As a design-build firm in Santa Fe, we are proud to be among a progressive community of conscientious builders devoted to the most sustainable residential development possible. Many of our projects in Santa Fe have passed the rigorous scrutiny of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, the nation’s most recognized brand in green building. With […]
Is Santa Fe a Good Place to Live? Santa Fe is a desirable location to settle because of the rich culture, great population size of around 83,000, jaw-dropping scenery around the city, and delicious cuisine throughout the area. There’s a reason they call us “The City Different”: life’s a little different here. Whatever it is […]
How does rain catchment work and how does it save water for your home? Today, we’re explaining everything you need to know about the benefits of rain catchment, how it works and how Palo Santo Designs can design and build a new Santa Fe home with this water conserving system or retrofit a current home. […]
Innovations in architectural design strategies are contributing considerably toward helping create a new world, meeting both resource conservation needs and the demands of a rapidly shifting marketplace. As mentioned in previous blogs, buildings account for the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, which makes the task of creating a more energy-efficient built environment crucial. […]
(photo credit: Jack Arnold Photography) Looking for the best place in America to retire? Santa Fe was recently chosen by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the top 10 best places to retire across the entire world. The Conde Nast report cites a study by the US News & World Report ranking Santa Fe as […]
It is well known that we all face an onslaught of environmental toxins—imagine standing outside on a busy street corner. However, most people spend 90 percent of their time indoors. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside the average building is up to five times more polluted than the air outside, […]
Those of you who may have built or bought a new home in the City of Santa Fe over the last few years may be familiar with the terms ‘HERS Rating’. HERS (Home Energy Rating System) is a tool for measuring the energy performance of a home.
It has become the standard method across North America for ranking homes in terms of energy efficiency. Much like the MPG (miles per gallon) rating on a car; a HERS rating describes how energy efficient a home will be. But energy performance is not the only way to quantify a home’s efficiency.
If it is your first time looking to buy a custom home, you may not yet fully understand the complexities of such a prospect. Because buying a custom home is unlike any other purchase you will make in your life.
Think of it less as a product you are buying and consider it for what it is, a personalized experience specifically tailored to meet your unique values, goals and preferences, so that you are able to attain the lifestyle improvements you have worked so hard to afford, and that you deserve.
As spring takes hold of us here in Santa Fe, many dream home hopefuls will decide to make the plunge and commit to getting their much anticipated custom home project underway.
In our experience, there is nothing more valuable than some careful pre-planning to assure that the next steps you make will lead you directly to making that dream a reality while avoiding many common stumbling blocks.
Santa Fe is considered one of the most forward thinking in the country when it comes to water conservation policy and practice. Many of you may know that the city has had a toilet retrofit program in effect for many years. The purpose of this program is to accommodate new construction and renovations within the Santa Fe limits without adding new burden on the city’s existing water supplies.
As spring hits Santa Fe, it’s great to see so many of us outside, playing and enjoying the sounds of the birds, the smell of the blossoms and the beauty of longer warmer days. If allergies haven’t stopped you in your tracks, most of us feel revitalized in the spring.
Although it’s been in the forefront of scientific discussion for decades, it seems only until very recently that the media and the public at large have seriously begun a discussion about climate change.