I’m an avid reader of product reviews. For years, I subscribed to Consumer Reports and am a big fan of the New York Times Wirecutter. Good reviews are the product of solid research; however, that doesn’t mean the top-rated product is the one that best suits you. In that spirit, I offer up my well-researched but certainly subjective “winners” of the products I chose for the mountain house.
Appliances
Kitchen. Over the years, we’ve owned many different upscale and premium-brand appliances. We were drawn to Kitchenaid’s induction cooktop range paired with its full-power but half-height microwave/fan combination. We’ve owned electric, halogen, and gas cooktops. Our family consensus is the speed and controllability of induction are superior to all the others. We replaced our condo JennAir refrigerator a few years ago with a larger counter-depth side-by-side by Kitchenaid. We bought the same model for the mountain house, and it’s nice to use the same fridge layout in both locations.
Laundry. LG has been our go-to for washer/dryer pairs for a decade. We have purchased them for three locations. They are quick, efficient, and very reliable.
Closets
There are several national closet franchise companies in the US. We’ve used the Denver-based Closet Factory for four different properties. Their products and professional installation are excellent. However, the real benefit is their expertise in designing the right components that meet our current needs but are flexible when wardrobes or storage demands change.
Closet Factory https://www.closetfactory.com/
Deck
Decking. Several national synthetic decking products are available. The specs for the Deckorators product made sense because it should withstand high-altitude temperature swings and UV radiation. I also like the wood-grained texture and color. After over two years of use, it has not shown any signs of wear.
Deckorators https://www.deckorators.com/
Rails. I examined many cable railing systems and was drawn to AS&D’s strong experience in commercial applications. The manufacturing quality was high, and they accurately computed all the components I needed. The easy installation and rock-solid railing won over our skeptical construction crew.
American Structures and Design https://americanstructures.com
Countertops
We have walked through many warehouse yards of countertop slabs, but nothing compares to The Stone Collection showroom. It has a dizzying selection of natural and manmade slabs. You cannot buy directly from them, but your kitchen contractor or installer can. Their Denver showroom/warehouse feels like walking into an art museum.
The Stone Collection https://thestonecollection.com/
Doors
Interior. We wanted a modern, smooth-painted look and were drawn to the Berkely design offered by Masonite. Their solid core doors are well-built and provide excellent sound blocking.
Masonite https://www.masonite.com/
Exterior. I evaluated many door manufacturers and finally settled on ThermaTru products. They are in the upper-middle price range for exterior doors. The tipping factor was their fiberglass construction, which I expect will prove more dimensionally stable (warp-free) given the big differences in mountain temperatures. They’ve proven to insulate well on sub-zero mornings.
ThermaTru https://www.thermatru.com/
Locks and Passage Sets. We hand-tested a lot of door and cabinet hardware. Emtek is at the mid-to-upper end of the door hardware market. Its components are precisely machined and feel substantial, a big step up in quality from the products you see in big-box retailers.
Emtek https://www.emtek.com/
Flooring
What’s not to like about Mohawk’s Smartstrand carpet? It’s super soft on bare feet, environmentally friendly, and bulletproof. Carpet technology has come a long way.
CORETek’s luxury vinyl planking gives the house the warm look and feel of wood
floors. It makes floor care very simple, especially for a second home, with quick vacuuming or light-damp mopping.
COREtec https://coretecfloors.com
Heating
Radiators. After two high-altitude winters, we’re absolutely sold on Cove Heat radiators mounted near the ceiling. This small Nebraska-based company was extremely helpful in helping me specify the various components and worked closely with our electrician.
Radiant Systems Inc. https://www.radiantsystemsinc.com/
Thermostats. I was looking for smart thermostats, leading me to MYSA, a Canadian company based in Newfoundland. Every aspect of the packaging, design, app, and physical thermostat is brilliant. I get free monthly reports on room-by-room electricity use, and the one time I needed tech support, their weekend response was timely and concise.
Mysa https://getmysa.com/
Hot water. The Rheem Proterra is an expensive heater. It is at the forefront of super energy-efficient tanks using heat pump technology. It’s smart, connects to the home Wi-Fi, and has an app for flexible daily control and remote alerts. It has run very efficiently. However, its fan is a bit noisy, so it needs to be placed in an area or mechanical room where the sound isn’t an issue (ours is in the garage).
Lighting Control
The Lutron Caseta smart-switch system is hands-down the best on the market. It’s more expensive than the others, but Lutron has been in the premium lighting control business for decades, and that experience equals high dependability. I’ve been using Caseta switches for a decade and have never had one fail. They also are completely controllable at the switch location even if the internet isn’t working.
Lutron https://www.lutron.com
Plumbing
I sourced all our plumbing fixtures from Ferguson’s Build.com website. Ordering online was easy, and having a live rep made the experience even more satisfying. The Miseno house brand products (faucets and vanity sinks) were of excellent quality. I also purchased several higher-end Kohler products, including a porcelain-on-steel tub and mirrored vanity cabinets. The 1.2-gallon low-flush Toto toilets do an excellent job of flushing, and the temperature-controlled Hansgrohe shower systems were worth the extra money.
Build (Ferguson) https://www.build.com
Siding
While researching house siding, I found a mention of Nichiha buried in a home improvement article. Although it’s not one of the more common siding product names, their website and sales support were absolutely world-class. They connected me with a dealer and a field tech rep who walked our construction crew through how to install the products.
Building in a forested area, I was concerned about wildland fires and read several articles about Nichiha owners whose homes survived big blazes. On my city walks, I see some townhomes nearby that were re-sided with Nichiha about seven years ago. The west-facing sides, in particular, see strong sun. They look brand new.
Nichiha https://www.nichiha.com/
Tile
We sourced tile from several companies, but most of our products came from Arizona Tile. As the pickup and delivery person for our construction crew, I was always impressed with Arizona Tile’s professionalism and deep inventory of products on my several trips to their customer service counter.
Arizona Tile https://www.arizonatile.com
Windows
Andersen is one of a half-dozen top US residential window manufacturers. Their E-series is the top of the line and looks and feels like it. I was impressed by the ordering configuration tool Anderson provides its dealers and the flexibility of combining various components into one window unit. Packing and shipping were flawless, and all the products arrived in perfect condition.
You usually hear about gazing out through the windows. I’ve been gratified by gazing at the windows.
Andersen Windows https://www.andersenwindows.com
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