This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In the housing world, there are custom homes and there are tract homes. One offers high-end fixtures and finishes with a designer touch and possibly even some design input from the prospective owner, but often with a hefty price tag. The other offers affordability, but finishes tend to be on the lower end and they are often associated with "cookie-cutter" neighborhoods, where houses are all designed from the same plan and therefore all look the alike.
So what does the design savvy homeowner on a budget do? Enter Ron Iacono, owner of WestView Homes. With over 38 years of experience, Iacono got his start in the custom market, but today, he designs tract homes with a twist.
"I said you know what, I can probably take some of the ideas I learned in custom homebuilding and make these tract homes glamorized and more affordable for people to buy," Iacono said. "They get the features they really want, and it makes them feel like they are in a custom home."
During their 38 years in business WestView has built just over 700 homes, not on par with bigger builders in terms of numbers, but Iacono says it's because he has chosen quality over quantity.
"I don't think I would go past more than 30 to 40 homes a year," Iacono said. "I don't want to get larger than that because…volume builders tend to lose control of quality."
It's an aspect of working with WestView Homes that clients certainly appreciate and often comment on.
"My wife Diana and I really enjoyed working with Ron during the building process of our new home," Jeff Percival said. "We were particularly impressed that he was completely against skimping and cutting corners, and we found his honesty and ethical standards refreshing."
Iacono's focus is not only on quality homes, but also quality service. This includes constant contact with the homeowner throughout the building process and access to a designer who can advise on the suitability of any change requests clients may have. WestView Homes will also arrange financing for clients who need it, pay closing costs and provide a 10 year structural warranty on each of their homes.
"We had a great experience building our first home, Scott and Alison Cogswell said. "Ron's years of experience really came out when we spoke with him about our home and the building industry in Utah," they said. "His knowledge of design and features is excellent, and his help with every aspect of our new home, from floor-plan to hardware finishes, insured we would have a home that we could enjoy and feel impressed by for years to come."
WestView Homes generally start at around $299,000 and run to the high 400s, but customers can also request as many customizations as needed to finish the home in exactly the way they want.
"I'm currently working on a home for a family that is moving from California to Utah," Iacono said. "The purchase price was in the 400s, but they requested several customizations that will increase the cost to over $600,000, and they have written to let me know that they are very happy with the plans I've laid out for them," he said.
Beautiful custom finishes are further enhanced by spectacular views and locations personally selected by Iacono because of proximity to good schools and other amenities. Locations include Bluffdale Heights in Bluffdale, Jordan Heights in South Jordan, Lake Ridge at Rosecrest in Herriman and Maple Hills in West Jordan.
"I'll keep going until I drop dead," Iacono said. "I'm building for second and third generations of families. I'm building for parents' children, and their grand children," he said. "It means a lot to us that we build more than houses. We provide that special place our clients can call home."