1 megawatt generation plant, said Hatch Mayor Judd Nordyke. Continue reading →

Posted in Go Green, Green Building, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tagged Go Green, Green Building, hatch, Las Cruces, New Mexico, NM, Solar Energy | Leave a comment

Things to do: Trinity Site Open House

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

If you’re a history buff or just looking for things to do near Las Cruces, NM this weekend, check out the Trinity Site Tour! White Sands Missile Range will open Trinity Site to the public Saturday, April 2. Trinity Site is where the world’s first atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945.

The open house is free. At the site, visitors can take a quarter-mile walk to ground zero.

Once at the site, visitors also can ride a missile range shuttle bus 2 miles to the Schmidt/ McDonald ranch house. The ranch house is where scientists assembled the plutonium core of the bomb. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Las Cruces, Special Events, Things To Do, Uncategorized | Tagged Las Cruces, New Mexico, NM, Things To Do, things to do lin Las Cruces, Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range | Leave a comment

Green Building: Performance rating not just for cars

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Bob Pofahl

The following is a guest post by our good friend Miles Dyson of Inspection Connection. Miles is one of Las Cruces, New Mexico’s foremost experts in home inspection, energy rating, and green certification.

Similar to a posting a car’s MPG, a HERs rating can help consumers determine the efficiency of a home.

Nearly 30 years ago, I began making a routine trek back and forth from the family ranch near Capitan to become highly educated here in Aggie Land.

My college “vacations” typically involved lots of fresh air inhaled at a pant while branding calves, stuffing wool sacks, pounding posts or stretching wire. After these “breaks,” with the Ranchero packed full of clean underwear and ranch beef, I would ecstatically head back to New Mexico State University. The trip always started with the Eagles queued up in the cassette player. As I would hit cruising altitude south of Carrizozo, Henley, Frey and Dy son would be hittin’ the big notes: “You can go the distance – we’ll find out in the long run …” Don and Glenn knew that the “long run” was important. The long run is important when we are building and buying homes, too. Continue reading →