SOMETIMES GEOGRAPHY FORCES BUILT-IN LIMITATIONS. That's the case in Anchorage, Alaska, where the Anchorage HBA says the city will run out of developable land in about two years. The HBA delivered this stark assessment at its annual media briefing at the end of March. The trade group predicts that...
-
Because local governments believe new residents put a strain on public services, Maryland builders are having a tough time getting the land they need for residential projects. Jurisdictions are limiting how many homes can be built on each acre of land, and builders say this has dramatically boosted...
-
A shortage of skilled construction workers is causing delays in completion and delivery of new homes in the Tucson, Ariz., area, according to the Southern Arizona HBA. The trade group says demand for new homes is outpacing supply and that a primary reason is a lack of skilled workers.
RECENTLY, CHICAGO-BASED U.S. Plastic Lumber (USPL) stopped making composite products, citing problems with staining and other issues. Instead, USPL has turned all of its energies toward making “pure” plastic products made with 100 percent HDPE.
CHICAGO'S GOLD COAST DISTRICT WILL SOON be flashing a little more silver with the construction of The Clare at Water Tower, the first continuing care retirement community to break ground in a downtown urban setting.
-
A report by the non- profit group Downtown St. Louis Partnership says that downtown St. Louis is in for a housing boom next year with the opening of more than 1,500 new residential units. Residential development has focused on the renovation of historic buildings, but as those are depleted new...
-
Builders looking to hire recent college graduates with real estate degrees have more candidates from which to choose, thanks to an increase in the number of colleges offering the degrees. Nationwide, 63 accredited colleges have real estate degree programs, up from about 30 a decade ago. Among the...
-
In the San Diego area, developers who oversee construction projects are experiencing sticker shock as bids are coming in higher than they estimated.
-
Describing The Home building industry as an “astonishing panorama of waste, fraud, and abuse,” a statewide probe of home building in New Jersey called for a series of legislative and regulatory reforms. The independent State Commission of Investigation recommends stricter licensing and performance...
A COALITION OF SPECIALTY CONTRACTORS IS alleging that the chloramine compounds California uses to treat its water is causing pinhole leaks to develop in copper pipes. The group is calling on the state to allow builders to use plastic pipe alternatives, which would resist corrosion and save the...
-
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C., consisted of a four-mile-long street, nine stores, a sawmill, and a brick factory. Its proximity to Charleston made it a convenient pleasure and health resort for the city's residents; most visitors made the trip there by steam ferry. The...
-
BUILDERS WHO ARE THE FIRST TO OFFER A PRODUCT in a market take a big risk, but with that risk can come big rewards. That was the case for Wathen-Castanos, based in Fresno, Calif. With 172 single-family houses on 20 acres, the builder/developer's European Quarter has nine units to the acre and an...
-
YES, THEY'RE SMALL AND CLOSE TOGETHER AND there are no backyards, but units at The Courtyards at the Peaks, by Astoria Homes, still have plenty to offer first-time buyers in Las Vegas market.
-
BUYERS IN PHOENIX HAVE LOTS OF CHOICES, SO carving out a niche there is a challenge. To get its piece of the pie, Meritage Homes Active Adult has positioned itself as the value leader in the area's active adult market, but that doesn't mean the builder/developer is cutting corners or skimping on...
-
SEVERAL BUILDERS CONSIDERED THE 50-ACRE tract on the west side of Albuquerque and passed. The location was superb, but the site had so many challenges—high-voltage power lines, steep topography, cranky neighbors, and a rezoning battle—that no one could figure out how to make it profitable. Vantage...
-
BREAKING THE MOLD CAN BE SCARY FOR A builder, especially when that mold worked pretty well. But that's the step Benchmark Homes took when it hired a California architect to introduce a whole new look to the market at its community The Grove.
-
IN 2003, THE CITY OF PLANO, ILL., ISSUED THREE building permits. Then, Lakewood Homes came to town. Its 1,500-acre master planned community, Lakewood Springs, will ultimately have 4,500 single-family residences, duplexes, and townhouses.
-
GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT AND THEY'LL BUY it. Ivanhoe-Huntley Homes in West Bloomfield, Mich., listened to what its customers said they wanted and came up with a concept that's produced the company's fastest-selling project in metro Detroit—Addington Corners.
-
IT'S NEVER EASY TO TAKE ON SOMEONE ELSE'S mistakes. That was the challenge facing John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods when it bought Harbourside at Dunes West, a waterfront community in Mount Pleasant near Charleston, S.C.
-
THE NIGHT BEFORE BRECKINRIDGE STATION HAD its grand opening, the weather turned nasty in the metro Atlanta region. Sleet and freezing rain tend to keep folks from turning out to a sales event.
-
E H BUILDING GROUP DIDN'T WASTE ANYTIME getting Sail Harbour at Health Park open for sales. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.–based builder purchased the 46-acre tract in Fort Myers, Fla., on June 1, 2004, and closed on the deal on Oct. 1. Sales started three days later, and not a moment too soon—by the...
-
A close inspection of second-tier markets shows that many are already full of competition.
-
Clearly, much of the growth in home building activity during the past five years has been concentrated in the top 50 markets. Consider that in 1999, the biggest metro regions accounted for 605,860 single-family permits, or 64.8 percent of total national activity. Five years and several starts...
LAST YEAR, BEAZER HOMES USA's Atlanta division increased its closings by about 40 percent to 697 units for its fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. That performance vaulted the company into the ranks of the market's top 10 builders. But in Atlanta, where those elite few control just 19 percent of the...
From the 2005 Gold Nugget Awards
-
PLENTY OF DEVELOPERS TRY TO PRESERVE nature, but not many of them go to the lengths CamWest did with its North Creek community in Bothell, Wash. The builder/developer went with a cluster plan as a way to preserve an impressive 60 percent of the site as protected wetlands. That meant not-so-big...
DESIGNING A HOME THAT BLENDS in with its site is one way to approach architecture, but sometimes the opposite impulse makes a stronger statement. That's the case with this 4,200-square-foot custom home in Napa Valley, Calif. In contrast to the natural elements of the 28-acre site—rounded hills...
OH, TO BE 75 AND ABLE TO LIVE IN such a terrific Santa Barbara, Calif., environment. That's the sentiment that was shared by all the (younger) judges, who admired the campuslike setting of Maravilla's sensitively scaled buildings and its traditional Santa Barbara–style architecture (deep-set...
TALK ABOUT UNCHARTED TERRITORY. These 40 live/work lofts are the first new for-sale residential units to be built in Santa Ana's historic downtown in more than 30 years. That meant no comps and an unknown market, two components that would make any developer hesitant. Top-notch design and affordable...
-
THE GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT WERE daunting: Design and build 53 affordable rental units, with underground parking, on less than an acre in a downtown Palo Alto, Calif., neighborhood. And what a neighborhood it is. Dubbed “Professorville,” it's marked by quiet streets, mature trees, and classic...
BELCARA AT PACIFIC RIDGE HAD THE goods when it came to location, location, location. But with the prime real estate came a steep challenge: how to engineer spectacular ocean views and privacy for all in a cluster development where villas ranging from 2,475 to 3,082 square feet were packed in at 5.8...
THERE'S A FEEL OF SOULFUL PERMANENCE to the Baywood Collection at Santaluz. It's as though the homes have been rooted in the ridge as long as the native expanses of desert grass and scrubby chaparral that pepper their views. Only modern-day materials and accoutrements belie their true age.
WHAT OFTEN DISTINGUISHES a spectacular residence from simply a “nice” one is how it relates to its environment. Whether the home is a custom, production, or hybrid product, intuitive site plans, balanced massing, and poetic use of materials all factor into achieving harmony between house, landscape...
-
SALES OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES AND CONDO units reached extraordinary heights late last year and in the early months of 2005. Historically low mortgage rates and an improving economy definitely fueled purchases of homes for owner occupancy. But it is also clear that surging prices attracted...
-
THE NAHB SETS ASIDE ONE DAY EVERY YEAR to celebrate its official National Membership Day, but the truth is that for a grassroots association such as ours, every day is Membership Day.
-
- The National Housing Endowment receives a $1 million gift from Greystone & Co.
- NAHB VP testifies in April before a House small business subcommittee about inefficient regulations that unnecessarily harm housing affordability.
- Members of the House sent a letter to President Bush urging the...
All RidgeGate homes will feature a fiber-to-the-home backbone that can support home entertainment options that run more effectively over broadband.
-
A MAY UPDATE TO A FEBRUARY 2005 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) report found that more housing markets are experiencing booms today than ever before, spurred on by both local-market conditions and nationwide factors, including the availability, price, and types of mortgages.
-
This month's top shelf products include the Nicholson Pro Series High Tension hacksaw, the FG12 autofeed screw gun, and load-bearing composite fiberglass columns from Chadsworth's.
-
A ROUTINE ASSESSMENT OF PHOENIX'S sewer system last year revealed several lines within the city's system running at or above 80 percent capacity, the design limit. It will take $60 million over three years to fix the problem lines, says Ray Quay, Phoenix's assistant director of water services.
-
ON APRIL 26, WILLIAM LYON, chairman and CEO of William Lyon Homes, announced his intention to buy the company's outstanding publicly held minority shares for $82 each and return the Newport Beach, Calif.–based builder to private status. That day, the company's stock closed at $75.25.
BUILDERS OFTEN LOOK AT trend experts with skepticism, but this time we may have to throw them a bone. Trend watchers suggest that the next big thing in house design could be pet-friendly features, such as doggie showers in the laundry room and built-in niches for dinner dishes and litter boxes.
-
Basketball star Grant Hill has a good side gig going in commercial and residential development. His newest project isn't geared toward the fat cats who sit courtside at his Orlando Magic games, though. He's paired with another Orlando, Fla., developer, Rodney Brown, to build five affordable housing...
-
The Federal Commission Communications - (FCC) has authorized the designation of 811 as a national, toll-free “call-before-you-dig” number. The goal of having the three-digit number is to make it easy for contractors to give advance notice of their excavation plans and avoid damaging underground...
-
DOES IT SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE YOU ARE RUNNING out of elbow room in your market? Like every time you pursue a piece of land, someone else got there first? Like when you open a community, someone across the street begins at the same time and sells for less? Like your best people keep getting...