Builder articles from October 2002

Builder archives from October 2002

Bursting bubbles: the real story isn't about falling home values. It's about rising interest rates and job losses. (Editor's Notes).(Editorial)
October 1, 2002... CAN YOU BELIEVE ALL THE ATTENTION POPULAR MEDIA have lavished on the mere potential for a collapse in real estate values? In terms of non-stories, this would have to rank up there with who would win "American Idol." I was really sweating that...

YIMBY's win: a generous land donation plus a creative plan add up to affordable homes indistinguishable from luxury homes next door. (Dicksons' Dream).(affordable housing)("yes in my backyard")
October 1, 2002... THE DICKSONS ARE PART OF THE RARELY heard--from YIMBY (yes in my backyard) movement. To help solve the affordable housing shortage in Weston, Mass., Polly and Edward Dickson donated 11 acres now known as Dickson Meadows in 1997 and 1998....

Price gap? (House Blend).(house prices)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Home prices just keep getting higher, but buyers may get harder to find, according to a new report from HomeGain real estate service (www.homegain.com). It notes that the gap between the price online sellers hope to be paid for their homes and...

New leader. (House Blend).(Isaac Heimbinder of Kimball Hill Homes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Kimball Hill Homes has a new president and COO: Isaac Heimbinder, former president and co-CEO of U.S. Home prior to its 2000 merger with Lennar. Heim-binder, who's served as vice chairman of Kimball Hill since February, replaces Greg Yakim at...

C is for Centex, Cendant. (Big Deals).(Centex Homes)(Cendant Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Consolidation continues with Centex Homes' purchase of The Jones Co.'s St. Louis and Indianapolis home-building operations. Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which will bring Centex about 800 more closings annually. Meanwhile, NRT,...

Lennar loses founder. (House Blend).(Leonard Miller of Lennar Corp.)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
October 1, 2002... Leonard Miller, co-founder of Miami-based Lennar Corp., died July 28 at the age of 69. Miller established the company in the 1950s with partner Arnold Rosen, leading it until 1997, when son Stuart Miller became president and CEO.

Solar lives. (House Blend).(solar enery)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Solar energy looked poised for a revival during California's electricity crisis last year, but when the crisis passed, interest in the alternative power source seemed to follow it. Although solar energy may be down, it's not out. In late June,...

Optional expense: builders would see minimal impact from expensing stock options. (From the Street).
October 1, 2002... WITH THE CRASH OF WORLDCOM AND ENron, the true cost of stock options has become a hot topic on the business pages. Such information isn't a mystery; public companies must disclose the information in their annual reports. But investors,...

Virtual plans: Amber Homes banishes the blueprint blues by going electronic. (Cost Cutter).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ADD UP THE SPEC BOOKS, COPIES OF BLUEprints, and reproducible Mylar floor plans required to bid and build just one 100-home community, and you quickly find yourself with a very large bill from the blueprint company-unless you run Amber Homes,...

Intranet$. (House Blend).(community intranet services and pricing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... When BUILDER surveyed providers and buyers of community intranets, we found that while fees for large master planned communities are fairly consistent, providers differ in how they slice costs, what they include, and whether they provide...

Money talks: when it comes to customer satisfaction, Centex has found that you get what you reward. (Staff Motivator).(Centex Homes gives employees financial stake)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT IF YOUR PEOPLE keep your customers happy, those customers will be more apt to recommend your company to their friends. Centex Homes has found that the best way to get employees focused on customer satisfaction is to...

Drought-proof grass: Builder's editors surf the Net for the coolest new building materials. (Editor's Internet Pick).(machine-made golf greens)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... NEXT TIME YOU FINISH A CUSTOM OR SEMI-custom house, and you're staring at a barren, hard-packed surface that needs to be turned into a lawn, you might want to consider another option: machine-made golf greens. These elemental hairpieces...

Cashing out: home building insiders sold a record amount of their stock last spring. Does that mean they think a housing bubble is about to burst? (Selling Shares).
October 1, 2002... SIX MONTHS AGO, BUILDERS WERE the darlings of Wall Street. While other industries stumbled, builders produced record profits in the downturn, attracting attention--and investment--as valuations for their frequently overlooked stocks rose. ...

Changing tide: YIMBYs say "yes" to affordable housing. (The Straight Dope).(yes in my backyard groups )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Everyone in the home budding business has heard of, if not dealt with, NIMBYs--the not-in-my-backyard crews opposed to new development. But in an interesting turnaround, new groups calling themselves YIMBYs (yes in my backyard) have emerged....

Tribal sprawl? Indian officials cry foul, as developers build non-tribal, clustered homes on reservation lands. (Inside Story).(Tulalip reservation development)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... SOME INDIAN RESERVATIONS HAVE LOOSened restrictions on residential development by third parties in recent years. But a building moratorium on the Tulalip (two-lay-lip) reservation in northwest Washington state suggests that one aspect of the...

Stone face. (Top Shelf).
October 1, 2002... THESE POLYSTONE BALUSTERS HAVE THE STRUCTURAL STRENGTH OF their stone counterparts, but they don't have the weight and installation difficulties. Made from a combination of marble and fiberglass resin, the product is unlikely to rot or...

Single-handed. (Top Shelf).
October 1, 2002... BECAUSE ONE HAND IS BETTER THAN TWO, THE NEXT TAPE MEASure allows you to measure and mark with just one hand. How? The tape features a hardened steel wheel that engages with a simple twist of the wrist to mark on wood, metal, aluminum, tile,...

Well red. (Top Shelf).
October 1, 2002... MOST GAS GRILLS COOK FOOD WITH HOT AIR. THIS one gets it done with infrared energy. The result is an intense, consistent heat that leaves food moist, the maker says. Featuring ceramic tile burners that distribute heat evenly, the grill is ready...

Mirror mirror. (Top Shelf).
October 1, 2002... HEAT MIRROR FILM was good enough for outer space, so it should be good enough for your homes. Originally made to protect astronauts from the sun's radiation, the film is suspended between two panes of glass and surrounded by krypton gas to...

Affordable luxury. (Top Shelf).
October 1, 2002... DESIGNED FOR COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL, AND MULTIFAMILY applications, the Starck 3 collection is the first designer line for the contractor market, the company says. Created by world-renowned industrial designer Philippe Starck, the collection...

Match maker. (Top Shelf).
October 1, 2002... THE NOVA KITCHEN CABINET SERIES IS A sequentially matched veneer combination. In other words, the door and drawer match. Available in the Millennia frameless line, the wood's natural grain pattern continues from the drawer front down to the...

Steady spenders: consumers, despite their shrunken stock portfolios, will continue to buoy the economy. (Vital Signs).
October 1, 2002... OR A YEAR, CONSUMERS HAVE TOSSED life preservers to a storm-tossed economy. While businesses kept their boats on shore, waiting for calmer weather, consumers braved the economic choppiness to buy cars, furniture, and new homes. Now, amidst...

Tooling around: manufacturers are upping the ante with more reliability, power, and mobility. (Products).
October 1, 2002... YOU WORK HARD IN THE HEAT AND the cold, so the last thing you need is for your tools to act up. And who needs heavy tools that make work harder than it already is? Tool manufacturers feel your pain, which is why a good portion of their research...

TND it. (NAHB Briefs).(Traditional Neighborhood Design seminar and project tour )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... There is still time to sign up for the 2002 Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) seminar and project tour to be held in Charleston, S.C., Oct. 10-13. Also called neo-traditional development or New Urbanism, TND refers to a pattern of land...

Active adult upside. (NAHB Briefs).(NAHB study)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... New active-adult housing developments generate substantial economic benefits for local communities, according to an NAHB study. The study found a typical active-adult project of 100 single-family homes generated more than $10 million in...

Insurance--bad news blues: litigation is contributing to the high cost and lack of availability of insurance. (From the President).
October 1, 2002... TAKE A DEEP BREATH BEFORE YOU open that next letter from your insurance carrier. It could be full of bad news. Builders nationwide are finding that costs for general liability insurance are soaring. In some states, insurance isn't available at...

Onward and upward: rather than bubbling and then bursting, most surveyed builders say home prices will simply keep bubbling up. (Seiders Economy).
October 1, 2002... ONGOING INCREASES IN HOME prices have continued to fuel speculation in the media and certain circles about development of price "bubbles." The NAHB has been fighting this theory all year on analytical grounds (see "Concerns Overinflated," June,...

Cautious boom. (NAHB Briefs).(remodeling businesses conditions)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Remodelers surveyed continue to be positive about current conditions for their remodeling businesses but are expressing a slightly less positive view about future conditions, according to the NAHB's Remodeling Market Index (RMI). The RMI...

Available now. (NAHB Briefs).(Building Homes of Our Own CD-ROM from National Association of Home Builders)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Building Homes of Our Own, a new CD-ROM home building simulation game, is now available free to NAHB members and educators. The game starts with site selection and ends with the home sale. The program's 90-page teacher guide provides...

Hospice earns Care Award: association wins for creating a residential facility that provides comfort to the terminally ill. (Home Builders Care Corner).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE PENINSULA HOUSING & BUILDERS Association (Williamsburg, Va., Chapter) won Virginia's first Home Builders Care Outstanding Community Leadership Award in Hot Springs, Va., in August. The association received an etched glass award and a $2,500...

Builder's choice: density with degnity is the name of the game in 2002.
October 1, 2002... FROM Clusters to duplexes to multifamily to infill, the common thread among this year's 59 Winners is high density. Rather than eat up scarce and expensive land with big lots, builders and architects teamed up to create clever solutions to...

The Sentinels. (Project of the Year).(spain housing development)
October 1, 2002... THE SENTINELS ARE INDEED THE GUARDIANS of the hill at Santaluz. Perched on the most prominent landforms in the 3,800-acre master planned development, the homes sit majestically overlooking the golf course and rolling landscape below. When...

Gallegos residence. (Home of the Year).
October 1, 2002... THIS STRIKING BEACHFRONT concrete home drew the admiration of judges for its "brutal" beauty and flawless attention to simple, stark form. At four stories tall, this studio-cum-residence pushes the limits of residential living. Interior spaces...

Edgehill townhomes. (Grand Award).(architectural firm City Architecture)(related article: Stable Condition)
October 1, 2002... MICHAEL CAITO REMEMBERS when he'd drive past the wooded area that linked Cleveland's Little Italy and Cleveland Heights neighborhoods. He couldn't imagine that anything could ever be built on the sliver of steep hillside. But when his firm,...

The new Craftsman residence. (Grand Award).(Brewster Thornton Rapp Architects)(builder Suburban Renewal)(related article: Shingle All The Way)(custom home design)
October 1, 2002... A SKILLFUL REINTERPRETATION of the traditional Craftsman-style vernacular, mixed with a splash of contemporary elements, this custom home garnered a grand award for thoughtful execution inside and out. The house sits among a loosely related...

Loyola village. (Grand Award).(San Francisco apartment complex)(architects Seidel Holzman)(builder Roberts-Obayashi)(related article: Stretching The Code)
October 1, 2002... BEFORE IT BECAME AN AWARD-winning apartment complex, this steep hillside site in San Francisco seemed unbuildable. "It was the site of a massive landslide earlier in the [20th] century," notes architect Alex Seidel. "A couple of other designers...

Myers Park City Homes. (Grand Award).(attached community)(Simonini Builders)(architects Meyer-Greeson-Paullin)(related article: Square Deal)
October 1, 2002... MOST STORIES ABOUT INFILL projects usually begin with a sad recounting of prolonged entitlement processes and battles with angry NIMBYs resistant to change. Fortunately, the tale of the Myers Park City Homes has a happy beginning as well as...

Vintage Sonoma, country cottage. (Grand Award).(single-family home construction)(builder Larwin Co.)(architectural firm Barry & Volkman Architects)(related article: Lattice Work)
October 1, 2002... BECAUSE OF THE CITY OF Sonoma, Calif.'s strict architectural guidelines, the Larwin Co. couldn't use any of its existing plans in its new 47-lot community called Vintage Sonoma. The guidelines required a 40 percent maximum lot coverage and...

Abernethy residence. (Grand Award).(Architectural Renovations contract)(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 2002... "THIS WAS A TEXTBOOK PROBlem--in fact, it's one we were given in college as an exercise," notes architect D. Wayne Speight, speaking of his challenge to design an addition to an A-frame. "Fortunately, when this project came up, I had been...

Chiricahua Villas. (Grand Award).
October 1, 2002... SITUATED AMONG ROCK OUTcroppings in the hillside of Scottsdale, Chiricahua Villas was designed to fit into its desert location. The project objective called for a community enclave where every home related to the others and to the centrally...

Tenley Hill condominiums. (Grand Award).
October 1, 2002... THE ARCHITECTS AT Cunningham and Quill enjoy a challenge, especially when those challenges turn into opportunities to create lively projects on otherwise dull sites. The firm's latest accomplishment is Tenley Hill, a mixed-use building that...

The Florida Brewing Co. (Grand Award).(Kokolakis Contracting contract)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THIS OLD Florida brewery looks like a carefully restored antique, the true story is more real world: Truckload after truckload of useless infrastructure was carted to the landfill to make way for modem building codes. "We...

Farralon Ridge, residence one. (Grand Award).(Brookfield Homes contract)
October 1, 2002... SOMETIMES HAVING TO WORK within tight constraints yields wonderful results. An example of this is the 2,170-square-foot, Craftsman-style bungalow that JBZ Architecture + Planning designed for Brookfield Homes. The house is diminutive in stature...

The Pinehills. (Grand Award).(Pinehills LLC contract)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE 3,000-ACRE PARCEL OF land where The Pinehills is located was begging not to be subdivided into cookie-cutter plots as had been done to many other areas in Plymouth. So it was not. "The site has unusual topography," says Tony Green, managing...

Sailhouse, carriage unit. (Grand Award).(John Laing Homes contract)
October 1, 2002... "WOW, WHAT A COOL Bachelor pad!" exclaimed one of the Builder's Choice judges when he saw the uber hip carriage house by the sea at Sailhouse. The 1,367-square-foot plan is the smallest component of the 7.4-acre, 90-unit infill community that...

Firenze at Grayhawk. (Grand Award).(Camelot Homes contract)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... DESIGNED FOR EMPTY-NESTERS, this lavish 3,785-square-foot home was part of a 61-unit subdivision of single-family, move-up product. Designed around a large great room that takes the place of separate family and living rooms, the plan...

Iron horse lofts/coggins square affordable apartments. (Grand Award).(Cannon Constructors)
October 1, 2002... ATAN AVERAGE OF 29 UNITS PER acre, residential construction doesn't get much denser than this mixed-income project, set close to regional public transport and done without planning variances. That density, notes architect David Baker, was...

Falling leaf lodge. (Grand Award).(Miller Building Corp. contract)
October 1, 2002... UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO PASS overhead in an aircraft, or become a member of North Carolina's well-heeled golf set, you might not know this sprawling 11,600-square-foot luxury lodge exists. Built on 4.5 acres, this timber-framed beauty, built...

Talega Gallery. (Grand Award).(Catellus Residential Group and Talega Associates contract)(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 2002... TO HEAR DEVELOPER RALPH Spargo tell it, making this 183-unit project work rests on one principle: steering away from cliches about active adults and looking at the reality of older people's lifestyles. "What is active adult? It's not a...

Streetcar lofts condominiums. (Grand Award).(Howard S. Wright Construction Co. contract)(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 2002... DESCRIBED By ARCHITECT Robert S. Leeb as nominal low-rise architecture, this eight-story, industrial-style building took advantage of commercial materials and techniques to create 134 units of condominiums along with commercial and live/work...

The Vineyards at Westchase. (Grand Award).(Westfield Homes contract)(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 2002... IT'S NOT EASY TO DESIGN AN environmentally sensitive land plan that includes 120 entry-level homes. But that's what was done at The Vineyards, part of the master plan of Westchase. This unique subdivision uses a fairly dense cluster plan to...

Abad residence. (Merit Award).(McGarvy Custom Homes contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ALBERTO ABAD WAS OUT to shock his neighbors. The architect wanted his home to be the antithesis of the typical Mediterranean customs that compose 99 percent of his company's work. "There are only two other really modern houses in Naples,"...

Post gateway place. (Merit Award).(Bovis Lend Lease contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... PARKING GARAGES ARE A NECessary evil in city life--practical but hardly attractive. This apartment project, designed by David Furman Architecture, effectively hides an eight-level parking garage even as it creates a much-needed vibrant...

Slough cove compound. (Merit Award).(Martha's Vineyard Construction contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... MARK HUTKER & ASSOCIATES is known for well-designed heirloom houses that are sympathetic to their sites. This Edgartown, Mass., house lives up to that reputation. Located on oceanfront property, the house sits lightly on the landscape and...

Maravu, Jacaranda plan. (Merit Award).(Standard Pacific Homes contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... WITH SHINGLE SIDING AND crisp white trim, this relaxed, rural beach home along the coast in northern San Diego County is reminiscent of a classic California bungalow. The low-slung, single-story model sits comfortably on a half acre amid...

Austin Shoal Creek, Post West Avenue. (Merit Award).(Post Properties contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... SITED ON A 2.9-ACRE, POST-industrial landscape that was once the city maintenance yard, one side of Post Properties' 245-unit project faces the peaceful Shoal Creek; the other side fronts a railroad track. The project addresses its environment...

Waterfront at Beacon Hill, the belaire. (Merit Award).(Stanley Martin Cos. contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THESE 30 TOWNHOMES posed a heck of a design challenge for Devereaux and Associates. The site has a steep grade that slopes toward a lake, and because one street within the 6.7-acre community had already been put in, the architects needed to...

The village at Hiddenbrooke, residence 2 (The Everett). (Merit Award).(Taylor Woodrow Homes contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... IN THIS EXCLUSIVE CALIFORnia hillside community, a half million dollars won't buy a custom mansion, but you can get the next best thing: the Everett, a 2,634-square-foot production home priced at about $500,000. This model aims for several...

The lofts at 2424. (Merit Award).(Taurus Renovation and Construction contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... FABULOUS LOFT SPACES ARE not easy to come by in the nation's capital. With no history of industry, the city lacks warehouse spaces to remodel or copy. There are some exceptions, however. For $100 per square foot, local architect Norman Smith...

Colt residence, guest house and outbuildings. (Merit Award).(Gollihugh and Hull contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE OWNER OF THIS VACATION compound on a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina wasn't planning to build his main house for a few years. But he wanted to enjoy the property right away. So, in the meantime, architect Christian Schmitt,...

Davidson at Cielo, McGre residence. (Merit Award).(Davidson Communities contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE ANGULAR PLAN OF this 5,000-square-foot house takes advantage of its siting on a spherical, cul-de-sac lot. "It narrows at the front of the house but fans out at the back," says architect R. Doug Mansfield, noting several efficiencies...

Keating residence, pool pavilion. (Merit Award).(Keating Building Corp. contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... EVERYONE COULD USE A pool house this nice. The elegant structure--constructed from heavy timber recycled from an old barn--features wood-framed glass walls, which establishes a new architectural style for itself yet still blends with the main...

Belle Creek, Monroe plan. (Merit Award).(New Town Builders contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THIS SMALL HOME FITS IN nicely with fellow plans in a traditional neighborhood development--style community. Larry Parker, project manager and architect with Arlo Braun & Associates, says the 1,941-square-foot model has proven very popular. Its...

Kinzie Park. (Merit Award).(E.W. Corrigan contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... LOCATED ACROSS THE CHICAGO River from a four-level athletic and dining facility called the East Bank Club, this new community revitalizes an area of warehouses and abandoned railroad yards. A massive project built at an average cost of about...

Summit Grotto Condominiums. (Merit Award).(The Lander Group contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... MOST OF THE BUILDERS THAT architect Scott Mower works with prefer traditional styles and shun edgy design. That wasn't the case with the builder of the Summit Grotto Condominiums, however. Mower's firm did the working drawings, but builder...

The Ice House artist's studio. (Merit Award).(Sota Construction Services contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... RECOGNIZING A NEED FOR affordable living and working spaces for artists in the Pittsburgh area, Artists and Cities decided to do something about it. The organization converted a former ice factory into affordable workspaces that house an...

Pacific Place. (Merit Award).(WEBCOR Builders contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... LOCATED AMONG COMMERCIAL and warehouse buildings, the two towers of the Pacific Place condominiums strike a confident pose in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood. Delineated in bold colors to clearly indicate separate building...

Keewaydin Island lodge. (Merit Award).(Continental Construction contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE DON EVANS ARCHITECtural style has become as much a fixture of the cultural landscape of Florida as golf and greyhound racing. This exclusive 4,593-square-foot private lodge, built for an undisclosed price on land that cost an...

Aldea. (Merit Award).(California Pacific Homes contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AF-ford high mortgages, Aldea offers a nifty solution. The cluster Community of 1,030-to 1,497-square-foot homes allows single parents, single professionals, and young families a smooth transition from apartment living to...

The Plaza at arboretum. (Merit Award).(Legacy Partners contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... INTENDED TO REFLECT THE style of a boutique hotel, this luxury apartment project, located in the Hollywood studio area of Santa Monica, includes 350 rental units, which range in size from small studios (612 square feet) to penthouse suites...

Marriott brighton gardens assisted living. (Merit Award).(Camco Pacific contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... DESIGNED FOR SENIORS IN need of various levels of daily assistance, this 87,911-square-foot rental project brings in about $2,895 per month in rent for each of its 142 units. If you do the math, that's $411,090, before operating expenses. ...

City walk. (Merit Award).(The Olson Co. contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... BUILDING A 77-UNIT TOWNhouse community to fit into a historic town built in the 1800s was a tough design challenge for architects Guy Farris and Dan McAllister. "We decided on three floor plans," Farris notes, "ranging from 1,361 square feet to...

Casa del maestro. (Special Focus Award).(Douglas Ross Construction contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... HERE'S SOME BRILLIANT SOCIAL problem-solving: A school district in Santa Clara was hemorrhaging elementary school teachers, with an attrition rate that had increased by 300 percent, in large part because of a lack of affordable housing. As...

Wheatland Street affordable housing. (Special Focus Award).(Ng Brothers Construction contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... AVERAGE COST OF A SINGLE-family home in Somerville has hit $420,000, far out of reach of many would-be buyers. At the time this project was built a year ago, only about 8 percent of units in Somerville qualified as affordable by HUD standards....

8th & Alexander townhomes. (Special Focus Award).(Saussy-Burbank contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, THE area around 8th and Alexander streets in Charlotte, N.C., had "evolved into a dilapidated slum," according to architect David Furman. With the introduction of this six-unit townhouse, the neighborhood got a...

Baker residence. (Special Focus Award).(Morgan Builders contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE STYLISTICALLY PROGRESSIVE EXTERIOR OF THIS 5,800-square-foot custom home combines a barrel roof, standing seam zinc roofing, stone walls, and mahogany siding to dramatic effect in a playfully modern Interpretation of a mountain retreat. ...

Waterstone residence. (Special Focus Award).(Hammerwell contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THIS 3,970-SQUARE-FOOT SPEC HOUSE TAKES THE rural farm complex grid and tucks in contemporary angled comers and courtyards to appeal to emptynesters. The public spaces orient toward mountain views while recalling vernacular styles like silos...

Santaluz casitas, Lumina. (Special Focus Award).(Taylor Woodrow Homes contract)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... TOUR ANY WATER TOWN, AND YOU'LL NOTE THAT many of the street-side facades of turn-of-the-century beauties are rather plain. Approach the same homes from the water, they'll take your breath away. That's the idea behind the facade of this...

River house. (Special Focus Award).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THIS 1,500-SQUARE-FOOT RIVERSIDE retreat showcases the concept of privacy and livability for interior occupants as well as porch dwellers: The porch is 21 inches below the main house level to allow unobstructed views from inside. The angled...

Gunnison residence. (Special Focus Award).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A NEW HOUSE OR A WORKING cattle ranch? It's hard to tell the origins of this Old West-style homestead. With its mortise and tenon timber-frame construction, Colorado buff sandstone, and dry-stacked stonework, the home connects effortlessly...

Moss Brook Estates North, The Nelson. (Special Focus Award).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... DESIGNED TO BE AN ELEGANT showpiece, the exterior of this 3,417-square-foot production home rediscovers grand traditional style with its leaded glass entry door, painted wrought iron rails, and a transom window. Deep-colored, well-proportioned...

Fisher residence. (Special Focus Award).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A NARROW LOT DEMANDED A vertical solution for this 6,500-square-foot custom home. The dramatic exterior boasts generous windows topped by subtle overhangs and a warm combination of indigenous Lamin stone, stained red cedar, and stucco. ...

Private residence, indoor/outdoor bath. (Special Focus Award).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... TECHNIQUES BORROWED FROM the centuries-old craft of boat building help this 10-by-10 bathroom live larger and more efficiently on its small footprint. The bath design melds curving lines, shiplap teak siding, slate flooring, and tumbled stone...

Casa grande. (Special Focus Award).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... THE ECOLOGY-CONSCIOUS CAN appreciate the creative and extensive use of salvage objects in this 3,000-square-foot custom home. The master bath, with its hand-hewn posts and beams and faucet handles crafted from welded iron figures discovered in...