Shapell Homes' Plum Canyon Ranch Offers Unique Eco-Built Homes with Savings Benefits

SANTA CLARITA, CA, March 30, 2011 (Press-News.org) Shapell Homes, one of California's homebuilding industry pioneers, recently celebrated the opening of their newest planned community, Plum Canyon Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley. At the Sage and Heatherton Grand Opening, hundreds of prospects experienced these unique, eco-built neighborhoods with no Mello-Roos as well as toured the Eco-Savings Showroom, featuring an array of included energy-efficient products and the overall "eco-savings" to be discovered!

Built to further emphasize the importance of living "green," the Eco-Savings Showroom immediately catches your eye with its cutting-edge storefront approach, giving a glimpse of what is displayed inside. Once inside the showroom, you're led to an impressive information display area demonstrating community benefits from no Mello-Roos and tax savings to statistics on energy-savings potential and environmentally friendly building policies. The Eco-Savings Showroom provides prospective buyers with an opportunity to compare savings and learn more about the reduced environmental impact, increased comfort and enhanced efficiency offered at these homes. Unlike other surrounding communities, all of the eco-friendly features such as SunPower solar systems are included with the purchase of a home at Sage or Heatherton - there is no extra cost to reap these benefits!

"The Eco-Savings Showroom is an experiential approach to express that we're not just building the homes of today —we're building the homes of tomorrow that homeowners can own today," said Elaine Mason, vice president of sales and marketing at Shapell Industries. "We want to create livable communities, where efficiency, health and happiness don't come at an additional cost. We've made it a point to include eco-friendly and cost-saving features in our homes based on what we feel the expectations of today's homebuyers are. We believe these initiatives will promote higher building standards and encourage living a healthier lifestyle without paying for it. We want to reinforce that homebuyers here will benefit from the overall savings these combined features can generate."

The Eco-Savings Showroom exhibits a list of amenities that illustrates the advantages of living at Plum Canyon Ranch, including solar energy panels and inverters from SunPower , which generate power from the sun and convert that power into standard household electricity, contributing to substantial eco-savings. Also included are engineered heating and cooling systems, compact fluorescent lighting for additional electricity savings, water-conserving toilets and showers, tankless water heaters, hot water pipe insulation, weather-based irrigation systems, high-performance windows and radiant barriers, energy-efficient dishwashers and more.

The showroom also conveys that Shapell Homes is currently one of just 34 homebuilders in California to register for the Builders Challenge, a program that recognizes homebuilders who construct homes delivering healthy indoor environments and exceed standard building codes. Participants of this program must meet specific requirements for rankings on the EnergySmart Home ScaleSM. In accordance with this scale, homes at Sage and Heatherton qualify, therefore providing potential for substantially lower costs on utilities and considerable savings. All homes at Sage and Heatherton are verified by a third-party inspector to ensure they meet the guidelines of the Builders Challenge.*

Sage and Heatherton at Plum Canyon Ranch afford many other benefits, including a future recreation area with pool and spa, cabanas, bbq areas and more, great local schools, proximity to LA County's major freeway system, shopping and dining opportunities. With homes from the mid $400,000s, please contact the sales offices for more information; 661.513.0439 for Heatherton and 661.297.2030 for Sage. Plum Canyon Ranch is located off the 14 freeway at the Via Princessa exit. Travel west, turn right at White's Canyon and continue for approximately three miles as it becomes Plum Canyon Road. Turn right at La Madrid into the community. To view floor plans and register online for updates, please visit PlumCanyonRanch.com.

Established in 1955, Shapell Industries has overseen the construction of more than 70,000 new homes throughout Southern and Northern California as well as the development of numerous commercial centers, residential communities, apartment complexes, retail centers, schools, parks and fire stations. Offering a diverse selection of neighborhoods and master-planned communities, Shapell has earned a solid reputation thanks in part to a strong corporate value system rooted in quality construction and exemplary customer service.

*For details on the Builders Challenge program and for more information, please visit www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/challenge. Shapell Homes does not guarantee any specific tax savings or figures. For information on tax savings please contact your tax consultant.