Our Homeowners Speak

The family moved in about 18 months ago and, before they did, she says, "We looked at lot of homes - at new homes, resales and foreclosures - and we chose very, very carefully. We fully expect to live here for 30 years.

"The large yard drew us to the house because we moved from a large house with a small yard," Mathieson says. "I absolutely love the open floor plan. The best part is that, when I'm cooking, I can keep my eye of the kids in the family room."

She notes, "It was really important for us to have RV access for our boat. They adjusted the placement of the home and the access to accommodate our 12-foot RV.

"It was great! It was all customized for us. We have a 40-foot boat garage, a 20 by 40-foot pool, and a 10 by 40-foot boat garage. There's also a half-court basketball court and a 20 by 20-foot outdoor kitchen.

"The casita was a huge selling point with us, " she adds. "In the end, with all we got in this house, it actually cost us less than a foreclosure would have and we got a home customized to our needs.

The other amenities offered in the home-the energy savings and construction quality for example - also have great appeal, as do the people who work for the company. In fact, she says, their sales representative "has actually become one of our good friends. Everyone was so attentive to our needs."

She points out "there are options here. My last house was built by another builder and when I see it now I can tell that Distinctive Home took their time with this building - took their time in a good way - and all the little details are right. Everything's perfect in this house."

The neighborhood, Mathieson says, "is fabulous, and the location is, too. It's nice and quiet here but we're also right near the 15 and the 215. We're close enough to the Strip for easy access to all it offers and far enough away that we don't have to contend with the tourist crowds.

"And, at night, we have a fabulous view of The Strip.

"This is a house where I can see us living for a long, long time."

In their search for privacy, the Shim family found Canyons Estates. "The lot size is much bigger than the one we were on," Robert Shim says, "and we like the fact that the community is gated."

"Yes," Cathy Shim adds, "it's much safer here. And, we have seven bedrooms, fave-and-a-half baths and a casita. There's space for every individual family member. We're not running into each other."

The size of the Shims' Mediterranean Villa home - 4,683 square feet - lends itself to the multi-generational life. Jane Shim says with a smile, "I have my own wing. There's a bedroom, bathroom and a small sitting room. It's nice to have that kind of privacy."

College student Kayla adds, "I like having my own space. If you didn't know my room was there, you wouldn't see it. It's kind of hidden and I really like that."

There's also ample room for the oldest Shim daughter who is, at the moment, in the Air Force.

The Shims moved into their home November 4, 2011, about four months after they bought the home. "The permitting process took a bit longer than we thought because we made a lot of changes to customize the home, " Robert Shim says.

His wife adds, "The fact we were able to make those changes - the fact that we had options - sealed the deal for us. The house already had a lot of things we liked, like a pantry and a big walk-in closet. And, in addition, we were able to add a spiral staircase."

Their back yard boasts a pool with a slide and waterfall and lots of Japanese blueberry. "It reminds us of where we came from in Hawaii," Cathy Shim says.

The casita has been turned into Robert Shim's "man cave" with a large pool table.

Jane Shim says that, in Canyons Estates, "Our neighbors are really nice. They're very friendly."

Kayla has a part-time job in close-by Town Square and the entire family nods in agreement when Robert Shim says, "The location is perfect. You can get onto the 15 and the 215 so quickly."

Even though they requested several changes be made in the house after they bought it, Robert Shim speaks for his family when he says buying in Canyons Estates was "an excellent move."

"These are professionals and they're the best. They go the extra mile for you and they build a really good home. We love it here."

They actually found one other home that offered enough space but, she noted, "it was smaller and the construction wasn't as good. It was well worth paying a bit more money to have this home rather than the other one."

Ken Smith, whose career was in construction for many years, added, "There was also a real difference in the construction of this home. I liked the way it was framed and everything is consistent with the high quality of the building materials they used. And, I really appreciate the high-strength steel cables that run through the concrete to reinforce it. This goes a long way to prevent cracks in the foundation."

The Smiths chose Canyons Estates' Caribbean Retreat model, a 2,931 square-foot ranch with four bedrooms and three baths, as well as a casita.

The Smiths are also very pleased with the landscaping that comes with the home, especially with the drip irrigation system which, unlike more wasteful standard sprinkler systems, uses small tubes to continuously provide plants with water using small diameter tubes. This saves water and, thus, money.

Becky Smith, who is having a grand time designing the home's interior and decorating it, points to the open kitchen and the full cabinets as a major plus in the home. And both Smiths are very pleased with the fact the home features two air conditioners.

She says, "When we only need part of the house cooled, we can turn off one of the units. This is a great saving of both energy and money. Then Energy Star certified appliances, low-e vinyl windows and Coccon insulation are wonderful examples of Distinctive Homes' commitment to energy-saving and to our environment."

The Smiths moved into their home in March. During the six-month period of building their home to the present day, Becky and Ken remain pleased with the Distinctive Homes team. "They are helpful and accommodate our needs," Becky notes. "In addition, since we've moved in, if they say they are coming at a certain time to do something, they are there at that time. There's no waiting all day. That shows they value their homeowners."

The house was set on the 19,000 square-foot property to accommodate the RV they love and they say they really like the sanctuary created by the standard privacy wall that surrounds the property.

"The fence gives us real privacy," Ken Smith says. "Sometimes it's difficult to believe we're so near the Strip. There are even horses on the property across the street. We live in the city but we still have all the good qualities - privacy, quiet, space - we'd have if we lived in the country."

"We love it here," Becky Smith adds.

"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."

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 71º 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.”