HousingZone Web Awards (2002 - Builders: Best Home Demonstration / Portfolio / Tour)

Whereas many builders' Web sites show only the home and its features, Village Homes also stresses the importance of the neighboring community. The site makes a point of highlighting amenities - such as parks, shopping districts and school districts - in its community maps. Other sites do this as well; Village Homes just does it very well. Users walk away from a visit to the site with a better understanding of these neighborhoods and what it is like to live in them.

But the site doesn't forget about the houses. With 13 style collections to choose from - grouped by cost and size - Village Homes' site offers artist-rendered depictions of each of the company's models, with several elevations to select from. Most of the models also offer renderings of the kitchen, family room and master bedroom, with the option of viewing select rooms in a variety of design styles. Simply put, the site gives users the ability to design a home to their liking and to see how customizations will look. Although the model images are smaller than on some other sites, Village Homes on the whole has a graphics-intensive site, so larger images might just slow the viewing process.

The site also offers interactive floor plans, offering users the ability to know what the layout of a house might look like with an extra garage stall or a den instead of a bedroom. Not only do they get a visual depiction of these changes, but users can see how these enhancements affect the cost of the home, as the site also adjusts the price estimates on screen.

Bottom line: Village Homes gives users a better sense of the communities in which they are about to make a large investment. The site goes beyond showing just floor plans and pictures, allowing customers to see how they can add features to their home and what impact this will have on the home's look and price.