The Belle Maison, beautiful home, is the third Home-A-Rama entry for Roland Builder, Inc. Marketing Director Brent Roland is especially pleased to be involved with this year’s show because they have built nearly 200 homes within a 20 mile radius of Home-A-Rama’s Mechanicsburg location.

“Home-A-Rama is an excellent opportunity to showcase our product and what we can do. Our model homes are our primary sales tool, and through our past experiences with the show, we know there’s just incredible exposure,” Brent says.

Roland Builder is the only veteran of the show with the six other slots filled by new participants. Brent says having a presence at the show is significant to the company—a statement that they have weathered the recession with a solid business plan that has kept them competitive without sacrificing quality.

“Our attitude is that you’re either moving forward or backward; there’s no standing still. Our presence is a sign that we’re going to continue to do business and grow from there,” says Brent.

Participation in Home-A-Rama is a significant financial risk under any economic condition. Home-A-Rama homes are designed and built without a buyer which places the financial responsibility on the builder for an undetermined period until the home is sold. Although the generous upgrades, finishes and option to purchase the models as furnished provide strong selling points, the limited number of buyers in the high-end market and potential buyers who may prefer to start with a custom design versus purchasing a finished model creates fierce competition to sell the homes.

Familiar with the traditional challenges and facing a nationwide “slow to no” new home market, Roland Builder felt confident taking a calculated risk to participate in a show that he feels will help new home sales gain momentum.

“We were starting to see some momentum following the Parade of Homes in the fall,” says Brent. “We signed several new home contracts before the end of the year. That stalled with the mandated home sprinkler systems, which created a significant financial impact for buyers. Now that that’s been repealed, we see things warming up again.”

Brent notes the economy and an aging population have driven a shift in sales to “garden homes” which are extremely popular with Baby Boomers. While comparatively smaller than the Home-A-Rama entry, these one and two-story homes are luxurious and offer the additional amenity of snow removal and lawn care. A Roland Builder community featuring these homes is just seven minutes from the Home-A-Rama, and he anticipates the show will drive business to that community.

His confidence in the market is evident with plans to develop additional land including a potential community on the East Shore. “Traditionally, the year after Home-A-Rama is a very strong sales year. We are expecting the same results with this show,” says Brent.

The “Wow” factor Roland Builder homes are designed to fit their families and surroundings. When choosing the design and budget for The Belle Maison, they considered the neighboring homes and community as well as the demographics of the potential buyer—in this case a family with school to college-age children. Roland Builder sees today’s buyers as extremely value conscious. Materials and amenities were carefully selected to keep the home appropriately priced for its community while providing marketable luxuries.

While each home has a unique design, Roland Builder has created a niche with Country French style homes which allows them to incorporate their signature grand architectural features. They assure the quality construction highlighted in this home by using the same subcontractors for every project, some whom they have worked with for 30 years.

The home’s first-floor master retreat as well as the kitchen and foyer, areas Roland Builder knows sell and re-sell homes, were designed to draw on the “wow” factor. Striking features include three stone archways leading into the great room, a curved staircase, and curved walls in the foyer which lead to the study.

In the kitchen, custom, glazed cabinetry with dove-tailed drawer construction and beaded inset doors are a stunning work of art reaching to the 10 foot ceiling to provide functional appeal. Poplar wood moldings and trim, custom designed for Roland Builder, are also unique to the home.

Built for living
From its spacious mudroom equipped with three cubbies and a message center to store keys, mail and calendars, the adjacent walk-in closet and laundry room and generously equipped kitchen with a walk-in pantry, the spacious home is designed to work for a family on the go. A clean-up sink and toe kick vac pan (allowing crumbs to be swept directly into the central vacuum system) in the kitchen, the use of Corian versus granite countertops in the laundry room (to accommodate stains, spills and promote easy clean-up) and an additional laundry room upstairs are just a few of the thoughtful features that promote easy living.

New home trends
Recognizing that many homebuyers choose a home with an eye toward “aging in place,” first floor master suites have been a feature of Roland Builder homes since the early 90’s.

“There has also been more interest in energy efficiency. A lot of clients are asking for pricing on geothermal, and we’ve recently built two homes that use solar panels,” says Brent.

Heading outdoors
Roland Builder created a large outdoor living area incorporating pavers with a cultured stone fireplace and a built-in grill featuring a granite countertop. This highlights the home’s beautiful location and meets another growing trend for elaborate outdoor entertainment spaces.

The exposed basement has great natural lighting and potential to be finished with a full bathroom, bedroom, kitchenette, bar and media room. There’s additional space to include a double door where lawn or pool equipment could be brought in for storage.

Tracking for energy efficiency and technology
The The Belle Maison is Energy Star certified and uses a Trane gas furnace with a programmable thermostat and two Rinnai tankless hot water heaters to provide an “endless” supply of hot water. Andersen 400 series crank-out windows with inner grills promote energy efficiency while complementing the home’s rustic style. Built-in, low voltage window candles can be set to a timer and eliminate wiring dilemmas for these traditional East Coast decorations.

The home incorporates a Control4 home automation and smart home control system which allows the centralized audio system, thermostat, security and television to be controlled from an in-wall keypad, iPad or iPhone.

Extras abound
The buyer of this Home-A-Rama home will benefit from the upgrades and extras provided by Roland Builder suppliers including Kohler faucets, Thermador appliances, and granite countertops throughout the home.