Builder articles from October 2003

Builder archives from October 2003

Design of the times: make no mistake: residential design is evolving rapidly, thanks to a brisk market for new-home sales.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
October 1, 2003... WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE TRADITION SURROUNDING the 23-year-old Builder's Choice program. But one of my favorites is when we go around the room, after the judging is complete, after the judges have pored over hundreds of the best projects built in...

Up to the task.(BMail)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... IN RESPONSE TO "TASK MASTERS" (August, page 154), I feel that out in the field is where more positive technology will come in the next months and years. I also see great technology that hits the market but does not make it for the simple reason...

Border crossings.(BMail)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... BOBBY RAYBURN'S QUOTE ON LUMBER trade between the United States and Canada ("Open Trade," July, page 89) couldn't be farther from the truth. We own a land-clearing and logging company in southern New Hampshire. The majority of softwood we...

Calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2003... OCTOBER 13-15 NAHB/BALA Design Institute: Teaching the Tools to Turn Trends into Profits, Newport Beach, Calif. Learn the latest in residential housing design trends; tour beautiful, award-winning homes that display the latest in...

Popularity's price: as people continue to flock to Florida, the Sunshine State feels the strain.(Sunshine State)
October 1, 2003... WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING, FLORIDA acts like it's made of Teflon. "It seems to be one of the last markets affected when things go bad and one of the first markets to come out of it," says Florida builder Robert Trautman, president of Homes by...

Paint fume liability.(House Blend)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A recent lawsuit reversed in the New York Court of Appeals suggests that insurers who add pollution exclusions for jobsite pollutants such as paint fumes in their liability policies could still have to pay up when a worker is injured by that...

Desktop depot.(House Blend)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Home Depot recently launched a now Worksite CD that allows professional customers to search for products, calculate estimates, and order them online. Free to qualified pros, the tool allows builders to search almost all SKUs the store...

Public moves.(Big Deals)(construction industry acquisitions)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Windy City just landed another big builder, KB Home in September purchased Chicago-based Zale Homes for $33 million, including debt. It marks the Los Angeles-based KB's first foray into the Midwest. and gives it a solid foothold in the...

Fund Housing.(House Blend)(Bringing America Home Act )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Bringing America Home Act introduced last summer by Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.) includes a provision to establish a National Housing Trust Fund that would provide communities with money to build, rehabilitate, and preserve 1.5 million homes...

Healthy Homes.(House Blend)(Johns Hopkins study shows homeownership brings health)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Homeownership not only brings you wealth, it also brings you health. According to a Johns Hopkins study recently published in Academic Emergency Medicine, higher rates of homeownership are linked to lower rates of emergency room use, either for...

Long haul home: Homestore Inc. is on the right track, but profitability is still several months off.(Dot-Com Turnaround)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT ONLINE REALTOR Homestore Inc., the company took its lumps in the past year, but unlike many dot-coms, Homestore is still out there fighting. Once a high roller with a price-per-share of around $120, Homestore's stock...

Great Wall: tired of expensive concrete block landscaping walls? One manufacturer says its new system can save you 40 percent.(Cost Cutter)(Wondertec International)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WONDERTEC INTERNATIONAL, based in Newberry, S.C., says that its new cement-based landscaping and subdivision wall system is faster to build than concrete block and is as much as 40 percent cheaper. Moreover, with recent Dade County Miami...

Immigrant woes.(House Blend)(immigrants spend higher percentage of income on housing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A new study by the National Housing Conference found that immigrant working families are nearly 70 percent more likely than native-born Americans to spend more than half of their income on housing. The study also found that immigrant working...

Cliche alert.(House Blend)
October 1, 2003... The latest Builder's Choice entries were blessedly free of ceramic chickens posing in immaculately done-up kitchens. Creeping into the picture, though, were way too many oversized pieces of fake fruit--especially pears.

Golden year: builder CEOs made a median of $10 million in total compensation in 2002.(Money Matters)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... OH, TO BE A BUILDER IN A HOUSING BOOM. Last year, public home building CEOs earned a median salary of $875,000, a paycheck sweetened by bonuses ($4.4 million) and restricted stock and stock options ($2.9 million). The bottom line for these 13...

Got bulbs? The Web has a site for everything including light bulbs.(Editor's Internet Pick)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A FEW YEARS AGO, THE PEOPLE AT GRAY SUPPLY Co., based in East Chicago, Ind., had a bright idea: Why not launch a Web site that sells nothing but light bulbs? After all, they thought, the category was fragmented and ideally suited to...

Greening concrete.(House Blend)(World of Concrete online bookstore launched)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Architects and builders have often debated the environmental impact of above-grade block and poured concrete. The new online World of Concrete bookstore (www.wocbookstore.com) makes available a complete set of new books that address that issue,...

House hunting tool: three out of four buyers use the Internet in search of a home.(Real State)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... REMEMBER WHEN THE DOOM-AND-GLOOMERS warned that Internet usage by house hunters would spell the death of the real estate professional (or at least premature retirement)? Turns out that's not the case after all. A recent survey conducted by the...

Face the future: online options cut cost of physical design center.(Online Options)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... GENTRY HOMES IN HONOLULU IS USING online options selections software from Dana Point, Calif.-based YourDesignCcnter Inc., a move that saved it from spending an upfront cost of $50,000 to build a physical design center, plus at least another...

Sprawl crawl.(House Blend)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Washington-based Surface Transportation Policy Project states in a recent report that transportation is the second largest annual expense far American families, totaling more than three times the cost of health care, Only housing exceeded...

A housing manifesto: before the energy crisis, before the workers comp crisis, before the state budget crisis, the California housing crisis began, endured, and today, continues.(Inside Story)(Editorial)
October 1, 2003... AS ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S BIGGEST crises, housing is an excellent metaphor for understanding how our state came to be paralyzed with constant emergencies--and why we tolerated it for so long. The housing crisis began to fester in California...

i4Synergy fizzles: software maker puts development on hold, future uncertain.(The straight dope: the whole truth and nothing but the truth)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... BUILDERS LOOKING FOR ALL-IN-ONE, back-office software faced a major disappointment last summer when i4Synergy put development of i4Builder on hold and said it would not be delivering product this year. The company's process-oriented...

See Saw.(Top shelf: the latest and greatest building products)
October 1, 2003... THE MAKER OF THE SHINGLE SAW SAYS it will cut through roof shingles in half the time it takes using a utility knife. Small and lightweight, the tool also will cut through rakes and valleys. The saw has an air regulator valve to increase or...

Head games.(Top shelf: the latest and greatest building products)
October 1, 2003... IF TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE, THIS MULTI-BAY CHARGER is an embarrassment of riches. Designed to charge up to three of the manufacturer's cordless tool battery packs, model 48-59-0260 also adds new life to older battery packs and can charge...

Get smart.(Top shelf: the latest and greatest building products)
October 1, 2003... WHAT IF YOUR BUILDING PRODUCT COULD ADJUST TO certain weather conditions? MemBrain, the first smart vapor barrier, does just that. Made from a polyamide film, it changes permeability from 1 perm when humidity is low to greater than 20 perms...

Digital edge.(Top shelf: the latest and greatest building products)
October 1, 2003... WHAT'S OLD IS NEW AGAIN WITH THE DIGITAL Round thermostat, an update of a version the company has produced for 50 years. It offers a backlit, large-number readout and a subtle click that marks each I-degree change. It is available in heat-only...

New perspectives.(Top shelf: the latest and greatest building products)
October 1, 2003... THE DRAWBACK TO LAMINATE FLOORING IS THAT IT OFTEN LOOKS FAKE. PERSPECTIVE 4, the manufacturer says, has bevels on all four edges and new embossing that result in a product that looks, feels, and sounds like authentic hardwood planks. It is...

Wishing well.(Top shelf: the latest and greatest building products)
October 1, 2003... THE EGRESS WINDOW WELL SYSTEM IS MADE FROM ONE PIECE OF DURABLE POLYETHYLENE with a UV inhibitor. A built-in stair system is designed for emergency escape, and the contoured bottom includes water drainage. Available in four colors, it includes...

Shifting sands: a Florida builder watches the direction of the wind as a golf-course community wavers between empty-nesters and family buyers.(Market Matters)
October 1, 2003... THE ESTATES AT MADISON GREEN seemed tailor-made for empty-nesters. Located in Palm Beach County., Fla., the 168-unit, new-home community lined the edges of Florida's best new public golf course. It featured all the required amenities: a...

Backstage pass: a "very important phase" helps launch sales at a Chicago community.(Market Smarts)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WANT TO JUMP-START SALES? A SPECIAL event is often the way to go. The VIP (very important phase) affair held at Prairie District Homes in July 2002, resulted in 12 deposits on the Legacy Development Group's 28 available townhomes, says...

All about eve: a nationwide search campaign helps Eden find its Eve.(Market Smarts)(Ceebraid-Signal Corp.)
October 1, 2003... THE 204-UNIT EDEN CONDOMINIUM COMMUNITY IS IN THE heart of Boca Raton, Fla., steps from Mizner Park and near the vibrant area's most popular restaurants, shops, and beaches. "We launched a two-month long, nationwide campaign in search of a...

Extremely virtual: detailed virtual reality tours help presell luxury homes at price points nearly twice the area average.(Market Smarts)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF MODEL HOMES, THE LEGENDS at Half Hollow in Melville, N.Y., managed to presell 15 high-end homes for an average of $1.6 million, about twice the price of its nearest competitor. "We needed to set the tone for luxury," says...

Regime change: treasury says it should oversee Fannie and Freddie. Not so fast, the NAHB says.(Vital Signs)
October 1, 2003... THIS SUMMER'S RUMBLINGS ABOUT A new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac proved accurate this fall. In September, Treasury Secretary John Snow proposed that regulation of the two housing finance giants be moved from the Office of Federal...

Safe at home: manufacturers are working hard to make your power tools as safe as can be.(Products)
October 1, 2003... RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION IS NOT as dangerous as, say, timber cutting or commercial fishing. Nevertheless, the average construction site can be a formidable place. Government data show that construction is one of the leading industries for...

Master stroke.(Products)
October 1, 2003... MASTER STROKE: The 18-volt reciprocating saw has an output of 380 watts and has the longest stroke in its category, the manufacturer says. Designed for one-handed, tool-less blade changes, the CRI8DV has a lock-off button that prevents...

Skil game.(Products)
October 1, 2003... SKIL GAME: The model 5800 7 1/4-inch Skilsaw has 18 volts for power and a side-mounted battery for comfort and balance. A safety lock switch requires two fingers to operate, eliminating accidental starts on the jobsite, and an anti-snag lower...

Outer orbit.(Products)
October 1, 2003... OUTER ORBIT: This 5 inch random orbit sander has an efficient system that dumps the dust into the center of the bag for greater holding capacity. It has an electronic speed control, operates at 7,000 to 12,000 rpm, and has a 3-amp motor....

Playing the angles.(Products)
October 1, 2003... PLAYING THE ANGLES: The D28474W 7-inch angle grinder has a 15-amp, 4-horsepower motor and offers 8,000 rpm with 100 inch/pounds of torque for improved productivity, Ergonomic features include a wheel guard that does not need tools to be...

Isle of palm.(Products)
October 1, 2003... ISLE OF PALM: The 1295D random orbit palm sander has an aggressive stock removal rate so it reduces work time, the company says. It has a 2-amp, 12,000 rpm motor and a dust-filtering system that functions like that of a car. The tool traps dust...

To your health: thanks to tight building envelopes and the off-gassing of building products, changes in your products palette can mean the difference between good and bad indoor air quality.(Products)(Evolve Corp.)(Broan-NuTone)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MANY HOME BUYERS ARE NEEDLESSLY exposed to indoor air that is five to 10 times more polluted than the air outside. The Bloomington, Ind.-based Healthy House Institute (HHI) wants to do something about it. The HHI says that, unlike older,...

Suck up.(Products)
October 1, 2003... SUCK UP: Every component of the Serenity Plus Central Vacuum System is designed to contribute to healthier indoor air quality, the manufacturer sayss. It has a self-cleaning CleanStream Filtration system that assures maximum airflow throughout...

Eco challenge.(Products)
October 1, 2003... ECO CHALLENGE: Grove works like nature. Just as trees absorb minerals and transform them into wood tones. Grove infuses wood fibers with purified mineral compounds then oxidizes them into permanent natural colors. The product cleans up with...

Bath works.(Products)
October 1, 2003... BATH WORKS: Because the bathroom provides a perfect environment for mold, mildew, bacteria, and germs, the Evolve System concentrates on removing the source of these problems through ventilation and evacuation. It consists of a Fresh Vent...

Resin d'etre.(Products)
October 1, 2003... RESIN D' ETRE: Resin & Oil stain finish is made from raw materials such as citrus peel extracts, seed oils, inert material fillers, tree and bee waxes, and lead-free dryers and natural pigments. The result is an elastic, water-resistant satin...

Beauty and Brawn make Silestone a winner.(Special Advertising Section)
October 1, 2003... Del Webb has been offering Silestone as a Design Studio option within their kitchens for about 4 years. "At first, we didn't know how popular it was going to be... As soon as we put it in our showroom... it flew out the door!" says Del Webb...

Taking Leavitt.(NAHB Briefs)(Mike Leavitt appointed new head of Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The NAHB applauds President Bush's appointment of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt as new administrator of the EPA. "We look forward to working with [Leavitt] to achieve balance in the nation's environmental policies that provide protection for the...

Wealthy West.(NAHB Briefs)(California has greatest number of most valuable homes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... More than one out of every three U.S. homes valued at a million dollars or more could be found in California at the start of this decade, according to NAHB analysis of 2000 Census data. And California's grip on the million-dollar...

Building for tomorrow: a new NAHB report explores innovative solutions to funding infrastructure.(From The President)
October 1, 2003... FEW THINGS IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA ARE more contentious than the question of how to fund new infrastructure and improvements to existing infrastructure. In some communities, taxes and general obligation bonds are used to pay for facilities and...

Altered rates: builders should prepare for higher rates in the coming months.(Seiders Economy)
October 1, 2003... THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: THE CYCLICAL low in mortgage interest rates occurred back in June. Builders now face a persistently higher rate structure that is likely to gravitate still higher as the economic expansion accelerates over the balance...

Tarif-ic win.(NAHB Briefs)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The ruling by a binational North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panel rejecting 19 percent U.S. countervailing duties on Canadian lumber imports represents another important legal win for housing affordability and consumers, the NAHB...

Off the roof: evaluation showcases energy-efficient, high-performance homes.(The NAHB Research Center Corner)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... THE NAHB RESEARCH CENTER, ON BEHALF of the national Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing, is evaluating energy production and performance of solar-powered renewable energy systems in three homes in San Diego. Two of Shea Homes' High...

Owl's ok.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) rationale for its 1997 listing of the Arizona population of the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl as endangered was "arbitrary and capricious." The...

Builder's Choice: clean, honest design wins out in this year's competition.(Builder's Choice Awards 2003)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... ONE WORD CAME UP AGAIN AND AGAIN AT THE Builder's Choice judging this year: honesty. Clean, simple design with a straightforward focus is what looked fresh this time around, whether the project was a rugged custom home in Texas bill county, a...

Russell cottage: Rosemary Beach, Fla.(Home Of The Year/Grand)
October 1, 2003... LOONEY RICKS KISS ARCHITECT Darrell Russell must be the envy of all his colleagues hack in Memphis, Tenn., where he worked and lived for 19 years as a principal in the forward-thinking firm. He's still with LRK, but earlier this year he got to...

Santana Row: San Jose, Calif.(Project Of The Year)
October 1, 2003... ROOTED IN STUDIES OF THRIVING European streets, the Santana Row project successfully integrates trendy lofts and townhouses into a busy commercial setting--while preserving a good quality of life for residents. "We were selected to do four...

Warwick Grove Warwick, N.Y.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... THE PRESSURE WAS ON FOR ARCHITECT Donald Powers when he designed the prototype house for a new, active adult community within the Hudson River Valley community of Warwick Grove, N.Y. It had to occupy just 2,400 square feet and appeal to an...

Row 8.9N urban rowhouses Nashville, Tenn.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... NASHVILLE'S HOPE GARDEN NEIGHBORHOOD, though suffering from a variety o turban problems, is in the very early stages of revitalization. The neighborhood's first multifamily project, Row 8.9n row houses (the catchy name indicates its location...

Wood residence: Austin, Texas.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... THE BACK STORY ON THIS LARGE custom project on a cliff overlooking Lake Austin is a familiar one. An affluent couple buys an outdated home on a tough (but beautiful) site, then spends years fine-tuning the design of their retirement fantasy...

Viejo Carmel: Carmel-by-the Sea, Calif.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... PLENTY OF INFILL PROJECTS START with the goal of blending in with their surroundings, but only the best actually carry out that mandate. That's definitely the case with Viejo Carmel, a dynamite group of townhouses and stacked flats that nestles...

Fiore, plan two: Irvine, Calif.(Grand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... IT CAN BE TRICKY WHEN HOUSES GO UP on a hillside--not just from a building perspective but from what some might call a public-relations angle. What happens to those below, whose bluff views will suddenly be altered? That's what the Irvine...

9th street lofts: St. Paul, Minn.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... ESG ARCHITECTS BELIEVES THE TERM "loft" is overused. Instead of the housing type that grew out of old industrial buildings, many developers are churning out poor imitations in brand-new structures. Grand award winner 9th Street Lofts, however,...

La Costa Glen: Carlsbad, Calif.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... WITH NEIGHBORS LIKE THE LA Costa Resort and Spa, a Four Seasons resort, and the upscale Rancho Santa Fe development, it's no surprise that La Costa Glen looks more like a vacation destination than a retirement community. But don't be fooled by...

West St. Mary's manor: St. Mary's County, Md.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... SOMETIMES AN EASEMENT, EVEN ONE placed on a home by a historic trust, doesn't have to be so daunting. That's what Washington-based architect Stephen Muse discovered when he began the process of renovating and adding to an early 18th-century...

Legacy at Museum Park: San Jose, Calif.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING the architects of Legacy at Museum Park was integrating the project into its diverse neighborhood. An infill project that aims to revitalize the downtown area of San Jose, Calif., the project is surrounded on all...

Watercolor: Seagrove Beach, Fla.(Grand and Merit)
October 1, 2003... IF THERE WERE A SCHOOL DEVOTED TO the notion of "loose" architecture, then WaterColor would be its main campus--and the architectural firm of Cooper, Robertson & Partners would be on the faculty. Since the beginning, the New York group has been...

Alexander court: Charlotte, N.C.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... SOMETIMES, THE CONSTRAINTS PUT on a project by its location end up being a bonus. Take Alexander Court, an 18-unit condominium development on .69 acres in Charlotte, N.C.'s First Ward, a previously dilapidated region that's being revitalized...

Jefferson at Carlyle Mill: Alexandria, Va.(Grand)(award-winning multifamily rental project)
October 1, 2003... THE LOCATION AND TIMING OF THIS multifamily 315-unit rental project sound like a page from a market analyst's dream scenario. Take a classical brick design reminiscent of bygone times, fill it with hip, roomy apartments, and drop the whole...

Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club: Menlo Park, Calif.(Grand)
October 1, 2003... BUILT ON THE SITE OF A MUCH MORE utilitarian clubhouse, this grand, multi-purpose building allows its affluent club members to keep recreation separate from weddings and dining. "We designed this building to have four points of arrival,"...

Bellewood of Dunwoody: Dunwoody, Ga.(Grand)(award-winning cluster community)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION, BELLEWOOD of Dunwoody faced topographic, traffic, and surrounding land-use challenges that helped shaped its design. Nevertheless, Land Plus Associates managed to create a pedestrian friendly cluster community that is...

Rivermark: Santa Clara, Calif.(Grand And Merit)
October 1, 2003... BUILT ON A 150-ACRE PARCEL OF A 225-acre site once owned by a mental hospital, Rivermark is the kind of project urban planners can point to as a model for sustainable, livable design. With an average density of almost 20 units per acre, it will...

The New American Home, Plan B: Henderson, Nev.(Grand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... DESIGNED FOR AN EMPTY-NESTER OR second-home buyer who aspires to make it a future full-time residence, The New American Home Plan B offers luxury living in a townhouse overlooking golf and water amenities. The architects wanted to maximize...

Chouteau youth center: Kansas City, Mo.(Grand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WITH A MODEST BUDGET AND A short two weeks to create a theme, this clever firm turned an architectural sow's ear into a silk purse. The renovated youth center carries off a bright message of playfulness in a low-income housing project that...

Ivy Wreath, Residence 1X: Irvine, Calif.(Grand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... THE ADAPTABILITY OF IVY WREATH'S Residence 1X offers flexibility to first-time, move-up buyers, be they singles or couples. In addition to a master suite on the third floor, the 1,532- to 1,700-square-foot home has an optional second master...

Oak alley and Cherry Hill Village: Richmond Hill, Ga.(Grand)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... SITUATED ON LAND ONCE OWNED BY Henry Ford, this project resulted in about 70 homes clustered near the middle of a much larger 1,800-acre golf course resort development surrounded by nature preserves. "One of the first things we looked at...

21st Avenue Lofts: Minneapolis.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... THE 21ST AVENUE LOFTS FEATURE common materials used in uncommon ways. The result is a $105-persquare foot project that is an alternative to run-of-the-mill "sheetrock and brown car pet" affordable housing, the developer says. Organized...

Surrey Farm: Ladera Ranch, Calif.(Merit)(home project given merit award in two categories)
October 1, 2003... GIVEN A MERIT AWARD IN TWO CATEGORIES--both for its innovative, narrow, three-story floor plan and its use of "clustering"--this exceptional 120 unit detached home project also kept prices affordable (given the region). The move-up homes on...

Private residence: White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.(Merit)(4,500-square-foot home designed to capture a sense of the vernacular West Virginia countryside)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... CONCEIVED AS A MODEL HOME FOR A new 500-unit sporting club, this 4,500-square-foot home aimed to capture a sense of the vernacular West Virginia countryside. That theme, primarily visible on the exterior, incorporates natural stone, board-and...

Echelon at Uptown: Orlando, Fla.(Merit)(first market-rate multifamily rental project in Orlando's central business district in 40 years)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... ECHELON AT UPTOWN IS THE FIRST market-rate multifamily rental project in Orlando's central business district in 40 years. The building achieves an "industrial-light" feel with glass storefronts, and a double-height leasing office with exposed...

Cape fear station, the couple's cottage: Bald Head Island, N.C.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... THIS VACATION HOME FEATURES LIVING areas on the top floor to maximize views and a screened porch for indoor/outdoor living. The four-bedroom, three and-a-half-bath house also has 14-foot wood ceilings for open living in the kitchen, dining...

Evans Farm, Pinecroft with loft: McLean, Va.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... PINECROFT AT EVANS FARM ARE CONDOMINIUMS offering luxury living to retirees and empty-nesters. The 3,363-square-foot units feature high-end kitchens in addition to lofts with family room, den, and full bath. Because the gated community is...

Palmilla: La Quinta, Calif.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... WATER IS THE UNEXPECTED UNIFYING element at Palmilla, a 72-acre desert community of 159 homes just 30 minutes from Palm Springs, Calif. Streams, fountains, and other water features not only mask the sound of the street but give just about every...

The Cotswolds: Greenwich, Conn.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... IT'S HARD TO TELL WHERE ONE TOWNHOUSE begins and another ends at The Cotswolds, a terrific little project that fits 14 mega-sized one-floor units--each one averages 3,750 square feet--on a little more than three acres. They're configured to...

Private residence: Washington.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... THIS PROJECT IN A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD in Washington involved the addition of a sunroom and a master bedroom suite as well as the renovation of all interior spaces. The added square feet are located in a two-story addition topped by a mansard...

Private residence: Richmond Hill, Ga.(Merit)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... HOW COULD A HOUSE THAT POSITIVELY drips with nostalgia work for a modern family? Remarkably well, says architect Donald M. Rattner, who tweaked two prototype models at McAllister Point in Richmond Hill, Ga., to come up with this winner. ...