The tech-savvy Gen-Xers are starting to run building companies
The military is changing how it approaches the private sector as a development, construction, and property management partner.
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Experts who monitor the world of impact fees have noted an increased willingness from governments to work with builders.
Builders will embrace any change that solves a problem or saves time or money.
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ITS DEVELOPER NAMED THE 310-ACRE, MASTER PLANNED community Providence to reflect the neat, New England–style homes rising from the prairie north of Dallas and Fort Worth and for the bit of old-time religion the style conjures up. It certainly wasn't because Dallas-based developer Huffines...
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JUST ABOUT EVERY BUYER IN THE KANSAS CITY, KAN., market wants a daylight or walk-out basement. That's fine when you have the lots to accommodate them. But Minneapolis-based developer RDK Properties didn't have them. The 10-acre infill site was a flat expanse of ground, the final piece of a larger...
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RESIDENTS OF THE GRANDE AT CRYSTAL LAKE LEARN very quickly that they have a high-profile but elusive neighbor who gives their 101-acre central New Jersey community some cachet. Not a rock star or a Hollywood celebrity, but a bald eagle that feeds on the lake near its Delaware River nest, just a...
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CALIFORNIA HOME buyers may not think that rotundas, front courtyards, and casitas are very special; builders have been offering floor plans with those options for years. But in Orlando, Fla., they're new, they're hot, and they sell houses. That definitely has been the case for Mercedes Homes, which...
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Las Vegas builder R. Wayne Wermuth has made corian countertops, ceiling fans, and two-tone custom paint standard in the five, single-story floor plans at Solera at Anthem, a 385-acre, age-restricted, master planned community in Henderson, Nev. Making such luxury options standard has increased his...
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THREE YEARS AGO, NO PRODUCTION BUILDER IN DENVER would have gotten excited about selling 10.5 units a month. Then, the market lost approximately 50,000 jobs, and housing permits dropped by 8 percent from 2002 to 2003. So Seasons at River Run, a Richmond American Homes community, selling 10.5 units...
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WHAT A DIFFERENCE 12 inches can make. It probably wasn't the 9-foot ceilings that sold out Morningstar View. But they certainly didn't hurt sales in the 152-site community east of Vancouver, Wash., across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore.
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ANYONE THE LEAST BIT FAMILIAR WITH ATLANTA knows how hot the housing market is and how bad the traffic is. It's no surprise then that builders are revitalizing some in-town areas that had fallen on hard times because they offer home buyers the one thing they can't get in the 'burbs—a fast commute...
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BELLA VENTANA MEANS “BEAUTIFUL WINDOW,” but while the windows of these golf-side duplexes in the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles, are certainly decorative—with iron grillework, arches, and shutters—the name refers to much more.
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IT'S A SUMMER VACATION ITINERARY THAT only a builder could love: Atlanta, Phoenix/Mesa, Ariz., Riverside/San Bernardino, Calif., Houston, the Washington, D.C., metro area, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Orlando, Fla., and Minneapolis/St. Paul. They're not all places you'd head to for fresh breezes and...
IT'S TOUGH LOVE, HOME building style. While many builders will start construction before all the materials are bought, figuring they'll finish the purchasing details later, one family-owned builder has a strict policy against doing just that.
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The EPA is not tightening a stormwater-permitting regulation that would have affected the construction industry.
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At the end of previous housing booms, builders had a surplus of unsold homes, but stock market analysts believe that inventory is finally under control. In the past, small builders were largely responsible for the glut of speculative properties, but large builders have usurped most of the few...
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Glass tile mosaics are enjoying a huge following in the residential arena
BASED IN KING OF PRUSSIA, PA., JUST OUTSIDE Philadelphia, O'Neill Properties Group has done it all, from commercial office space to residential. Michael T. Trio, senior vice president and director of planning for O'Neill, recently announced that his company has committed to the new urbanism...
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Demand for developable farmland in parts of Southwest Florida has caused prices to triple in just three years, according to a report by The St. Petersburg Times. It notes that Pulte just paid $16,000 per acre for a 47-acre lot located two miles from another development where lots sold for $5,700...
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A new study by the Urban Land Institute found that planned communities can play an important role in fostering more efficient growth in outlying areas by encouraging development that uses less land to accommodate population growth. The study, “Green Development Without Sprawl: The Role of Planned...
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The Kansas community of Marquette has taken a drastic step to try to attract young families back to their dwindling township: They are giving away land to families with kids. The purpose is to bolster their school-age population enough to keep the local school system alive. Since last May, 21 of 80...
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The Home Depot says it will expand its reach to contractors with the acquisition of Costa Mesa, Calif.-based White Cap Construction Supply, a privately held specialty hardware, hand tools, and safety equipment distributor with annual sales around $500 million. The deal should close in the next 30...
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The St. Johns Housing Partnership and World Island Builders have teamed up to build 32 homes using energy-efficient and green building techniques to make occupants healthier and to minimize the effects of development on the environment. Located in St. Augustine, Fla., the single-family homes will...
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As part of its America's Affordable Communities Initiative, HUD is issuing priority points to communities that find creative ways to reduce the negative effects of exclusionary zoning, antiquated building codes, duplicative review and approval processes, and excessive fees. The idea is to create a...
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The Atlanta Regional Commission, which disburses federal transportation money in the Atlanta area, has launched a $350 million program through its Livable Centers Initiative to encourage mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented planning and development. It is the largest program of its kind in the country.
Real estate companies, including home builders, have increased their visibility on college campuses.
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THE LITTLE TOWN OF SEASIDE IS WHERE IT IS BECAUSE OF the water, and in a true form follows function mode, the design of its houses incorporates features that make the most of that natural resource. Porches, often wrapping around every level of a house, offer residents the pleasure of the sounds and...
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BuildWorks 4.0 delivers a feature-rich, back-office system to small builders.
Sony has started shipping a turnkey home entertainment system that comes with a television screen, a DVD/CD changer, a VCR, and a receiver/tuner.
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- Service Magic' home service tool emerging as an effective tool for small custom home builders.
- Sales automation software Builder1440 now includes an XML interface.
- Nextel and Motorola begin shipping a rugged phone geared to contractors.
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New Tablet PC applications could drive building industry's use of wireless.
The right house would take advantage of the site's features and meet the local wetlands board's strict requirements, particularly those related to the location of the drain field.
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Constructing the three-story, six-condo structure on its postage-stamp–sized lot proved surprisingly straightforward, says Jim Miller, who served as site superintendent for the builder, Leo Moore & Associates of Formosa Beach, Calif. The underground parking garages posed the only real challenge.
This project resulted in a highly unusual but workable solution for building dense, market-value housing on tiny lots.
Customers continue to cling to the material's neutrality, sleek look, and commercial feel, and the finish is prevalent in all appliance categories. And even with some new appliances coming out in solid-color bold hues like cobalt blue and sunburst yellow, it's not likely that stainless steel will...
Not just for wine bottles and bulletin boards anymore, cork is one of the most versatile flooring materials around. "It's just another wood," says Eric Buchanan, sales manager for Augusta, Ga.-based manufacturer Natural Cork. For more information, check out the "Frequently Asked Questions" on the...