CAMPBELL HOMES' SUCCESS: They listen

   Campbell Homes has built its success by listening to customers. The locally owned company has been around for 43 years, long enough to keep happy homeowners coming back.
   "At Campbell, we know that everyone has different needs. If something can be tweaked to accommodate someone's special needs, then we're going to look at it," said Chris Casey, community manager for Campbell's newest project, Indigo Ranch at Stetson Ridge.
   Campbell broke ground in the neighborhood, northeast of Stetson Hills Boulevard and Peterson Road, in late 2007 and will have three homes available within weeks. The builder offers 35 styles, priced from the $280,000s.
   The Laramie is a three-level style that's approximately 3,256 square feet, depending on options. Buyers may choose wood or stucco-and-stone exteriors.
   The front porch leads to an entry fl oored with hardwood, a Campbell standard.
   "We use the No. 1 red oak and 3/4-inch wood," Casey explained. "Other builders are using half-inch to quarter-inch." Over the years, as homeowners strip and stain those skimpy fl oors, the thinner wood warps and cracks.
   "With 3/4-inch hardwood, you can do that four or fi ve times. It should last you while you're in the home," he said.
   Off the entry, the elegant yet homey living room has stunning twostory windows. The standard front windows soar from a window seat to a fanlight, and low-E vinyl double panes mean the windows are also practical.
   "These actually have a light-green tint that helps prevent UV rays," Casey said. "It doesn't fade your carpet, doesn't fade your furniture as fast. It keeps the heat out and the cold in during the summer. In the winter, it's the reverse."
   Optional windows in the side wall make the room even more light and airy.
   "Campbell does a really good job of putting lots of windows in homes; there's great natural light, there's a warm feeling," Casey said.
   An archway leads to the dining room, which strikes a balance between relaxed and formal, cozy and spacious - a 10-person table fi ts nicely. Standard bay windows look out on the backyard, and side windows may be added.
   The light fi xture is brushed nickel, another example of Campbell's responsiveness to homebuyers' wishes.
   "We try to get away from brass," he said. "We're fi nding that 8 out of 10 people were actually spending the money to upgrade to brushed nickel, so now that's standard" throughout every Campbell home.
   The kitchen's standard features include 12-inch tile countertops and backsplash, and Maytag stainless steel dishwasher, range and microwave.
   Campbell no longer includes refrigerators, after discovering most homebuyers bring one they already own or buy one with the options they want.
   "Why include something and charge people for it when most of the time they're going to bring their own?" Casey asked.
   The cabinets, with roll-out drawers, can be maple, oak or hickory. This model has a small pantry; some styles feature walk-ins.
   One end of the kitchen is a nook, with sliding glass doors to the backyard.
   The nearby family room is perfect for relaxing by the fi re or watching TV.
   The ground fl oor also includes a study, a half-bath and an entryway to the garage. Two bays are standard, but buyers may upgrade to a three-car garage on wider lots. Lots are 6,300 square feet to a quarter-acre.
   Upstairs, the spacious master suite includes an oversized walk-in closet; the bath has an oval soaking tub and double vanities in a kitchen-height countertop.
   Two additional bedrooms are standard, but homebuyers may add another bedroom or leave that space open to the family room below. This level also includes a bath and a small laundry room.
   "That's something a lot of people are looking for - they don't like hiking clothes up and down the stairs," Casey said.
   Downstairs, a recreation room, two bedrooms and a bath surround the home's brain - the mechanical room. Vanguard Manablock plastic pipes, quieter and more durable than copper, go directly to each faucet. The Rheem gas furnaces are even more effi cient since Campbell switched from tape to mastic to seal ducts.
   "On average, a new home will have about 30 percent heat leakage," Casey said. "The last 10 or 12 homes we've built, that's down to zero."
   Children attend Falcon District 49 schools, and a brand-new charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade is minutes away. The neighborhood is close to major shopping, yet secluded from city congestion.
   This is a community of homes that will be worth every penny for years to come.
   "You compare Campbell to our closest competitor and ours are $15,000-$20,000 more per home, but by the time you sit down and actually upgrade their homes to our standard, they're more expensive," Casey said.
   The bottom line: Campbell's people build the homes they'd like to live in.