An American Dream

In the late summer of 2004, homebuilder Alex Hannigan stood on the weedy shores of Lake Burden and decided that he could build one of the highest-profile show homes in the nation on the dirt beneath his boots—and he could do it in a little more than a year.

It wouldn't have seemed like such a tough promise to keep, except that there were no roads, no power lines, no water lines, and no sewer lines to the southwest Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County site. Indeed, although a subdivision tentatively called Lake Burden South was planned for the tract, there were no other homes anywhere to be seen.

To build anything, noisy generators would be required to power saws and nail guns. Water from the lake would be used to mix the mortar. And huge trucks loaded with tons of wood, shingles and blocks would trek to the job site over ever-changing dirt ruts, often muddied by weeks of summer rains.

Despite all the obstacles, The 2006 New American Home began to take shape, its wide, distinctive facade clearly visible to drivers whisking along S.R. 535, many of whom must have assumed that the 150-foot-wide, turreted structure was some sort of clubhouse.

Fourteen months after making his vow, Hannigan's boots still sank into the dirt as he stood on the site. A generator still provided power. The road was still unpaved. The rest of the subdivision remained empty. But thanks to Hannigan's determination, there was one truly amazing home nearing completion.

"We built a 14-month house in 10 months," Hannigan says. "It's the nicest home I've ever built. It's exciting. It's really exciting."

In late October, tradespeople were still swarming about, feverishly working to finish last-minute details in time for a Builder Magazine photo shoot. Next, the 9,500-square-foot structure would be prepped for the onslaught of an estimated 10,000 visitors during the International Builders Show, held in late January.

Each year, the National Association of Home Builders' National Council of the Housing Industry, in partnership with Builder Magazine, builds a showcase home as part of the big event, which attracts housing professionals from around the nation and the world. Hannigan's house is the second to be built in Orlando; two more are scheduled to follow in 2007 and 2008.

Every New American Home has its particular challenges, but the 2006 entry is the first ever to be built under such primitive conditions, says Tucker Bernard, senior director of the NCHI and a veteran of New American Home projects.

"Things went pretty smoothly, overall," says Bernard. And Hannigan's personality had a lot to do with that. "He's been a gentleman and he's been unflappable throughout the whole project. If there were any hurdles, he worked around them."

But it wasn't always easy, Hannigan admits. In addition to the vexing lack of modern conveniences at the site, he also had to contend with the usual complications that come with a huge project encompassing an assortment of ideas and egos.

Architect John Orgren of WCI Architecture and Land Planning, who designed the home with Flavio Coronel, was also impressed with Hannigan's calm in the midst of what many builders would have considered a perfect storm.

"It's kind of amazing," Orgren says. "You would think he would be showing some signs of strain by now, but he isn't."

Many of the home's materials were donated by national manufacturers. So, rather than simply ordering the components from local vendors, Hannigan had to coordinate shipments from just about everywhere. When construction was complete, he kept busy giving tours to suppliers eager to see how their products looked in place.

"It's built by a committee, and there's a lot of politics involved," Hannigan says. "But we're delighted to show off the products. It's got the latest and greatest and best of everything."

Because The New American Home is designed to show off all the most modern bells and whistles, it has many special features you won't find in even the most posh custom showplace.

Some examples: a built-in lobster pot in the kitchen; Whirlpool's new $8,000 washer-dryer in the expansive upstairs laundry room (there are three laundry rooms in total); rain sensors that selectively turn off the sprinklers if enough water has fallen; a dumb waiter; and a built-in dog house.

Then there are the usual over-the-top luxury finishes: floors of Brazilian cherry and stone; soaring cedar ceilings; granite, marble and glass tiles seemingly everywhere; and a vanishing-edge swimming pool.

Technically, the home is built like a vault—hurricane resistant, insulated like a cooler and fireproofed with special drywall coatings and a built-in sprinkler system.

And it's also a "green" home, with almost every element, from the wide overhangs to the forest-friendly lumber, chosen to cause the least possible impact on natural resources and the environment. Even the home's design style, which was influenced by British Colonial buildings in the Caribbean, was chosen to weather well in Florida's semi-tropical environment.

It's also designed as a home for entertainment-happy baby boomers, with plenty of indoor-outdoor party rooms overlooking the lake, as well as features that will allow its owners to age in place gracefully. Doorways and halls are wide enough for a wheelchair, and there's even an elevator.

Despite the short building schedule, Hannigan's attention to detail remained typical for the respected custom-home builder, which is to say it bordered on obsessive.

"The detail is what makes it sing," says Hannigan, standing in one room of many chock-full of elaborate molding treatments. After all, the home will be scrutinized by building professionals, some of whom delight in finding flaws. That's one reason a door opening, accidentally installed two inches off-center, merited the demolition and rebuilding of an entire wall.

Adds Hannigan, "Anybody can build a house, but the devil is in the details."

IT'S EASY BEING GREEN

The 2006 New American Home is not only beautiful and luxurious; it's also practical and environmentally friendly. Because of its energy-efficient design, insulation and appliances, the 9,506-square-foot home will use 61 percent less energy for heating and cooling and 50 percent less energy for water heating than most comparably sized homes.

The home is also hurricane resistant and, because of its wide hallways, doors and an elevator, almost entirely wheelchair accessible, allowing owners to age comfortably in place.

Here are some of the home's "green" features, which are mostly invisible to the casual visitor:

• Deep, three-foot roof overhangs to shade windows and protect walls from rain.

• Large openings on the north side to minimize solar gain and maximize daylight and the lake view.

• Engineered wood products for the floors and trusses.

• Insulated concrete walls for energy efficiency.

• Sprayed Icynene expanding-foam roof insulation.

• Wooden trim, window and door frames made from lumber from sustainable forests.

• Highly energy-efficient doors and windows.

• Highly energy-efficient air conditioning system.

• Energy Star washer and dryer.

• Tankless "instant" hot-water heaters.

• Water-efficient landscape design.

• Rainwater harvested from roof gutter system.

• Garden mulch made from recycled construction materials.

• Runoff prevented from reaching the lake by a large swale.

• Indoor air quality enhanced by air filtration, non-dust-collecting hard flooring, dehumidification to eliminate mold, plastic-lined ductwork and an air barrier between the garage and living spaces.