Best Home Builder

1. Lennar

15131 Alton Parkway, Suite 345, Irvine; 949-349-8000; lennar.com

Lennar builds homes across the United States and the development company has a large footprint here in Orange County. Local developments include The Farm, a new gated community in San Juan Capistrano, with plans to include a half-acre park, and Serrano Summit, which includes a beach entry pool, cabanas and pickleball courts.

The Currents is a Fountain Valley project opening this year with homes that range in size up to five bedrooms, while Seamark is a Huntington Beach development of single-family homes near the Santa Ana River Trail set to open next year.

What makes Lennar homes so popular? It might be all the features that are included in them, like smart home technology, WaterSense-certified kitchen and bathroom faucets, Energy Star appliances and energy-efficient windows. It could be the fashionable interior design choices, from hardwood and ceramic tile floors to granite or quartz countertops and tile or stone backsplashes.

It might also be some of the company’s innovations, like the NextGen home, which includes a “homewithin-a-home” that features a separate entrance and kitchenette and can be used for multigenerational families, home school setups, home offices or other situations where someone needs a little more privacy.

Lennar also makes the process of moving into one of their homes a little less stressful with its myLennar online service that you can use to set up utilities, make a change of address and more.

PAUL BERSEBACH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Lennar was voted the top home builder in the Best of Orange County 2022 contest. Model homes are pictured at Almeria at Rise in the Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine.

— Liz Ohanesian

2. Shea Homes

480-933-5840; sheahomes.com

Shea Homes is a company with history. The company worked on projects like the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge and the BART mass transit system before turning toward new homes.

Today, the company’s projects range from single family homes to senior living communities. Its current Orange County projects include the sold out Camila gated community in Placentia and the multimillion-dollar homes inside Irvine’s Cetara at Orchard Hills and Launch at Rise, Neo at Mission Foothills townhomes in Mission Viejo, duplex The Cay at Mariner Shore in Newport and Lake Forest’s Teresina development.

Soon, Shea Homes will be bringing Saffron, a community of four- to five-bedroom homes on sites that measure more than a third of an acre, to Yorba Linda. The company has developed SheaConnect for smart home functions and Shea Homes Design Studio is available when you’re ready to work on the interiors of your new abode.

Home projects were a hobby for Pat Patterson, but, after a project on Lido Isle went particularly well, friends encouraged him to do more. He did. Then clients asked for more and Sailhouse grew from there. For the past eight years, the company has been building its reputation in and around Newport Beach.

“Our main goal is to create timeless architecture that fits in with the neighborhood,” Patterson says.

Sailhouse signature homes are the ones the company builds to sell or lease and have a distinctly classic, coastal vibe. Sailhouse also works on custom projects for clients in a variety of styles, incorporating requested features like home gyms, solar technology, even elevators.

3. Sailhouse

170 Newport Center Drive, Suite 260, Newport Beach; 949-281-6044; sailhouse.com