Other stories by Iris Richmond

  • The Odd Couple

    One of Tom Miller's precepts at Drees Company is that it never hurts to ask. And so he did. In early spring, he put to the city of Erlanger, Ky., a proposal. He suggested that two of home building's frequent adversaries embark on a joint effort to develop a park and open space system.A dual...

  • Dirt's Demands

    There's a reason why most people don't go into the land development business. Sit down with any developer and you'll hear stories about pitfalls and capricious character. In this profession, survival demands the patience of Job and the optimism of Pollyanna. Every victory is hard-won, and the...

  • Big Builder News Bits -- October 2002

    The passage of defect legislation in California brings welcome change to the state's construction-dispute laws, long the affliction of the condo market.

  • Mo' Money

    Prompted by tight borrowing conditions for manufactured-home buyers, manufacturers are shifting away from the industry's traditional chattel lending to real estate lending. Unlike the losses reported by Champion and Palm Harbor in the June 2002 quarter, Clayton, based in Maryville, Tenn., reported...

  • Earthy Model

    For the first time, one of WCI Communities' models will be completely green. WCI is moving away from the experimental stage and bringing green building into a more production-related environment," says Ken Plonski, director of communications for the builder.

  • Builder ABCs

    For Jim Previti's Empire Cos., based in Irvine, Calif., there's nothing more unsightly in a master planned community than a withered sign that reads, "Future School." While up-front development costs are greater, the company pays nothing out of pocket because the cost is rolled over to the sale of...

  • Smoother Sailing

    In an effort to boost closings volume significantly, Colony Homes is taking a more thorough approach to land management.

  • Your N.J. Lot

    New Jersey's largest home builder has a new tactic. In response to a shortage of land in the state, K. Hovnanian Cos. launched Private Home Portfolio, a division that builds homes for customers on their own lots.

  • Out of Town

    After more than 20 years in Houston, Standard Pacific is exiting the market. Of the company's 4,311 closings nationwide last year, Houston generated just 76 -- down from a high of 296 in 1983.

  • Chicago Bound

    The purchase of two Chicago builders provides Lennar Corp. with a familiar vista -- looking down at its competitors.