MAY 2018 | 5280 | (^103)
Clockwise from top left: Courtesy of Boulder Creek Neighborhoods LLC; Kim Howell/Shutterstock; Courtesy of East West Partners
THE SUBSTITUTES
Choosing an alternative to
the classic two-car-garage-
with-a-lawn-and-fence-out-back
abode can net you a cheaper,
newer, and easier-to-maintain
dwelling in Denver.
WEECOTTAGES
Median Sale Price: $340,000
These 36 energy-efficient, two-story
homes in Stapleton are designed to
appeal to three demographics: single
professionals, empty nesters, and small
families who don’t require a lot of living
space (routine upkeep like lawn care
and snow removal are managed by the
homeowner’s association for less than
$200 a month). The 900- to 1,400-square-
foot models, built by Louisville developer
Boulder Creek Neighborhoods, hit the
market this past February.
I
n the basement of my house, there’s a wall with a small bow in it—the result of a
long-departed tree’s roots having grown into the foundation. he practical part of
me knows it needs to be ixed at some point. But there’s a piece of me that’s grown
attached to the law because it reminds me of why I married Dave.
Not long after we met, Dave and I learned about “wabi sabi,” the art of embrac-
ing imperfection. he philosophy has origins in Japanese culture: When cups and
bowls became cracked or chipped, instead of replacing them, artisans mended them
using lacquer and powdered metal. he faults were beautifully highlighted, as if in
celebration. As Dave and I muddled through our courtship, discovering each other’s
quirks and foibles, we adopted the
mantra. It seemed like a healthy
approach to life and love.
When we got engaged in the
summer of 2017, we made plans to
elope the following spring. But by
that autumn it looked like Dave’s
son might come to live with us, and
our little Uptown apartment was
no place for a full-time family. We
needed a house—fast. So, as Den-
ver’s hottest housing season in recent
memory wound down, we geared
up to inspect the inventory that was
left over, livable, and within our price
range. In other words, approximately
four houses.
We found a cute bungalow near the University of Denver, but shortly after our
ofer was accepted, our lender called us with some diicult news: In order for us to
apply for a Veterans Afairs loan together, we needed to be married. We hung up and
discussed our options. Dave could move forward with the loan on his own, and we
could add me after we were married—and pay reinancing fees and risk potentially
higher interest rates. Or we could just sign the paperwork now. We printed a Colo-
rado marriage license and put it on the kitchen counter. We moved forward with the
inspection process. Every night, we stared at the document—and each other. It felt
like a game of matrimonial Chicken.
In the end, neither of us yielded. Rather, on November 14—two weeks before our
closing date—we stood in front of our closest friends and, in the name of wabi sabi,
inked our names.
Four days later, the house deal fell through.
I would like to say that what came next was a painless process. Instead, weekends
were spent looking at closet-less bungalows in desirable neighborhoods and beautifully
inished piles of siding in shitty ones. Had the couple who owned a modest Tudor
in Berkeley not been so eager to sell, we’d probably still be house-less. But they were,
so we aren’t. We’ve got a small, cozy home that’s both closer to Dave’s oice and in a
more walkable neighborhood than the house that fell through. We also have too few
outlets, a second bathroom suited for Oompa Loompas, and a bowing basement wall.
I don’t care. I love our imperfect house and the opportunities it presents to cre-
ate something beautiful with Dave. Do we simply install an egress window where the
bow is or remodel the entire basement into a swanky entertaining space? We’re still
iguring it out, but I do know that I don’t regret going of-script and getting married
early—and not just because interest rates are already a percentage point higher than
they were in December. —Kasey Cordell
One couple embraces imperfection in a search for a new home.
CONDOMINIUMS
Median Sale Price: $296,000
Last May, Colorado lawmakers passed
a construction defects reform bill that
made it more difficult for condo owners
to take legal action against developers
over shoddy construction. So far, the
bill has increased condo development
only slightly (condo construction rose 7.4
percent in metro Denver in 2017), but more
complexes are on the way. Construction
on the Coloradan (rendering below), a
334-unit condominium project located
on Wewatta Street directly behind Union
Station, is slated for completion in late
2018, and this July, the S*Park complex
is scheduled to open with 91 condos and
eight townhomes in Curtis Park.
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