Builder articles from October 2005

Builder archives from October 2005

Keystone: adds space & beauty in Boise.(KEYSTONE PROJECT FOCUS)(Mike Anderson's car garage construction)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... The foothills above Boise, Idaho are famous for their beautiful vistas, but the view comes at a price--a lack of buildable flat land. Boise-area homeowner, Mike Anderson, needed to build a garage on his mountainside property to house his...

No place like home: can survivors go home again? It will be interesting to see whether Hurricane Katrina's victims will want--or be able--to return to destroyed Gulf Coast communities.(EDITOR'S NOTES)
October 1, 2005... I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES AS I WATCHED THE INCREDIBLE human suffering and physical damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina: people being airlifted from roofs, homes floating down what were once streets, people sifting through rubble for traces...

Housing boom?(B MAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE MY OPINION AND see if anyone concurs. I live in a suburb of Detroit and have been in constant amazement about the talk of the housing boom throughout the country Houses in our area are staying on the market longer than...

No opportunity.(B MAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... THE ARTICLE ENTITLED "Repair in Progress" in the August issue of Builder (page 51) lists Tennessee as one of the 26 states that have enacted notice and opportunity to repair (NOR) laws. Sadly, this is not the whole story. While the...

C.V. Perry Builders/remodeling: new or remodel--the choice is integrity[R].(integrity celebrates its red diamond achievers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... C.V. Perry has been in business in Columbus, OH since 1947. The company consists of a new home construction division that specializes in high-end, semi-custom homes, as well as a remodeling division. Integrity dealer has an installation...

Lessons learned.(B MAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I HAVE READ YOUR EDITORIAL ("Beauty Lessons," August, page 23) and am in total agreement. A house must take in the environment, landscape, and community. I am in Charleston, S.C., and here we live with historic homes that teach us lessons every...

Talking the walk.(B MAIL)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... YOUR ARTICLE "WALK THIS WAY" (August, page 104) is dead on. I have circulated it around the office so others can absorb it. Well done. CURT R. NOLAND GENERAL MANAGER, SAN ELIJO HILLS SAN MARCOS, CALIF. VICE PRESIDENT, HOMEFED...

Callback.(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2005... IN THE SEPTEMBER 2005 WINDOWS AND Doors Supplement, "A Sense of Arrival" (page 26) gave an incorrect location for the headquarters of C.H.I. Overhead Doors. The company is based in Arthur, Ill. We regret the error.

Calendar.( )(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... OCTOBER 12-14 Building Component Manufacturers Conference, Milwaukee BCMC is the premier trade show for the structural building component manufacturing industry and the largest gathering of component manufacturers in the world....

Bad paper: up to 40 percent of pre-approval letters are invalid.(brokers at risk)
October 1, 2005... AT ONE TIME, A PRE-APPROVAL LETTER FROM A lender was considered almost as good as cash in hand. It told a builder that a buyer's income, employment, assets, and debts had been checked out and that the buyer had been pre-approved for a mortgage...

Weather resistant.(HOUSE BLEND: TRENDS, TIPS, COOL STUFF)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Melbourne, Fla.-based Mercedes Homes has unveiled two new hurricane-resistant home prototypes that include features the builder believes will help the industry and home buyers. Located in Rockledge, Fla., the homes include features to resist...

Tougher times.(HOUSE BLEND: TRENDS, TIPS, COOL STUFF)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Not all builders are experiencing the best of times. In the Milwaukee market, home builders are offering consumer incentives much like banks, car dealers, and consumer electronics stores. At least a half-dozen metro-Milwaukee home builders are...

Buying spree.(BIG DEALS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... A number of builders spent their summer vacations getting bigger. Florida continued to reign as the hottest spot for acquisitions, as The Drees Co., based in Fort Mitchell, Ky., bought Jacksonville, Fla.-based Harmony Homes of North Florida;...

Minority rule.(HOUSE BLEND: TRENDS, TIPS, COOL STUFF)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Texas is the newest state to become a "majority-minority" state. In August, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that Texas has a minority population of 11.3 million, or 50.2 percent of its total population. Three other states--Hawaii (77 percent),...

Fraud files.(HOUSE BLEND: TRENDS, TIPS, COOL STUFF)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... In its May 2005 "Financial Crimes Report to the Public," the FBI described its efforts to combat various types of fraud, including mortgage fraud. The bureau, which recently consolidated its mortgage fraud operations within its Financial...

Strip tease.(real estate industry)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Vegas is the latest battleground for real estate mogul Donald Trump and ex Ivana, who are now wing to trump each other in the luxury condo market. His $500 million Trump International Hotel &, Tower broke ground July 12 and is already sold out....

Suit settled: large national builder agrees to multimillion-dollar settlement over condo project in Boulder, Colo., area.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... D.R. HORTON AGREED TO PAY A HOMEOWNER'S group $39.5 million last summer over problems at a 246-unit condo development in Superior, Colo., a town just outside of Boulder. According to The Denver Post, the complex, Summit at Rock Creek, had...

House proud: an innovative infill project turns renters into homeowners.(affortable housing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... FOR Mid-City Urban, sustainability is as much about people as it is about materials. The Silver Spring, Md.-based developer has introduced a model for the replacement of obsolete public housing that creates new, affordable homes without relying...

Park donation.(funding)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Palo Alto, Calif. -- based SummerHill Homes recently donated $25,000 to the Friends of the Palo Alto Parks, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching and beautifying the city's local parks. The gift served as a catalyst to kick off a fundraising...

Risk factor.(house blend: trends, tips cool stuff)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Some of the nation's frothiest housing markets are at increasing risk of price declines, says a recent survey from PMI Mortgage Insurance Corp. The PMI Risk Index is based on economic activity and other conditions that PMI thinks are predictive...

Buffer zone: Urban-Wildland Code takes hold in at-risk communities.(FIRE PROTECTION)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... HOMES BUILT IN WOODED OR BRUSHY TERRAIN are at risk of burning if a wildfire passes through the surrounding area. California's October 2003 wildfires set a new record for property damage, but scientists say the threat will only increase. Not...

Faucet fix: Moen launches builder site to help make faucet specifications easier.(INTERNET PICK)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... THE AVERAGE NEW HOUSE has a kitchen, two and a half bathrooms, and a laundry room, which means that a buyer has to choose at least five faucets. This can be overwhelming, so North Olmsted, Ohio-based Moen has launched a new builder Web site to...

Unfriendly designs.(Glenda Andes recieves doctrol degree at Virginia Tech)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Active adult projects do not have enough features that promote ease of use and safety, according to a study that won the 2005 Graduate Student Research Award, given by the American Society on Aging. The student, Glenda Andes, recently received...

Getting the green light: a Maryland county changes its permitting process after residents discover height and setback violations in a new housing development.(GOVERNMENT RELATIONS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... TOM BOZZUTO BELIEVED HIS COMPANY WAS building according to county regulations at Clarksburg Town Center, a development in Montgomery County, Md. But an examination of the community by Clarksburg residents found that Bozzuto's four-story...

Here comes sunrise: habitat gives Virginia trailer court new lease on life.(Greater Charlottesville redevelopment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IS largely known for building houses, but the group's Greater Charlottesville, Va., affiliate recently bought a trailer court site in Charlottesville and plans to redevelop it into a high-density, mixed-used neighborhood....

Buried treasure: energy bill has new tax break for builders.
October 1, 2005... THE $14.7 BILLION ENERGY POLICY Act that became law this summer isn't just about clean coal, nuclear power, alternative auto fuels, or hybrid cars--although there's a lot of all that in it. Tucked in at page 1,344 of the new law is a direct...

Builders win one: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service eases salamander restrictions on 183,557 acres in California.(INSIDE STORY)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ruled that an estimated $441 million in lost development opportunities in California over the next 20 years outweighed added protection of the California tiger salamander. In a ruling issued in August, of...

Starchitect: a new role for Brad Pitt?(designing a restaurant)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Some actors dream of rock stardom. Brad Pitt wants to be an architect. According to the U.K.-based Guardian newspaper, the 41-year-old movie star recently apprenticed at architect Frank Gehry's Los Angeles studio and is now putting his CAD...

Angle of attack.(TOP SHELF: THE LATEST AND GREATEST BUILDING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... THIS MODEL R7130 RIGHT-ANGLE DRILL IS DESIGNED to handle the kinds of big holes that contractors, plumbers, and general contractors drill on a typical jobsite, the company says. Weighing 12 1/2 pounds, the tool has an 8-amp motor, a safety...

Green wood.(TOP SHELF: THE LATEST AND GREATEST BUILDING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... THIS FIREPLACE MANTEL LOOKS LIKE ANY ORDINARY WOOD PRODUCT, but, in fact, it is made from Lyptus hardwood--an eco-friendly, fast-growing South American species harder than hard rock maple and red oak. The mantel is available in four styles, two...

Steel this roof.(TOP SHELF: THE LATEST AND GREATEST BUILDING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... ARCHITECT FRANK GEHRY, KNOWN FOR THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, isn't the only one who can have fun with shiny metal roofs. These stainless steel residential tiles allow you to do the...

Centre of attention.(TOP SHELF: THE LATEST AND GREATEST BUILDING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... THE AQUACENTRE KITCHEN STATION IS A SUITABLE choice for a contemporary house with room to spare. It's at its best, though, when space is tight. An all-in-one food prep and cleaning module, the unit is outfitted with a 10-inch-deep sink, a...

Shower power.(TOP SHELF: THE LATEST AND GREATEST BUILDING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... OUTDOOR SHOWERS ARE PRETTY MUCH STANDARD IN A VACATION HOME, BUT these freestanding units allow them to be used anywhere the temperature is between 55 and 90 degrees. The wall panels are available in rot-resistant cedar or white marine...

Sharp thinking.(TOP SHELF: THE LATEST AND GREATEST BUILDING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2005... FACE IT--DRILL BITS GET DULL, OR THEY BREAK. YOU could throw them out, but the costs add up. The manufacturer says resharpening them with the 750X Drill Doctor is a much better idea. It allows users to sharpen bits as good as new. The tool can...

Plug and play: what if you put all of a home's systems in one wall and then designed the house around it?(MODULAR MECHANICALS)
October 1, 2005... PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, AND MEchanical systems are among the most expensive and labor-intensive parts of a house. Philadelphia architect Michael Rosen hopes to change that by consolidating these systems into one central wall, then designing the...

Why leave value on the table? Here are some tips for getting the most out of builder-supplier relationships.(TAPPING RESOURCES)
October 1, 2005... AFTER A RECENT COMPANY SALES meeting, many of our top performers told me that they were spending less time with the purchasing agents at our home builder clients. Our cabinetry specialist said she'd been given a desk where she could set up...

Lofty goals: Cornerstone Homes takes an innovative approach to promotion to bring prospects out to Ironworks Lofts.(MARKET SMARTS: NEW MARKETING AND SALES TECHNIQUES WITH PROVEN RESULTS)
October 1, 2005... AS IF INTRODUCING A SINGLE-family detached loft concept to exurbia wasn't daring enough for Cornerstone Homes of Longmont, Colo., director of product development Paul Thedos took an equally innovative approach to marketing the project. Rather...

Tee to green: Palladian International uses a high-profile golf tournament to generate traffic for its Grand Treviso conversion.(MARKET SMARTS: NEW MARKETING AND SALES TECHNIQUES WITH PROVEN RESULTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... WHEN THE OWNERS OF GRAND TREVISO, A 247-UNIT, luxury high-rise, decided to convert to condos, the marketing team took a driver out of the bag (literally) and hit one right down the middle. Playing off the annual EDS/Byron Nelson PGA event at...

Bug buzz: giving away cars with every home sale helps Forrest Homes move standing inventory and create rolling billboards in Atlanta.(MARKET SMARTS: NEW MARKETING AND SALES TECHNIQUES WITH PROVEN RESULTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN ATLANTA, DON'T BE SURPRISED to see several bright red Volkswagen Beetles wrapped in the Forrest Homes logo. But sales reps aren't driving them, homeowners are. In 14 of its communities, Forrest Homes devised a promotion...

Closing the crawl.(follow the rules and build the housing)
October 1, 2005... Q: When a home is built over a crawlspace foundation, what are the advantages, if any, of sealing the vents versus leaving them open? A: ABOUT 250,000 NEW HOMES ARE built over crawlspaces each year, most of them in a band from Northern...

HUD-code help: the federal government calls for aid from manufactured housing companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.(VITAL SIGNS)
October 1, 2005... THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVEN'T BEEN kind to manufactured and modular home builders. But in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they're in high demand. The American Red Cross estimates that the storm destroyed 275,000 homes on the Gulf Coast, and FEMA...

Self-help.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... SELF-HELP: The FatMax 5-Beam self-leveling laser emits five independent laser dots that are set at 90 degrees to each other for rapid setup of interior partitioning, shelving, and other internal installation projects, the company says. It can...

Line of sight.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... LINE OF SIGHT: Laser Tape 25 provides the simplest way to take a quick measurement from 2 inches to 50 feet, the manufacturer says. All you do is point the laser at the target, push the "Read" button, and the distance is displayed on an LCD...

Points of (red) light: laser tool manufacturers are looking to win contractor confidence.(new tools that every builder should know)
October 1, 2005... IBM INTRODUCED ITS FIRST PERSONAL computer--the 5100--in 1975, but it largely went unnoticed by the average consumer. Why? Because at $8,900 to $19,900, the computer was unaffordable to all but the super-rich or fanatical early adopters. Of...

Plumb job.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... PLUMB JOB: CrossLiner multi-mode laser will do a variety of tasks including level, plumb, and cross line applications. The company says the unit boasts the widest vertical beam angle on the market, an attachment accessory with a 45-degree tilt...

Play ball.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... PLAY BALL: Despite its futuristic yet playful look, LaserBall 360 is designed for serious work. The blue orb projects a straight laser line in any direction along flat surfaces such as walls, floors, and ceilings. Easy to use, the ball attaches...

Hole in one.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... HOLE IN ONE: This laser hole locator is an excellent tool for plumbers and electricians who need to drill successive holes into studs or floor joists, the manufacturer says. Allowing neat and accurate work, the unit has a small locking nut for...

Lawn and order: do you add enough landscaping to your homes? Probably not.(products and tools every builder should know about)
October 1, 2005... WHEN DELIVERED, THE AVERAGE new home includes very little landscaping or none at all. Sure, there's a driveway and perhaps some flowers planted in front, but that's about it. "You will find that a lot more builders pay more attention to...

Cobble, cobble.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... COBBLE, COBBLE: You want natural cobblestone but can't afford it. The manufacturer says its Bugnot Series offers the next best thing: a porcelain tile that offers the look and feel of the real thing. It is available in 8-by-8-and 16-by-16-inch...

Brick by brick.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... BRICK BY BRICK: One of construction's most versatile products, brick can be used for interior or exterior walls and for exterior landscaping. The manufacturer's interlocking clay pavers come in a variety of edges and styles, including tumbled...

Great wall.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... GREAT WALL: Natural stonework is always a welcome sight in landscaping, but it's often expensive and labor intensive. The Courtyard Collection, the manufacturer says, is a better idea. This decorative, freestanding wall system allows you to...

Light lines.(PRODUCTS: PRODUCTS AND TOOLS EVERY BUILDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT)
October 1, 2005... LIGHT LINES: LaneLight in-pavement lighte-mitting diode markers are ideal for landscaping, the manufacturer says. The system consists of sealed electronic lenses and stainless steel light heads. Durable and maintenance-free, the markers carry a...

Affordable all-in-one: an Arizona retirement community features luxury-quality home-tech amenities at prices that won't bust the budget of average Americans.(DIGITAL HOME: SMART TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW HOMES)
October 1, 2005... HOME TECHNOLOGY HAS COME DOWN enough in price that a retirement community with units that average 1,300 square feet and start at well under $200,000 now offers a home control and voice, data, and video package backed up by fiber-to-the-home as...

Fashion plates.(DIGITAL HOME: SMART TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW HOMES)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Add some understated elegance to your home theaters and your distributed audio systems with Elements by Decora, an upgraded look for Leviton's Decora line of wiring devices, lighting controls, and wall plates. Instead of a plain vanilla plate...

Linear growth.(digital home and smart technology acquisition)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Linear, the home-technology subsidiary of Nortek, acquired Niles Audio during the summer. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Niles, founded in 1978, offers more than 500 products that cover every aspect of whole-house audio...

Big deal: a large information technology distributor gains a highly coveted foothold in the home-tech market.(DIGITAL HOME: SMART TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW HOMES)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... INGRAM MICRO, THE LARGE CALIFORNIA-based information technology distributor that led the charge for more-efficient supply chain management over the Web during the Internet boom, proved it was serious about entering the home-technology market...

Powerful CAD.(TECH TOOLS: TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MODERN HOME BUILDER)
October 1, 2005... GiveMePower Corp., a provider of CAD, digital blueprint management, and graphics development software, is shipping PowerCAD Classic 6, software that lets builders view and e-mail AutoCAD drawings on a handheld in both 2D and 3D. Classic 6 also...

CRM focus.(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Technical Olympic USA (TOUSA) took a major technology step this past summer when it signed on with Builder1440 for the company's Web-based customer relationship management software. TOUSA is the second big builder in the last year that has...

Take a load off: one outsourcer manages information technology applications for builders.(TECH TOOLS: TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MODERN HOME BUILDER)
October 1, 2005... HOME BUILDERS WANT THE BENEFITS OF BACKoffice accounting software and sales and warranty management applications, but they can't always afford to spend thousands on servers and technology workers. Now, LoadSpring, an outsourcer based in...

Giant step: HomeSphere releases two long-awaited Web applications.(TECH TOOLS: TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MODERN HOME BUILDER)
October 1, 2005... HOME BUILDER SOFTWARE TOOK A MAJOR STEP forward this past summer when HomeSphere announced it had released Web-based sales software and an extranet that integrates with its Builder 360 back-office accounting and construction management...

After Katrina.(destruction in construction of buildings)
October 1, 2005... Hurricane Katrina's impact on the overall economy and on the housing market is still unclear, but the number of homes destroyed is almost certain to dwarf the losses from any previous U.S. natural disaster. The number of housing units made...

Courting disaster: with its San Remo and Kelo rulings, the Supreme Court has only added to the uncertainty in property rights law.(FROM THE PRESIDENT)
October 1, 2005... THE U.S. SUPREME COURT HAD AN IDEAL opportunity this past summer to bring greater clarity and certainty to the contentious property rights arena. Instead, it handed down two decisions that dealt a serious blow to property rights and set the...

Ready to rev up: the current stall in homeownership is temporary. Slower price increases, higher rents, and stable mortgage rates will help get it going again.(SEIDERS ECONOMY)
October 1, 2005... THE HOUSING BOOM THAT HAS POWERED THE economic expansion since the 2001 national recession has been heavily concentrated in owner-occupied units--single-family homes and multifamily condos. But the rental market has been staging a comeback...

Buffalo quarter.(housing in sales )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... For the second quarter of 2005, the metropolitan statistical area comprising Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y., was the nation's most affordable housing market among major metros with populations over 500,000, according to the NAHB/ Wells Fargo...

New horizons: the Research Center broadens its land development expertise with funding and staff.(THE NAHB RESEARCH CENTER CORNER)
October 1, 2005... THE NAHB RESEARCH CENter is expanding its presence in the environmental technologies arena and has brought on new people to get the job done. With generous funding from the National Housing Endowment and the recent addition of highly...

Green party.(National Association of Home Builders meeting)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... The NAHB has announced that the 2006 National 6reen Building Conference will be held March 12-14 in Albuquerque, N.M. Sessions for both green building specialists and mainstream home builders will address building science, design, and...

Woodland wonder: the Sabals Townhomes, New Port Richey, Fla.(old and young professionals prefer this house)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... WHY IT WORKED: This high-growth area outside Tampa, Fla., was ripe for a luxury townhome project, especially one that offered young professionals, retirees, and empty-nesters the living space of a single-family home with little maintenance....

Size matters: Timber Meadow, Houston.(hot sellers in buyers community)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... WHY IT WORKED: Large homes at great prices are the winning combination at Timber Meadow, located just two miles from major highways and in a highly rated school district. A low 2.76 percent property-tax rate didn't hurt, either. *...

Suburban success: Streams of Plainfield, Plainfield, Ill.(HOT SELLERS: SOLD OUT! FAST-MOVING COMMUNITIES)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... WHY IT WORKED: With home prices starting in the $230,000s, this southwest suburban Chicago community offers first-time buyers a crack at large homes on large lots--only 40 miles from the Windy City. * While exterior elevations use classic...

Builder's choice: contextual design earns highest honors as our competition hits the quarter-century mark.(2005 BUILDER'S CHOICE: AWARD WINNING HOMES USE PRODUCTS FROM THESE WINNING SUPPLIERS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A truckload of bells and whistles at your disposal doesn't mean you should use all of them. Of the many design virtues extolled by the judges in this, the 25th year of the Builder's Choice Awards, the one that received...

Cannery Lofts.
October 1, 2005... NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. CHOOSING CANNERY LOFTS as the 2005 Project of the Year was simply a no-brainer for the judges. Located on an acre and a half in Newport Beach, Calif., this little infill pocket has it all: great bone structure,...

WaterSound Beach House.(Designed to comfort)
October 1, 2005... WATERSOUND, FLA. THE LAWS OF NATURE DICTATE that only in our dreams can we be in two places at once. But the design of this magnificent beach house in WaterSound, a planned community on Florida's Gulf Coast, begs to differ. Inspired...

255 Berry Street.(255 Berry Street project)
October 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO THE FLOOR PLANS OF MOST mid- and high-rise buildings have inherent inequalities. Inevitably, buyers of prime units--i.e., those on the upper levels or those facing the water or park--get the cushy spots, while everyone else...

The Club at Black Rock.(The Club at Black Rock )
October 1, 2005... COEUR D'ALENE, IDAHO THERE'S NO GETTING AROUND the fact that clubhouses,which can include everything from locker rooms to pro shops to wine cellars, tend to be very large buildings. When one pops up in the middle of a pristine...

The Mather Building.(grand design)
October 1, 2005... WASHINGTON THE MATHER BUILDING has been a Washington landmark since its debut in 1917. In its heyday, it housed film companies and offices of the Royal Italian Navy Later, it provided office space for the federal and city governments, and...

The Residences at Atlantic Station.(grand design construction)
October 1, 2005... ATLANTA LARGE-SCALE URBAN REDEVELopment projects are not for the faint of heart. The most ironic hurdle in the development of Atlantic Station, a i38-acre, mixed-use project on the site of a former steel manufacturing facility,, was a...

Alabama Street Lofts.(grand design)
October 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO HOW DO YOU DESIGN A RESIdential project--in this case, 64 loft units in three buildings--that straddles large-scale industrial warehouses on one side and smaller-scale residential buildings on the other? If you're San...

Cherry Street House.(grand design )(Charles Moore)
October 1, 2005... FALLS CHURCH, VA. A HOUSE NEED NOT EXUDE A contemporary, aesthetic to be modern. Architect Charles Moore knows this all too well. As principal of his own Alexandria, Va., firm, Moore has renovated many down-at-the-heels houses in the...

Fiesta House Apartments.(grand design)
October 1, 2005... RESEDA, CALIF. AT FIRST, THE INAUGURAL RESIdents of Fiesta House, an affordable housing community for low-income seniors, had some reservations about the bold color scheme and contemporary design of their new digs. That skepticism quickly...

New Village Homes.(grand design)
October 1, 2005... COLUMBUS, OHIO "NEW VILLAGE HOMES" is about as generic a moniker as one could pick for an urban infill community. The choice was utterly intentional on the part of Lincoln Street Studio, the architecture firm selected by the Columbus...

Belcara at Pacific Ridge.(grand design )
October 1, 2005... NEWPORT COAST, CALIF. AN APTITUDE FOR JIGSAW PUZzles helps if you're going to design something along the lines of Belcara, a 107-unit detached community carved into a coastal ridge in Orange Count34, Calif. "It's not the sort of...

City West Revitalization.(grand design)
October 1, 2005... CINCINNATI THEY MAY VARY SOMEWHAT IN every city, but "The Projects" are always easily recognizable and definable: dour, anonymous, identical multistory buildings, separated from other neighborhoods by what seems like no-man's land. That's...

Chilton at Thorndike.(grand design)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... PLYMOUTH, MASS. ARCHITECTS BILL DEVEREAUX and Sandra Fennell looked to traditional New England architecture when it came to designing the Chilton at Thorndike, a 2,600-square-foot single-family home in the Pinehills in Plymouth, Mass. The...

Garden Crossing.(grand design and their affordability)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... BOULDER, COLO. UNTIL THE GARDEN CROSSING townhomes appeared on the scene, the north side of Boulder, Colo., had not seen any major residential development in 20 years. But now the simple, brightly colored structures have spawned a flurry...