The Douglas Company has built there, done that. The firm builds multifamily residential properties ranging from three to more than 300 units; retail properties including pharmacy, grocery, department, and apparel stores; and commercial locations - everything from hockey rinks and running tracks to car dealerships and a mushroom farm. It also constructs health care, rehabilitation, and living centers for seniors, and has an in-house design studio. Members of president Peter Douglas' family formed the company in 1976.

The Drees Company is a leading homebuilder in Cincinnati and one of the top private builders in the US. First-time home buyers and move-up customers may choose from homes that range from about $100,000 to more than $1 million. Drees also builds condominiums, town homes, and patio homes. It sells luxury homes through its Zaring Premier Homes division and more modest houses under the Marquis Homes name. The company purchases land to develop as homesites in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and the Washington, DC, area. Drees also offers financing through its First Equity Mortgage subsidiary, which has closed more than $1 billion in loans over the years.

The Grupe Company considers it a group effort to have its hands in all kinds of real estate operations in California. The company builds single-family homes in master-planned communities, primarily in Northern California; it also develops and manages apartment and condominium projects. Other operations include Grupe Commercial Company, which builds and manages retail and office properties; Greenhorn Creek Resort, a resort development complete with golf course and lodging in the Sierra foothills; and Grupe Real Estate, a real estate agency in San Joaquin County. CEO Greenlaw "Fritz" Grupe Jr. founded the company in 1966. It has since created 10 communities in 35 cities.

The Rottlund Company (Rottlund Homes) develops the land people live on and builds the houses they live in. The company builds condominiums, townhouses, villas, and detached single-family homes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and in Florida and Iowa. Rottlund's homes range in price from $125,000 to more than $1 million. The company targets a wide range of customers, from first-time and move-up buyers to active adults and retirees. Brothers David Rotter (the firm's chairman) and the late Bernard Rotter founded the company in 1973. The Rotter family continues to own the company.

The Ryland Group founded by James Ryan and Bob Gaw in 1967, constructs single-family detached homes, as well as attached condominiums for entry-level, first- and second-time move-up, and retired buyers. Ryland has constructed more than 285,000 homes in hundreds of communities around the US. The average price for a Ryland Home is around $240,000. The company offers services that span the homeownership process. Homebuyers can select custom home finishes at a My Style Design Center. The group also provides mortgage financing, including title, settlement, escrow, and insurance services, through Ryland Mortgage.

Toll Brothers builds luxury homes in the US, targeting move-up, second-home, and retired buyers. Its single-family detached houses and apartments range in price from about $230,000 to some $2 million. The company also develops communities for active adults and operates country club communities. Subsidiaries offer related services and products including insurance coverage, title and mortgage services, and landscaping. Like its peers, Toll Brothers closed on fewer homes with the housing downturn and financial crisis: It went from delivering nearly 8,600 homes in fiscal 2006 to fewer than 3,000 in fiscal 2009.

Tulloch is one of the largest homebuilders in Scotland. It sells its houses, which range from the luxurious to the affordable, through three brands: Tulloch Homes, Tulloch Homes Express, and Argyll Homes. Founded in 1925 as a joinery and contractor, the firm's client base includes the Scottish Highlands to the English border and beyond. Its leisure division operates hotels, lodges, and the Brucefields Family Golf Centre in Bannockburn, Scotland. In 2006 the company sold its construction and civil engineering business to rival Rok. The Bank of Scotland has a 40% stake in the company.

Veridian Homes wants to paint the town green. As an environmental steward, Veridian Homes builds communities with homes that are both Energy Star- and Green Built Home-certified. Those homes must meet strict standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Veridian offers more than 40 floor plans (with such distinguished names as The Bentley, The Carter, The Everest, and The Oxford) for single-family detached homes as well as condominiums in about 20 neighborhoods in Dane County and Madison, Wisconsin. The company also supports buyers in home plan selection, interior design modifications, and financing.

Walrus Projects company takes you down to Leicestershire and the surrounding area, where its projects range from 50,000 apartments to 1,000,000 country houses. With a little help from its friends, Walrus Projects uses materials and processes that range from reclaimed timber and "distressed" finishes to underheated floors. Managing director Chris Freeman began Walrus Projects in 1994, while working out of a spare bedroom at his home -- no doubt with his headphones on. Many Walrus Projects developments, such as Pepper's Field, bear Beatles-influenced names.

Weekley Homes can do it. Doing business as David Weekley Homes, the company is one of the largest privately owned homebuilders in the US. It builds single-family detached homes ranging in size from about 1,500 to 5,000 sq. ft. Prices range from the low $100,000s to some $1.2 million. In 2009 Weekley Homes closed about 2,300 homes (about half the business it did in better years). The company builds from hundreds of floor plans and offers a variety of custom options and upgrades. David Weekley homes are found in planned communities in the West, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Chairman and owner David Weekley founded the company in 1976.

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