Filed in Design, Events, International Builders' Show, Land Development on July 14, 2017 • 0 Comments

Turning obstacles into opportunities is something successful home builders know how to do as well as anyone. The New American Home (TNAH) 2018 provides a great example of this type of innovative problem solving.

It’s rare for a home in Central Florida to have an impressive view. However, TNAH 2018 is being built on a unique lot that overlooks Lake Apopka.

“[The view] is just spectacular,” said John Kolb, vice president of construction at Legacy Custom Built, the builder of TNAH 2018. “One of the great things about the community of Bella Collina is that it has hills which provide many of the properties with stunning views like this.”

Heritage Block is partnering with The New American Home 2018 project, providing one of its newest wall block systems for the retaining walls.

But that view comes at a price: a roughly 30-foot drop in elevation from street level to the back of the property.

“When you run into challenges and have to find solutions, that’s what makes residential construction so interesting,” Kolb said.

With a focus on outdoor living, the build team is taking that steep pitch and turning it into multiple levels of entertaining and living areas — but only after hauling in dozens of truckloads of fill to level the property enough to lay the foundation.

For the home’s retaining walls, Legacy is using a new product from Heritage Block with a simple installation and the look of natural dry-stack stone. The wall block system is touted for having a very realistic appearance without sacrificing performance.

The home, which is now in the mechanical-electrical-plumbing stage, is on schedule for completion in the fall. It will be officially unveiled during the 2018 International Builders’ Show, Jan. 9-11. Show registration opens Aug. 1.