From CEO Larry Webb to the last employee on the organization chart, John Laing Homes (or WL Homes as it officially was known then) went through a difficult first half of 2001.

Set the bar high and understand which steps, people and skill sets are needed to reach it. Dedicate yourself and your associates to living the story you want told.

It has been compared to the video game SimCity, but at $4,995 a pop, CommunityViz 3-D simulation and modeling software is no toy.

The wonder of it is that anyone as passionate about teaching and coaching as Larry Webb ever found his way into managing a home building company.

Under a fun-focused management team that now owns the company, Professional Builder's 2004 Builder of the Year, John Laing Homes, is morphing into a new breed of home builder.

If you haven't seen your planned tax refund turn into a tax payment, be patient. Your time will come. Virtually every method you have used to reduce your federal income tax works against you under the AMT.

The list of charities John Laing Homes supports takes more than two pages in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to display.

Demand remains strong, though first-time affordability, tech toys and demographic changes beckon competitive builders.

Despite years of technological innovation, seemingly simple problems such as nail pops, cracks and other drywall problems continue to plague home construction.