Like so many others that came before, Michael Cordova found the Valley almost by complete accident. “I was building a house for a friend near Black Hawk in Central Colorado, and he told me about a possible job in a place called Westcliffe. When I came up over the pass and saw the Sangre de Cristos, I was hooked,” he explained during an interview out at his jobsite in Rosita. Thankfully, Cordova brings a serious amount of much-needed experience in home building and hit the ground running as he moved his family and business from Illinois to Westcliffe this year.
The Valley specializes in custom homes, almost as a niche industry. While the rest of the country has seen housing sales and new home starts slow to a several-decade low, the demand for custom retirement or vacation homes has remained constant. The problem has been that there are never enough experienced builders. Cordova Builders brings decades of experience, and it showed when this author interviewed the five-person crew in Rosita last Friday.
The building site had a stunning view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, but the view came with extreme terrain and exposure to the wind. With an eye towards the elements, Cordova took the existing building plans and added more support and reinforcement to the walls to keep windows from flexing in the big winds. “I have been framing for so long I can quickly see any weaknesses in a building plan and make the needed adjustments,” he said as he and the crew returned to work after a few photos.
As with any of the Valley’s excellent custom home builders, it is crucial to contact them to get on their list for future building projects. For more information, see Cordova Builder’s website by clicking here.
– Jordan Hedberg
