Take Note

AWARDS
While the past 20 years have encompassed numerous milestones for Southern Crafted Homes, company officials say that the most rewarding moment occurred when U.S. Army Sgt. Austin Burchard and his wife Donna attended the first design session for their new home. Working with an organization called Homes for Troops, the Tampa-based builder has secured commitments of over $150,000 in donations of material, products and labor to build the couple a brand new home at no charge. Burchard was left a paraplegic due to severe injuries caused by a gunshot wound while manning a post in a gun turret in Afghanistan. Since last year,  he has been receiving treatment and rehabilitation services at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tampa. In December, the Burchards visited the Southern Crafted Design Center in Land O’ Lakes and made their decor selections. “It was a rewarding experience for me to be able to work with this couple, to put aside the challenges for a little while that Austin and Donna face and see the joy in their eyes as they thought about their future,” says COO Jim Deitch, who handled their design session personally. Deitch, a former U.S. Marine and veteran of the first Gulf War, is known throughout the region for his work with veterans’ organizations. There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the Buchards’ home in February and a Build Brigade Weekend in March. A Key Ceremony  is expected in early June, when the home is complete. Southern Crafted plans to post regular updates on the progress of the project and is committed to continuing its work on behalf of veterans. In fact, the Pasco County Commission has taken notice. Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri introduced a resolution at the historic Dade City Courthouse recognizing the company’s commitment to both veterans and active-duty military personnel.

Neal Communities signed 17 contracts during the typically slow month of December and finished 2010 with 275 signed contracts and 295 secured building permits, setting a 10-year record for the company and making it the top single-family homebuilder in Southwest Florida. The last time Neal Communities experienced so much activity was during the housing boom in 2004, when it signed 264 contracts. By owning land for the long term, Neal Communities can price new homes at levels that are competitive with existing homes, including short sales. The builder is selling homes in all price points and neighborhoods, including Sawgrass in Venice, Central Park and Country Club East in Lakewood Ranch and Forest Creek in Parrish.

MODELS
Ashton Woods Homes has started construction of the Oxford model home at Grand Hampton in New Tampa. Michael Roche, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing in the Tampa Bay region, says the new model home, which offers 2,822 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms and a two-car garage, will be priced from $254,900. Ashton Woods has 51 homesites and new single-family homes for sale at Grand Hampton, with prices starting from under $200,000.