:: Distinctive Communities, Incorporated

Distinctive Communities wins Product Design of the Year at 2008 Sand Dollar Awards
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The Collier Building Industry announced the 2008 Sand Dollar Award Winners during its annual event, held this year on September 6th, 2008. Many of Naples top builders, designers and building industry leaders gathered at the Coconut Hyatt for the "Moulin Rouge" themed awards ceremony to find out who would take the top prizes in each category.

Distinctive Communities, Inc, a local luxury home builder received the Sand Dollar award for Product Design of the Year in the $2,500,001 - $3,500,000 category for their model home in the community of Marsala at Tiburon. The Renoir model at just over 5,300 square feet showcases the meticulously hand crafted details and unparalleled quality that goes into creating a Distinctive Communities home and help to garner them a Sand Dollar Award.

The Renoir model features 4 bedrooms, each with a private bath, formal living and dining rooms as well as a casual eating and living areas off of the kitchen. The dark cherry hardwood flooring glides thru the house, and has a true coastal feel when combined with the bright creamy painted moldings and turned pickets gracing the stairwell. No detail has been left unnoticed in both design and decor; of the 4 bedroom suites, the master and one guest suite is situated downstairs providing both privacy and accessibility of ease to the main living areas of the home. The upstairs guest rooms feature superior views; and from the scrolled wrought iron balcony, breathtaking vistas of both the outdoor verandah, lagoon style pool and the luscious rolling greens of the Tiburon Black Course fairway can be enjoyed.

Graceful French Doors open from the main living areas with invitation to entertaining or quite retreat. The planter inspired family room with the planked side turned, wood beam ceiling and double palm fan reflects the casual nature of this home, while the intricate details of the built in and kitchen showcase ingenuity of design. Off the family room, the covered loggia features a beautifully detailed gas stone fireplace, seating area and private pool bath, perfect for entertaining. The dark wood ceiling details offer contrast from the light painted woods inside. The rear of the home surrounds the hand laid stone lagoon style pool and the verandah is expansive with views to the pool and the greens beyond. A freestanding outdoor pavilion just beyond the pool embraces Florida style living and provides a family friendly spot for gathering and relaxation, and symbolizes one of the many reasons the Cuban inspired Renoir model in Marsala was awarded Product Design of the Year.

The Renoir model's highest marks were achieved by working closely with Design partners Stofft Cooney Architects and Collins & Dupont Interiors of Bonita Springs. Specific judging items were rated on a scale of 1 thru 5, with 5 being noted as outstanding. Design features such as Space Livability, Product Uniqueness, Quality Workmanship and Value all played a role in helping Distinctive to attain the CBIA's Product Design of the Year honor.

The Collier Building Industry Association's Sand Dollars are judged every year by design and building professionals from across the country in a wide variety of categories, and entrants must receive a minimum of 70% of total possible points in order to receive the award in a given category. This year the CBIA presented Sand Dollars for over 80 categories ranging from Product Design of the Year to Best Website to Sales Manager of the Year. Entries were based on type of product and price range in the building categories.

In celebration of the Renoir's Sand Dollar Recognition, Distinctive Communities, Inc. will be holding an open house today from 1-4 pm, so local homeowners can tour this model home for themselves and see the quality and value that helped Distinctive Communities achieve the Product Design of the Year award.

Distinctive Communities was contracted to transform a courtyard style villa in Pelican Bay into an updated tropical retreat. The client felt that over the past 16 years, the home was not used to its fullest and set out to redefine spaces and maximize the utility of all the rooms in the home. In cooperation with Distinctive Communities and Vince Muller Interiors, the new and improved courtyard villa now overflows with unique spaces and environments for all aspects of life.

The main change was converting the little used living room into a cozy wine bistro. Designing the centerpiece built-in cabinet for the bar area was a challenge with space constraints, but the impact of the finished product was tremendous. With a cozy seating area that opens up to an enclosed lanai, true indoor/outdoor living can be experienced.

To open up the floor plan, the kitchen was redesigned to bring a new feel and look to one of the most important rooms of the house. A wall was replaced with a vast countertop lit by pendant lights. The original island with bar height counter was replaced with a large prep island with countertop height seating. The new cabinets reach from floor to ceiling and have designed spaces for decorative glass.

Naples is synonymous with outdoor living. The client wanted some changes to the feel of their courtyard. With the assistance of Christian Andrea, a flow-crete deck was replaced with a delightful chiseled edge stone and contrasting boarder. The pool design was left alone, but the transitional decor was transitioned to the outside with waterline tile inlaid with glass and a sheer decent water feature to capture the eye and ear.

When you decide to build a home, there are many decisions to be made; what style of house, what is the size of the home you are looking for, where to build. Very often the most important factor of homebuilding is overlooked - how best to choose the right builder for you. A Builder's reputation and integrity should be at the forefront when determining who will work with you to construct not only a new home, but complete your vision of the final outcome.

There is so much written about home construction projects gone bad, horror stories of poor quality, lack of communication and spiraling costs that equate to no more than bad memories; but what about the good stories?

The Collier Building Industry Association lists over 440 builders in the area, each with their own reputation and history in Collier County for homebuilding and construction. One custom homebuilder, Distinctive Communities, Inc., has quietly and consistently risen to the top, focusing not only on the quality of construction but the quality of the customer service and relationships they form with their clients along the way.

Terrabella, an estate villa neighborhood located in Pelican Marsh has become an enduring favorite to savvy homebuyers because of its, elegant charm, quality construction and premium North Naples locale. As the Developer and Builder of Terrabella, Distinctive Communities allowed homebuyers the opportunity to make custom changes to fit each of their individual styles and tastes, an option that not only lead to beautiful custom homes, but helped to create an environment of uniqueness, with no two homes being alike. Thru every step of the process homebuyers were treated with respect and flexibility, one of the cornerstones of Distinctive's success. Dealing directly with the builder, the mission of customer satisfaction is secondary only to the value and beauty built into each home they construct, and in the end each homebuilder was elated at the final product and the experience they had along the way. "Distinctive was a pleasure to work with, not only willing to make extensive alterations, but offering some great ideas. I had little opportunity for onsite inspection or follow-up (during the building process); therefore it was extremely satisfying to have the home completed on time, on budget and with no surprises." Says Tom, a delighted homeowner who lives in Terrabella.

Quality builders have one major factor in common: Experience. The knowledge and history of the company's principals is at the core of a success story when building a custom home. Project managers, superintendents, subcontractors, they all play a vital role in the production of a new home, so it is important to ask your potential builder about their partners as well. Top builders know that the relationships they have with their employees and vendors are as important as the relationship they build with their clients. Distinctive Communities, Inc. has built a reputation around their quality custom homes in prestigious planned communities throughout Southwest Florida. Known for their spacious open floor plans, homeowners work directly with the builder, the project coordinators and design team to create an environment built around trust and open communication. "It is our goal, if not our passion, to assure our buyers the highest quality of design, materials and dedicated local craftsman", says David Sturdyvin, a builder who prides himself on the trust and respect he has earned from his former clients. Homebuyers can choose one of many standard floor plans, or work directly with the Architect to create a home that reflects their individual lifestyle and tastes. Currently Distinctive offers a variety of single family floor plans ranging from 3200 square feet to over 5000 square feet.

Another factor to explore when choosing a homebuilder is their work philosophy. Do they consider your home a "production house" or a custom home. There is an important difference between the two and the philosophy that surrounds it. Communication is at the center of project excellence when creating a custom home, and a viewpoint of open communication and the implementation of problem solving action plans will go a long way in creating a happy customer and obtaining value in your home.

Based on the number of factors involved in a custom home project, in reality problems do happen, but it is how the situation is handled that makes the difference. "Professional is the perfect term to describe the employees (at Distinctive) that we dealt with during the building process, they were a joy to interact with as we saw our dream home become a reality. Knowing that we were doing this process long distance, the staff went out of their way to assist us during every phase." Says Terry a homeowner in Olde Cypress "No matter was too inconsequential to be dealt with, and each matter was seen in a timely manner" If something should go wrong, you want someone reliable and trustworthy that you can depend on taking care of the problem, especially if you live out of the area in which you are building. You will need someone on your side looking out for your best interest while overseeing the important planning, developmental and construction phases of building your home.

Experience, Open Communication and commitment to excellence are the building blocks of a true custom home, it takes more than concrete and wood to create a sound and valued investment that you will enjoy for many years to come. When choosing a homebuilder to construct your dream, Reliability and Honesty should lay the foundation for your new home, and your time should be spent enjoying the fruits of your labor not worrying about unresolved issues that may have arisen.

Anyone interested in more information on building a custom home, remodeling or touring one of their models built by Distinctive Communities in Marsala at Tiburon, Olde Cypress or Caprini at Miromar Lakes, should contact Distinctive Communities directly at 239-594-9596. Specific information can also be obtained on their website: http://www.DistinctiveCommunities.com.