Area Homebuilders Earn National Recognition
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When homebuilder Mike Gaffney met a home inspector who had been working in the Charlottesville area for many years, the inspector paid him one of the highest compliments a builder can receive. The inspector said he had examined several of Gaffney’s homes and was consistently delighted by their “exceptional quality.”
Praise for Gaffney’s homebuilding also came on a national level when BUILDER magazine named Gaffney Homes one of four of America’s Best Builders in 2007.
“I think one of the main reasons we won was our long-term reputation we have built over the years for using high-quality materials and finishes, along with our customer service and how our homes hold up,” Gaffney says. “People see our homes after 10 years, and they are impressed with the quality.”
Having built more than 300 homes in the area, Gaffney says his company’s goal is “to really work with our customers to find out the most important things they’re looking for in a new home and then concentrate on delivering that.”
Homebuilding in the region sets high standards for quality, not just in Virginia but around the country, says Jay Willer, executive vice president of the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association.
“For about 40 years in a row, we have brought in Realtors, builders and other experts from around the state to judge for our tour of homes,” Willer says. “They say they are just blown away by the quality of the building and materials, at every price point. We take great pride in hearing that because we have builders who are committed to building high-quality homes. It’s a competitive market, and to stay competitive, you have to focus on quality.”
Willer says the association also is setting quality standards for environmentally friendly homes by offering certification through the EarthCraft House program. More than 20 local builders have been certified to build EarthCraft homes, which must be inspected throughout the entire building process for energy efficiency and other environmental standards.
One large-scale example of EarthCraft homebuilding is the Belvedere neighborhood, which is located 2.5 miles from downtown. Plans for the 207-acre mixed-use development include plenty of green space and more than 400 homes and 200 loft units, according to Cass Kawecki, director of sales and marketing for Charlottesville-based Stonehaus, the project’s developer.
In addition to meeting EarthCraft standards, Belvedere is the first neighborhood in Central Virginia to participate in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development pilot program, the first national standard for sustainable green building for an entire neighborhood.
“This neighborhood is about sustainability, healthy living and a sense of community because we think the development should reflect the things people in Charlottesville hold close to heart,” Kawecki says.
Story by Paige Clancy
Photo by Ian Curcio
