Custom-home builders specialize in Summerlin

To assist home site buyers in designing and building their custom homes within the Summerlin master-planned community, The Howard Hughes Corp. established the Summerlin Featured Builder program more than five years ago to match buyers with builders. More than 750 completed and occupied custom homes are located within seven Summerlin custom neighborhoods.

Five custom-home builders are registered in the program, however, membership does not constitute an official endorsement of the builder by Hughes Corp., according to Stew Gibbons, executive vice president of Hughes Corp., which oversees Summerlin development.

"While lot buyers are free to choose their own builders, even those outside the Featured Builder program, many appreciate the opportunity to connect with builders who have proven success in Summerlin," Gibbons said.

Builders in the program are selected based on their track record of building and customer satisfaction and are monitored to ensure they maintain their standards. They are the only custom builders allowed to build spec homes within the community.

Papock Construction, owned by Bob Papock, is an original member of the program. Papock has been building custom homes in the Las Vegas Valley for 12 years with a focus on homes in Summerlin priced from $1 million to $4 million.

"If I can't personally supervise the work on a custom home, I would rather walk away from the job," said Papock, who prides himself on his one-on-one approach to custom building.

Pete Reiger of PMR Homes has built custom homes for the past 20 years, including some in almost every custom neighborhood within the master-planned community.

"Summerlin's numerous parks, trails and golf courses make an ideal setting for those seeking a quality living environment," Reiger said. "I work directly with each client to ensure their home is as top-notch as the community."

Timothy Stonestreet, owner of Six Star Construction, has built homes for numerous Las Vegas celebrities, many of whom live in the community. Having built 600 homes of all kinds since 1988, Stonestreet now concentrates on building "super" custom homes -- about $14 million worth each year.

Yohan Lowie, president of Executive Homes, and his partners, Paul and Vickie DeHart, are building three homes in Promontory at The Ridges, the community's newest village.

Architect Richard Luke and partners David Dewane and Dave Ungar of Westpac Construction have formed Western Pacific Partners, a development company that focuses on luxury homes.

Summerlin has ranked as the nation's best-selling master-planned community for eight of the past nine years, according to an independent survey. Situated along the western Las Vegas Valley, it is unfolding in a series of villages with nearly 100 parks.

The community is also home to two Tournament Players Club golf courses, the Jack Nicklaus Bear's Best course and five others.

Nearly 130 model homes are featured. Single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums are priced from less than $100,000 to more than $700,000. Custom lots from one-quarter acre to three-quarters of an acre are priced from the mid-$100,000s to more than $1 million. Predesigned custom homes are priced from about $800,000 to more than $3 million. Apartments offer monthly rents starting from the $700s.

To visit the community's home finding center or custom-home sales center, travel west on Sahara Avenue, past Hualapai Way, to Town Center Drive. Or, take Interstate 215 to Sahara. The offices are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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