The "Yin-Yang" Series Housing Model: How It Helps Shape the Denver Highlands

Word has spread. Denver is a great city to live in. And as Denver natives, the team that forms Denver Development Group strives to constantly improve the communities around them—their communities, the ones they themselves grew up in. The Denver Highlands in particular are blossoming, and the DDG team is committed to improving the area while its population grows.

Enter the Yin-Yang Series Housing Model.

1324-26 Zenobia & 1328-30 Zenobia: Double-Duplex Model

The idea for the Yin-Yang Model was the product of innovative thinking and architectural prowess, pulled together into one coherent vision by Keith Gallegos (founding DDG member). It serves as a beautiful, yet practical double-duplex style family housing model with a timeless design to fit the increasing population & cultural significance of the Denver area. Basically, it’s an innovative way to provide luxurious modern living—at an affordable price—on the Denver market.

The genius in the design comes down to the Yin-Yang’s usage of space. As population increases, so too does the need for careful planning and use of square footage. Properties are only so big, and cities that have burgeoned in the past have suffered from poor planning and use of the space available. In order to maximize the amount of comfort per square footage, the Yin-Yang Model was formed. In addition, the model also increases the property value for an investor (while keeping the cost down for the average American family). In the sweet spot between comfort, affordability, and space, we find the Yin-Yang Model.

Efficient use of space & cost effective

The different units (four in all) are built as single-family households, with all the amenities afforded the modern home. The city of Denver bloomed in the mid-1900’s, when downtown was formed. But it’s the 21st century, and technology is booming. Homes are as new and exciting as the next Apple product, and thanks to Denver Development Group’s commitment to design that stands the test of time, the Yin-Yang Model takes into account this shift toward the future. Smart products fill out the home; modern finishes open up the house like a canvas; HDMI, USB, and other house tech upgrades are built in; and it’s topped off with open balconies and top-floor patios outfitted for cookouts.

Affordability, comfort, and location — the Yin Yang Series, located in the bustling Denver Highlands, is ideal for every phase of real estate. Investors get the most bang for their buck. Developers flex their chops and put together an innovative product. Homeowners make their purchase knowing that they have invested in a high-quality home for their families.

A vision of home

As Denver Development Group works to improve the livelihood and culture of Denver, the team hopes that the Yin-Yang Series of Housing Models helps to shape the Highlands for the better. The word’s out: Denver is a great place to live.

We concur.

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Denver Development Group is comprised of industry vets looking to make their mark on the communities they love. If you’d like to get in touch with us, please visit our Contact page! We work with investors, real estate agents, current or aspiring homeowners, and more.

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Sloan's Lake and its History (A Denver Landmark)

Sloan’s Lake

It’s 1861. You wake up early to get ready for a day’s work on the farm. First on the agenda is to finish digging the well, so you head that way. Upon digging, you notice something interesting—water trickling near your boot.

This is the sensation Thomas Sloan must’ve felt before cracking into the vast underground water reserves that turned into Sloan’s Lake. Little did he realize that the small trickle near his boot would surge into an almost-200-acre lake near South Golden Road (now Colfax).

Some time later, the area now occasionally referred to as “Sloan’s Leak” burgeoned thanks to the plethora of activities that could be carried out on the large body of water. The area got so popular that an amusement park called Manhattan Beach was established, operating on the lake shores from 1881-1908.

Manhattan Beach Amusement Park

Though the rides were well and fun, Manhattan Beach’s biggest attraction was Roger the Elephant. People from across the Midwest would come to see and ride Roger—that is, until Roger did an oopsie. Regardless, Roger serves as a symbol of Sloan’s Lake’s local influence. In fact, lore claims that Roger is still buried under the old King Soopers site near Sloan’s Lake! Perhaps a developer will find him?

Speaking of developers, Sloan’s Lake is now sitting next to some fairly hot real estate—not including, of course, the real estate projects being developed by Denver Development Group. Its popularity has only continued to boom since the early 1900’s, and though there Roger the Elephant may not be around, there’s still plenty to do and see.

For instance, Sloan’s Lake is home to a plethora of activities, including the watery sort like boating and fishing. Since it’s the biggest lake in Denver sandwiched next to the second biggest park in Denver, Sloan’s Lake is perfect for a casual day out. Its facilities include playgrounds, tennis courts, picnic areas, and of course restrooms and water fountains. They even have a baseball field and soccer field! And in July, the annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is held on its waters. Here’s a picture of the race below!

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

Sloan’s Lake is just a walk away from the burgeoning neighborhoods that Denver Development Group is helping to grow. With a view of both the Rocky Mountains to the West and the Denver downtown skyline to the East, it’s a park worth taking advantage of and really squeezing to get the most of every portion. It’s got a lot to offer.

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Denver Development Group strives to bring quality development to the local Denver area to help improve its neighborhoods. Be a part of the process today.

What Do You Do When the Worksite Gets Real? (An Anecdote)

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In real estate development, you have got to be prepared for absolutely anything that comes  your way. Flexibility and adaptability are vital skills in this industry; when everything goes wrong, being able to adjust can mean the difference between sinking or swimming. 

This simple fact is no better demonstrated than Wednesday, February 20th, 2019. It was on this day that the construction schedule for 1316-18 Perry faltered. 

A construction schedule is incredibly important. There are very specific steps a developer has to take, in sequence, or else it can all quickly get complicated and expensive. Delays in construction happen all the time, and often the schedule is built with this in mind. Sometimes, however, one too many delays leads to a small “crash,” where everything seems to happen all at once instead of nice and spread out like the schedule assumes. This happened on February 20th, and there wasn’t much that anyone could really do about it. 

It’s winter here in Colorado, and if you’ve lived in Colorado for any amount of time, you’ll understand that wintertime in the Purple State can be finicky and unreliable. In some parts of the country, people can sort of scope out their winters and have an established idea of what  weather may be like. Not so in Colorado, even in Denver, its metropolitan capital. It seems as if every day is entirely up in the air—so many seem to start bright and sunny and end windy and snowy. Heavy snowfall will occur out of nowhere, throw off everyone’s plans, then disappear the next day as people prepare for it to last longer. Suffice it to say, the unreliability of Denver weather did not help the construction schedule of 1316 Perry.

Thankfully, Keith Gallegos and Alfonso Lopez had prepared for delays, and the schedule was buoyant with the shifts and changes. But then, it snowed one too many times. Keith and Alfonso didn’t realize things were going to get crazy until that Wednesday morning, as they were in a meeting to discuss production over the next couple of months. Suddenly, Alfonso broke away to take a phone call from the HVAC guys. After hanging up, he quickly turned to Keith and told him that, apparently, the plumber had stopped by and dropped all his supplies off to start a couple days early (since he was scheduled to start by the end of the week). This wouldn’t have been a big deal if Alfonso hadn’t already dealt with a problem earlier between the backfill contractors and the framers. The backfill crew had thrown all the framer’s equipment into the house, and the framers showed up right when the HVAC guys were dropping off all their equipment. The framers at this point were already behind schedule thanks to the weather, and the reshuffling of their own supplies wasn’t helping. Plus, the framers now had to work around the HVAC crew and their equipment as well as the plumbing crew and their equipment. Things were getting very cramped, and the separate groups all fought for space in order to get their work done.  Then, Alfonso got  another call—this time from the window delivery company.  About 50 windows for 1316-18 Perry (the address for these specific duplex builds) were being delivered. And there was nowhere to put them. 

Windows are already a valuable investment, and it doesn’t help that they’re also incredibly fragile. If not timed properly, a window delivery can serve to get in the way big time, since craftsmen have to either work around them or move them constantly to get their job done. And that’s if windows were the only problem facing Alfonso and Keith now. They jumped in the car and immediately drove to the site, and what they found was just about what they expected—near chaos. A large truck had pulled up to the back of the building, and two men were unloading large windows into the house. The seven plumbing guys had their equipment strewn all about while they worked, and the windows were beginning to get in their way. They were also directly in the way of the three-man HVAC crew and their supplies, who were already in the way of the two framers whose supplies had been shuffled around. Just then, the concrete cutting company showed up to take care of coring in the foundation. 

The schedule had glitched out.

Thankfully, Keith and Alfonso are professionals. They rolled up their sleeves and immediately got to work, giving instructions to the HVAC crew and window guys while reassuring the framers. Alfonso helped move windows to a location that was out of the way while Keith went  over inventory with the window company. After, Alfonso worked with the plumbers while Keith walked through the basement with the concrete coring company. All the while, the two didn’t lose their cool and made sure the construction process went according to plan. After a couple hours of coordinating and getting their hands dirty, they had fixed the glitch, and the project began humming away on schedule again. They had averted a potential disaster, and were able to smooth over tensions and protect their materials they had paid so much for. The job was back on track.

Moments like these happen constantly in the development business; it’s these moments that make or break a build’s profitability. Unforeseen circumstances can cause big hits on the budget. By being in constant communication, problem solving, and knowing the process in and out, Keith and Alfonso were able to steer the project on track and keep themselves from taking a big financial hit. All it takes is hard work, flexibility, and a bit of ingenuity.

Breaking Ground! | 1330 Zenobia

One of our properties has broken ground! This is always an exciting time for a developer. Lots of conversations, changing construction plans, and contracts have to take place before a project is ready to move forward. And up until this point, the property is simply a mere plot of land, potential unrealized. The full picture hasn’t been filled in. But now, in this phase, the idea begins to take physical shape, the same idea that had just taken months to prepare. Soon, the construction will be in full swing, and before you know it, it’ll be on the market. But those months will fly by because the construction process is a time-consuming one. Many hours of blood, sweat, and tears will be put in over the next few months to make that idea a reality, and there’s no getting around that.

The other exciting part of breaking ground is the physical sense of progress that it represents. For a lengthy amount of time, developers are working on something abstract—an idea, perhaps recorded on paper and email, but nonexistent in the physical world. To finally break ground is to give the project a sense of progress that it did not have before. Now, things are moving. This is where it gets good. Getting through of the initial grind is the single most important step. Everything needs to be just right. 

The immediate next steps are also vital ones. Excavation and the pouring of the foundation define a project right from the get go. Thankfully, that’s what regulations, guidelines, and inspections are for. Denver Development Group always makes sure the process is followed to the T, and by doing so ensures a worry-free construction. We take time to make sure everything is done with the best possible quality.   

Regardless, it’s an exciting time for the 1330 Zenobia project. It’s also exciting because this is only one of the many projects that DDG is managing currently, each with unique assets and strategies being employed. Coupled with the strong Denver economy, and it looks like breaking ground is truly only the beginning of an exciting year, both for the Zenobia project and DDG as a whole.