Denver, Colorado (1/24/2000) --- When building a home in the coveted Cordillera development, near the resort village of Beaver Creek, Colo., the mantra has always been “nothing but the best.” This idea is immediately evident when you drive up from the Eagle Valley to this gated mountaintop development and pass one multi-milliondollar luxury home after another.
A niche has been formed in this exclusive area of Colorado, and developers who venture into the neighborhood are mindful of the high standards required for business success.
One development company operating under this philosophy is Kyle Hunt & Partners, Ltd., of Vail, Colo. Mark Fox, the company’s co-founder, operates the business on the belief that high-quality homes are built with high-quality products.
Kyle Hunt & Partners’ most recent project in the Vail/Beaver Creek area is a three-level, 7,064- square-foot, lodge-style home with six bedrooms and nine baths. The structure’s centerpiece is a 36-foot-high great hall with exposed timber trusses and an 18-foot-tall fireplace. The home also features a gourmet kitchen, wet bar/kitchenette for guests, an exercise room, executive office, library and six-person outdoor spa. Because the significant ceiling height and intricate home design required various insulation products and installation techniques, the builder specified Johns Manville (JM) products.
“We understand the critical need for our mountain homes to be built with increased concern for energy conservation,” Fox said. “The Johns Manville products we used in this home contribute to its quality and offer the customer greater insulation benefits.”
Fox contracted InsulVail, a local company specializing in the installation of insulation. InsulVail’s owner, Rodgers Dockstader, recommended the use of Climate Pro® in the Blow-In-Blanket® System1 (BIBS®) because of Fox’s desire to maintain high indoor air quality. The Blow-In-Blanket System installs loose-fill insulation behind netting. Only qualified installers can apply it and only approved insulation products, such as Climate Pro, may be used with the system.
“Over 50 percent of our business is in the Blow-In-Blanket System (BIBS), so we recommended a product that backs up our commitment to quality – Climate Pro,” Dockstader said. “The combination of Climate Pro BIBS and Sound-SHIELD Free batts allowed us to successfully meet that quality standard in all interior and exterior areas requiring insulation.
”Johns Manville’s Climate Pro BIBS and Sound-SHIELD Free™ , both formaldehyde-free fiber glass insulation options, not only keep Colorado’s cold mountain air out, but also reduce sound transmission through interior and exterior walls. The insulation’s formaldehyde-free quality fits with the environmentally conscious attitude of Colorado’s mountain residents. Formaldehyde is not used in the product or the manufacturing process.
Kyle Hunt & Partners utilized the Blow-In-Blanket System to install JM’s Climate Pro blow-in fiber glass insulation in irregular and hard-to-reach frame cavities; in the home’s exterior walls; cathedral ceilings and steeply angled areas; and around boxes, plumbing and wiring. Climate Pro BIBS provided a custom fit that surrounded penetrations and easily conformed to different cavity shapes. For sound control in the interior walls, Sound-SHIELD Free batts were used.
Outside the home, Kyle Hunt & Partners sealed the exterior frame with JM’s ProWrap™ house wrap, which Fox said particularly impressed his workers because it was much easier to cut and install than other house wrap products, particularly in tight spaces. He also said his installers were pleased with the translucent feature of ProWrap, which allowed them to see the underlying wall studs, improving stapling speed and accuracy.
“The cleanliness, sound control benefits and thermal efficiency of Climate Pro and Sound-SHIELD Free allow us to continue to enhance home quality,” Fox said. “ProWrap is not only a quality exterior product, but a time-saver as well.”
Johns Manville is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building products. The 141-year-old Denver-based company had sales of $1.8 billion in 1998. Johns Manville employs approximately 9,200 people and operates 54 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.
1Blow-In-Blanket System and BIBS are registered trademarks of Ark-Seal International.
