Sunday, April 1, 2007

Custom Builder's Houses Get Meticulous Attention From the Ground Up

By Rosalie Rayburn
Journal Staff Writer
    David Langham admits he's picky when it comes to building a house. And he's had all the right training: A stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and seven years of building for the discerning tastes of wealthy clients in Santa Fe.
    "It's a market where people are very demanding and know exactly what they want. My job is to interpret their desires," Langham said.
    Langham learned his craft building homes with his father's company Langham Properties of Santa Fe. He moved to Albuquerque about a year ago and launched his own firm Home Construction and Consulting Services.
    Rio Rancho's growing population and abundant land offers plenty of opportunity for a builder who offers a quality product, he said.
    That's where the picky part comes in. Langham chooses materials— down to the last towel rail and door stop— and calculates costs to the dollar before he ever breaks ground on a home.
    During construction, attention to detail is almost an obsession with Langham. He makes sure electric outlets and light switches are aligned level with each other. Outlet plates and light trims are painted to coordinate with the wall or ceiling color scheme. He also uses the same color and style of cabinetry and hardware throughout the home.
    He believes that subtle details, like tile alignment, counter height and color blending, subconsciously affect the homeowner's perception of a home.
    "Continuity— that's what makes a home feel good," Langham said.
    The custom home he is building near Idalia and N.M. 528 is designed with soft flowing lines that lead the eye from room to room. The interior plastered walls will be rubbed with bees wax to give them a warm gleam. Woodwork, walls, ceilings, baths, sinks, tiles and light switch plates will be color coordinated throughout.
    The curves begin at the two-story entry hall, which opens onto a spacious greatroom with a gas fireplace and a plastered interior chimney.
    A stairway separates the entrance hall from the greatroom. It curves upward to the second floor, where clerestory windows give a view of the Sandia, Ortiz and Sangre de Cristo mountains.
    A chest-high curving wall divides the greatroom from the kitchen and breakfast nook. Cabinetry in the kitchen is a knotty pine alder wood. Curves in the cabinet doors echo the shallow arches in the doorway leading to the formal dining room.
    Langham has used knotty pine for the ceiling in the dining room, front portal and rear covered patio areas.
    "Sheet rock would be less expensive but wouldn't give the same feeling of pride and quality," Langham said.
    He made the same kind of decision when he picked lighting, tiles and shelving for storage areas in the home.
    Langham plans to go the extra mile in the two-car garage, too. It will have ample workshop space, with walls and floor painted to match the home interior.
    "I think the garage should be considered a livable room," Langham said.
    In keeping with the latest in entertainment trends, Langham has pre-wired the home with a room-to-room sound system. He has also included a "multi-purpose room" that could be used as a home theater.
    A downstairs bedroom and bathroom provide space for guests, live-in relatives or a home office.
    The second story boasts a master suite, two additional bedrooms, bathroom and storage closet.
    A door leads from the master bedroom onto a spacious, partly covered deck with mountain views to the east.
    Langham has included a double-sided fireplace to give cheer in the bedroom and master bath. Radiant floor heating will provide extra warmth on chilly winter days.
    Bathers can choose to soak in a 66-inch-by-40-inch whirlpool-style tub or shower in the custom-tiled shower area. Langham does most of the tile work himself.
    Mindful of erosion problems in Rio Rancho's sandy soil, Langham has created several "ponding" areas on the lot to divert excess rainwater from the home.
   
Property details
    Custom home by Home Construction & Consulting Services at 3114 Campeche, near Idalia and N.M. 528 in Rio Rancho.
    FEATURES: 3,349 square feet pueblo-style home on half-acre lot, curved staircase with custom made iron railings, view of Sandia, Ortiz and Sangre de Cristo mountains from second story, pre-wired for sound throughout.
    PRICE: $605,500
    Estimated monthly mortgage payments with 20 percent down ($120,700) and 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.73 percent: $3,125