November/December 2006: John Laing Homes
Project of the Year: John Laing Homes
By Lisa Brown
Like its French namesake, a medieval village 44 miles outside of Nice, Roubion — from the Provençal word Robione, meaning cliff — sits on high, integrated snugly into the surrounding mountainside.
Comprised of 72 hilltop estate homes in San Ramon, Calif., situated at the top of Norris Canyon Estates, Roubion represents a compelling blend of architectural styles, integrating elements of John Laing Homes’ “Laing Luxury” communities in Southern California — specifically Newport Beach, Orange County — while simultaneously reflecting San Francisco Peninsula elegance with homes replicating old-style Palo Alto homes in Traditional, English and classic French styles.
“When we first considered a particular architectural ‘look,’ I asked architect Dan Hale to tour the classic Crescent Park neighborhood in Palo Alto. Dan compiled an extensive photo file of the neighborhood, which is filled with beautifully maintained grand mansions from the 1920s,” says Roger Menard, president of John Laing Homes’ recently established San Francisco Bay Area operation.
Deftly combining the glamour of 1920s American mansions — and all the luxurious options such elegance entails — with the pristine ambience of a French village, Roubion stands at the top of its class, effortlessly securing the OPTIONS for Today’s Fine Homes magazine 2006 Project of the Year award.
Custom quality meets production value
Priced from the low $2,000,000s, homes at Roubion range in size from 4,400 square feet to over 6,600 square feet with an average lot size of 33,000 square feet.
“The feedback we’ve gotten from interested homebuyers is that our price points are really supported by the scope and scale of Roubion,” Menard says. “Over and over, we’ve heard from enthusiastic visitors who have commented that Roubion homes have all the features of a custom home and more, ‘without the custom home price.’”
A remarkable debut
Since its opening, prospective buyers far and wide have stood up and taken notice of John Laing’s remarkable achievement.
“The growth of our interest list has been tremendous,” Menard says. “Over 300 people attended our VIP grand opening recently. We literally sold our first home at Roubion within the first half hour of the event! Our sales traffic has been both strong and steady since opening in late October. We’re targeting our marketing efforts at high net worth individuals. The quality of the interest list and traffic is very impressive.”
John Laing Homes has received many inquiries from homeowners in nearby neighborhoods who have followed the construction progress at Roubion. Many of Roubion’s neighbors quickly lined up to tour the models upon their opening.
Having developed a very pro-active contingency program to support its buyers at Roubion who may need assistance selling their existing homes, the John Laing team advises its homebuyers on how to best position and posture their current property in today’s challenging market.
“The San Francisco Bay Area really hasn’t seen a community like Roubion built in the past 15 years,” Menard says.
Indeed, not since Blackhawk has a community packed such a punch in the realm of impressive amenities and luxury appointments. It is no wonder that several additional deposits have been made, with John Laing Homes projecting 20 or more sales in 2007.
Luxury living, above it all
Nestled deep in the heart of the East Bay, Roubion’s hilltop location offers spectacular views of Mt. Diablo and the San Ramon Valley — just one of the plethora of spectacular details that ensure John Laing Homes’ first Bay Area offering’s success.
“It is very important to us as a company that our flagship community fully demonstrates our capabilities as one of the nation’s most well-respected homebuilders,” notes Menard. “We want to introduce ourselves to the San Francisco Bay Area with a demonstrated track record and commitment to customer quality and satisfaction.”
Menard brings to John Laing Homes’ San Francisco Bay Area division over 50 years of personal involvement in Bay Area homebuilding, beginning when he worked alongside his father, a builder on the San Francisco Peninsula, during his youth.
“Of the thousands of homes I’ve built, Roubion represents absolutely the best,” Menard says. “This community is a culmination of those years of experience working with superb architects, craftsmen, interior designers and project vendors. You can see this in every detail, every finish and every imaginative architectural design at Roubion.
Selections reign supremeThere is a recognition at Roubion that its homebuyers desire a superb quality of life and an excellent homeownership experience. Toward this end, the homes at Roubion offer secondary “prep” kitchens and dedicated wine rooms capable of storing up to 1,000 bottles. For added convenience, nearly every bedroom at Roubion boasts its own expansive walk-in closet and bathroom.
“Here in the Bay Area, John Laing Homes has forged a unique and multi-faceted partnership with Copia, The American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts in Napa,” Menard says. “Co-founded by wine industry icon Robert Mondavi, Copia embodies a casually elegant lifestyle that truly embraces wine, cooking and the arts. Roubion is a showcase of each of these elements.”
John Laing Homes utilized Eldorado Stone® and Robinson Bricks® in Roubion’s façade treatments. With eight-foot JELD-WEN® designer entry doors, the homes feature three-coat stucco finishes. Viewscapes are heightened through the use of Andersen® windows and doors.
Each of Roubion’s gourmet kitchens comes equipped with a stainless steel Thermador Pro® 48-inch Duel Fuel Range with six burners and a griddle. Secondary kitchens include a 30-inch gas cook top, 30-inch convection oven and four-cycle dishwasher, all by Bosch®. Primary and secondary kitchens have granite slab countertops with Kohler® sinks and faucets.
Master suites offer Germany’s Studio Becker maple shelf and pole systems in spacious walk-in closets, while the baths boast Kohler® Memoirs fixtures.
“What we’ve been able to accomplish at Roubion is to provide totally flexible configurations, allowing for home theaters, extended closets, additional bedroom suites or bonus rooms,” remarks Menard. “Homebuyers have virtually unlimited customizing options through our on-site John Laing Homes Design Studio.”
The Roubion landscape program, in conjunction with Copia, gives homebuyers the opportunity to design both soft- and hardscapes, including gardens, patios, pools, spas and outdoor kitchens.
“People who haven’t even entered the homes at Roubion can tell just from the exterior that there is something unique and special here,” notes Menard. “I think we’ve succeeded in extending comfortable living from the indoors to the outdoors at Roubion.”
Copious coordination
Copia’s director of wine programs and one of just 20 Masters of Wine in the United States, Peter Marks was instrumental in the design of Roubion’s wine rooms. Linda Carucci, Copia’s Julia Child director of culinary programs, provided invaluable advice about appliance selection and integrating the prep kitchens with the primary gourmet kitchens.
Copia’s expert program directors will host a series of specialized seminars at Roubion, covering such wine country and California lifestyle topics as wine tasting, culinary skills and herb garden planning.
“It is simply a tremendous value-add for Roubion homebuyers to be able to consult these Copia experts,” Menard says.
Upon entry, homeowners at Roubion may be greeted by an expansive wine room, glass-enclosed to maximize its stunning visual impact. Certain to take any guest’s breath away, this first-class community’s finishing touches would evoke the envy of Bacchus himself.
An appeal for all tastes
“There is a remarkable cross-section of nationalities and individuals who’ve signed up on our interest list and who have toured Roubion,” Menard says. “There is a comfort level with some of our interested homebuyers who see that Roubion can easily accommodate multi-generational living arrangements.”
Just minutes from several major employment centers such as Hacienda Business Park, Bishop Ranch and Bernal Corporate Park, Roubion is also within commuting distance of Silicon Valley and San Francisco.
“We’ve received outstanding support from Dubai-based EMAAR Properties as well as John Laing Homes corporate,” Menard says. “Our president and CEO Larry Webb came up from Newport Beach for the Roubion grand opening. Larry recognizes that the Bay Area proper is a very unique market and has all the attributes of an enduring market.”
Fostering community to build a lasting legacy
Consistently ranked as an industry leader in overall customer satisfaction by J.D. Powers and Associates as well as Eliant, John Laing Homes tries to anticipate its customers’ needs and expectations — and then exceed them. John Laing also offers its employees an excellent and engaging work environment where their talents, opinions, innovations and contributions are valued at the highest level.
“At every level of John Laing Homes, we’ve pledged to provide both our employees and our customers with the ultimate in care. Our recognition as ‘America’s Best Builder’ and ‘America’s Most Admired Builder’ bears this out and is a reflection of our efforts in customer satisfaction. All our jobs center on creating — for each homebuyer — an unsurpassed homeownership experience,” Menard says.
Extremely supportive of the communities it builds in California and Colorado, John Laing Homes believes in philanthropic action. “We don’t just write checks to non-profits and think, ‘Well, that’s it,’” explains Menard. “Our involvement in ABC TV’s ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ is a telling example of our willingness to become involved and contribute more than simply our financial resources.
We’re donating our people resources too. All told, John Laing Homes contributes to over 220 charitable and not-for-profit organizations.”
OPTIONS magazine commends John Laing Homes not only as the builder of our Project of the Year, but also for its open and giving corporate culture and selfless dedication to both its employees and homebuyers.