Show Village 2005

As Director of Design for both Palm Harbor and Nationwide Custom Homes, Margie Wright works with vendors to choose materials, selects color schemes and collaborates with architects, engineers and her own design team to create homes that appeal to today's buyer. Because Palm Harbor's size and scope allow her to purchase materials in bulk, she also works with her suppliers to develop and test-market products that appeal to the latest in consumer trends. "If visitors to one of our model homes walk away talking about one or two features, then we've failed," says Wright. "We want them to experience how everything comes together. We want them to walk out thinking, ‘I could own this. I want to live here.'"

For Wright and her team, the combination of design and layout results in the kind of livability that appeals to today's home buyers. Walk through the Palm Harbor house at Show Village and you'll experience a home built with a sense of openness and flow from room to room, creating a feeling of serenity and sanctuary.

"Because our world is so dominated by technology, people have become more sophisticated buyers," says Wright. "They know about better products and emerging technologies like intelligent lighting systems. And they know the price points." A quick trip to a home improvement store on a Saturday morning shows this, not to mention the popularity of home improvement programs and magazines geared for the consumer market.

As savvy as today's home buyers are, they still want a break from relentless technological change. Wright points out that her clients strive to balance the quick pace of modern life with things that don't change, things that are more timeless, like the colors of ancient Tuscany or the timelessness of granite, the tactile textural experience of leather or silk. You will see these applied in her Palm Harbor design.

"And because we're so surrounded by the grayness and coldness of technology at work, when we come home we seek the colors and warmth of the sun. If we can't get outside, we bring it indoors."

Margie describes her design team as "the most wonderful collection of people. They never take the attitude of ‘it can't be done.' We can move on a dime, too. Our team is dedicated to do great things. They're smart, young, energetic."

Architectural Project Manager Bill Wright echoes her appreciation of the team environment: "We have a great team that looks at everything," he says. "From kitchen and bath design to layouts, everybody is involved in getting the right price, design, materials and styles. We also pay very close attention to what people are looking for in a home—whether it's in the Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, wherever—to make sure what we design is appropriate for the tastes of that specific geographic market."

While many builders are under the impression that systems-built homes are limited in design capabilities, Bill Wright doesn't agree. "We're pretty much unlimited in our design options. When a customer or a builder wants something, we always come up with a way to make it work. You could come to us with something drawn on the back of a napkin or ripped out of a magazine and we'll do it."

At the Palm Harbor home, you'll see, close-up, the quality of materials and construction that have made the company the premier manufactured systems home builder. The difference between Palm Harbor and lesser-built homes, says Bill Wright, is that Palm Harbor over-designs on standards with the most innovative ideas and techniques, and the strongest materials, to protect, not just the homes, but the people who live in them. Burt Kessler, Palm Harbor's Director of Engineering, works with institutions like M.I.T. and U.C. Berkeley to advance safety and durability. "That's the difference Palm Harbor has," says Bill Wright, "and it's why a lot of people point to us as the best in the business. Look at Florida after the hurricanes of last year. Our homes were still standing after others were ripped apart. They're strong and safe, and we have a great customer satisfaction program that allows us to respond quickly. From cabinets to exterior materials, we make sure it's going to last, look good and make a great house."