KP Walking Tour: Midcentury Modern Design at its Best

April 28, 2019 Krisana Park

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Check out the walking tour this coming week! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/modernism-series-2019-krisana-park-midcentury-modern-design-at-its-best-tickets-60426577520?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=esfb&utm-source=fb&utm-term=listing&fbclid=IwAR3eTxIRWu-Lz3jhfTmwbTLzm8ouftmIoyZQUPjaHf2F_S-72JZpP-j-rGQ

From the web site:

The Denver Architecture Foundation will kick off its Modernism Series2019, in partnership with Denver Modernism Week, at the end of this month with Krisana Park: Midcentury Modern Design at its Best on Tuesday, April 30 from 4:30 to 6:00 PM.

Expert guides Abbey Christman, Senior City Planner, Landmark Preservation, City and County of Denver and Melanie Short, Architect, Humphries Poli Architects will lead this special tour.

About the tour: Built in 1954, Krisana Park is one of Denver’s best example of midcentury modern design. Come walk through the neighborhood and learn about Denver’s midcentury growth, the key features of midcentury residential design and how to sympathetically maintain and remodel midcentury buildings. The tour will also discuss Krisana Park’s Conservation Overlay and how neighborhood residents used this custom zoning tool to protect their neighborhood character. In Krisana Park, the overlay restricts building heights, maintains low-pitch roofs and reduces the minimum rear setback requirements.

About the site: In the late 1940s, Brad Wolff and his father, developer H.B. Wolff, acquired an alfalfa field in southeast Denver. Responding to Denver’s post-war housing shortage, they planned the construction of a new subdivision, one of many new housing developments underway across metro Denver. The design of Krisana Park, however, stood out. Unlike the more common cul-de-sacs of Ranch Style houses, the Wolffs were inspired by the modernist designs of California developer Joseph Eichler. They named their development Krisana Park, and began construction of its 175 homes in 1954. These distinctive modern homes emphasized privacy in their design and featured low-pitched roofs, indoor/outdoor living spaces, open floor plans and carports.

Parking & transportation: Meet at the intersection of S. Eudora & E. Louisiana. Street parking is available. As always, we encourage the use of public transportation, Lyft or Uber – thank you.

Solar Panels for your MCM home

April 4, 2019 Krisana Park

Our neighbor Adam let me climb up on his roof to check out the panels and take some photos!

It was with great interest when I noticed a new solar install going in up the street – for the first time I’ve seen locally, they were installing the PV panels on a low-sloped roof here in Krisana Park! Every time I had stopped at one of those solar booths and inquired about installation, all of them asked the question: “What is your roof slope?” When I noted that they are 1 ½” per foot, they would shake their head and say that anything under 4/12 slope won’t work.

Namaste Solar had their sign up in the yard and I immediately called them up to chat about how they are doing the installations. They confirmed what I wanted to hear: The panels can be installed about eight to ten inches above the roof AND at the same angle as the roof!

The panels are fastened to aluminum rails & stand off the roof approximately 8”

I then asked for a quote so we could see what would be possible on our roof. They asked a series of questions and then for kicks did a comparison for me to show that based on my yearly power needs (about 11,000 kilowatt hours a year) that I would only lose about 150 kwh when positioned at the lower angle. This is negligible for sure. What has a bigger impact is shade, especially from evergreens, so make sure they come out to view your house and analyze the locations of the trees around your property and your adjacent neighbors.

I think one of the reasons most solar companies don’t want to bother with low-slope installations is that it requires poking a lot of holes in the roof which will need special patching to seal it back up properly. For a typical 20 to 30 panel installation, you are going to have about two penetrations per panel, so upwards of 50 holes cut into your roof! On commercial roofs this is done all the time, so there are proper ways to do it. Usually a collar or “boot” is installed around the support post which helps provide a good seal at the base and up the post. The type of boot and patching around it will be specific to the roof material (asphalt roll roofing versus a rubber membrane like EPDM or TPO).

Sheet metal “boots” at support posts. This roof is covered with asphalt rolled roofing.

Some other items to keep in mind:

There isn’t going to be any short-term payback, so this is about doing what’s good for the environment vs. saving a lot of money. If you plan to stay in your home for the next 20 years, your payback will become significant (a typical loan is 12 years).
For a rough number on a system, a 2,000 SF house using 11,000 kilowatt hours, a 8-9 kW array will run you about $22,000 after a 30% rebate. Note that the rebate not taken off up front, it’s just tax credit.
If you want to charge a hybrid or plug-in electric car, you will need to purchase it first as you can’t up-size your array prior to purchasing the vehicle.
Xcel will only allow you to install an array that provides up to 115% of your average yearly use, so keep this in mind – if you plan to expand your home, you might want to go through with that first prior to claiming what your typical use is.
Xcel will install a second “Net” meter next to your existing meter, so you will need some space near your existing meter.
In addition to the net meter, a shut off for firefighters is required, plus an inverter for converting the DC to AC current (all included in the install price).

Shutoff, Net Meter, and the Inverter will all be added adjacent to your regular meter.

We are so happy that you can now access totally free power from the sun, while your MCM home will still look great from the street without the ugliness of panels sticking up at the 45 degree angle!

Note: We appreciate Namaste providing us with a quote and answering all our questions, however, we have no financial relationship with them. If you know of another installer that will work with low slope roofs, please let us know in the comments below.

Virginia Village Mid-Century Modern Home Tour - July 16th, 2017!

April 2, 2017 Krisana Park

Home portraits by Christian Musselman Illustration

Krisana Park will be part of the Virginia Village Mid Century Modern Home Tour on July 16, 2017 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm! Planned as a celebration of the recently acquired Conservation Overlay District, the tour features seven homes, including a lovingly-preserved gem, sensitive remodels (one of which recently appeared on the cover of Atomic Ranch magazine), and a new build that was inspired by Mid Century Modern Architecture.

Proceeds from the tour will benefit Ellis Elementary School at 1651 S. Dahlia St and will be used to purchase technology and other learning aids for students.

The tour will start at Ellis Elementary, where guests will pick up/purchase tickets and a tour map, refreshments, and commemorative merchandise. All of the homes featured on the tour are within walking distance of Ellis Elementary.

Get your tickets here: https://goo.gl/QbXM9Q

Interested to learn more? Please contact Pamela Walshe for more information. We look forward to hearing from you!

Interested in sponsoring this event? Download the form below:

Sponsorship Opportunities Form

Seeking MCM Homes to Showcase for July 2017 Home Tour

February 5, 2017 Krisana Park

Inspired by our recent achievement of passing the Conservation Overlay District of Krisana Park, we’d like to celebrate with a home tour to showcase the unique architectural details that give our neighborhood its charm, and to highlight the importance of preservation at a time of unprecedented growth in Denver.

We are seeking six to eight homeowners to participate as hosts in a July 2017 home tour. We are looking for a diverse collection of homes with original architectural detail, modern enhancements, and interesting interiors inspired by Mid Century Modern (MCM) design.

Our own Ellis Elementary School will be a beneficiary of this event.

Interested to learn more? Please contact Pamela Walshe for more information about the submission and selection process. We look forward to hearing from you!