PB December 2004

Phoenix, a consistently strong housing market, keeps pushing its boundaries with communities on the fast-growing citiy's outer ring. One of the newest is the master plan of Verrado, a half-hour drive west of the city. There, with its Horizons neighborhood, Engle Homes' Arizona Division shattered preconceived notions of the prices the market would support at the edge of suburbia.

TimberSIL Nontoxic Pressure-Treated Wood: A sodium-silicate-based pressure-treatment system for wood that relies on a mineralization process rather than toxins to prevent infestations and decay. The patented chemistry and heat-treatment process result in the infusion of microscopic glass "crystals" throughout the wood, providing a permanent, insoluble treatment with no dusting or leaching.

It would be rare to find a home builder who has not made a public claim to positively impact society. Ownership housing plays a big role in knitting together the fabric of community in America. But what would happen if social engineering role, along with nurturing the natural environment, became your central reason for being? Would your company be more, or less, profitable? The answers are on d...

"Like outdoor living enthusiasts across North America, we've been looking for a product that brings all of our Outdoor GreatRoom elements together," says Dan Shimek, Fire Stone Home Products president and CEO. "The Fire Stone Pergola does more than provide a setting for our outdoor ranges, fireplaces and grill islands; it brings family and friends together.

When the editors of this magazine look at candidates for the most historic and prestigious award in the American housing industry, PB's Builder of the Year, we search for a company with ideas our readers can use to grow the profitability of home building businesses across the country. We look for a business model that fits market conditions emerging in today's national economy, but with broad a...

A hybrid eucalyptus tree, Lyptus is quickly becoming one of the world's most important hardwood lumbers, says manufacturer Weyerhaeuser, primarily because it represents a sustainable and renewable resource. In density, strength and technical properties, it compares favorably with hardwood maple, and it rivals cherry and mahogany in appearance.

One simple rule governs marketing at Bigelow Homes: say nothing in any communication that any other builder in the market could say. As is usually the case with what looks simple on the surface, the secret of Bigelow Home's marketing efforts goes far beyond the sell line in any advertisement. What Bigelow does so well is articulate to buyers the values that the built-in features of the communit...

Keeping up with the times of busy lifestyles and people wanting to stay close to home, Toll Brothers' latest model features a room dedicated to meditation or a spa-like environment. This room creates ideas for home buyers wanting a room different from the rest of the house, a place to get away from home within the home.

Imagine a community where home buyers can watch their children ride their bikes along the sidewalk from their front porch without the worries of traffic being a danger. Imagine a neighborhood where residents walk to the community post office each morning to drop off outgoing mail, and stop in at the attached café for a coffee to start the day.

While 2004 looks like another banner year, healthy top-line numbers can mask a growing problem for those in politically constrained markets like Massachusetts. There, despite a 10.5 percent increase in total permits, those issued for detached single- family homes are expected to continue a trend of recent years by dropping 5.