Laska, principal of StoryBook Homes, officially founded the company in 2003 and now specializes in production homes that range in size from 1,100 square feet to 2,100 square feet and start in the low $200s to $300s.

"Our niche or expertise is more the first-time buyer," said Laska, who has been in the homebuilding industry for 20 years, 14 of which he spent with Lewis Homes until it was acquired in 1999 by KB Home, where he served as vice president of sales until 2002. "It's a product I love, and what better product to produce than a home? It gives me a lot of reward and satisfaction seeing somebody getting into their own home and living their dream."

Laska and his wife, Catherine, founded the company with personal funds and bank loans, initially purchasing 16 acres in various areas of the valley, including one parcel near Southern Highlands, another near Fort Apache and Sunset roads, a third off Buffalo Drive and Rochelle Avenue, and a fourth off Charleston Boulevard and Orchard Valley Drive.

Although the land was purchased in late 2002, Laska said, the company did not actually start building until 10 months later.

"Homebuilding is a very capital-intensive business, and it takes a long period of time from when you first buy the land to when you start building the homes," he said, adding that his wife serves as a company principal but is not actively involved in the business.

"You have to buy the land so far in advance and there was also a lot of research that had to be done. I was by myself and there was nobody to bounce ideas off of so you just do the best you can. It was hard because there's a lot to think about starting a new business. So I hired an administrative person to answer the phones, then we had to get in touch with the people we had relationships with -- subcontractors and brokers."

The company, which was originally located in an 800-square-foot office, moved into a 3,600-square-foot space near Sahara Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard in June 2004 -- with plans to absorb an additional 3,600-square-feet this fall -- and has grown to 25 employees.

Since its inception, StoryBook has acquired more than 120 acres of land across the valley with nearly 1,400 lots, primarily in the southwest and northeast, submarkets about which Laska has an understanding. The company closed its first home in June 2004 and has closed 100 homes since its launch, a figure Laska anticipates will reach 150 by the end of the year. In 2006 he hopes to close on an additional 300 homes.

StoryBook recently sold out of three communities in the valley and is scheduled to begin sales of homes in five more local communities within the next couple of months.

"What we're interested in doing is having controlled growth and making sure we build quality homes because it's more about quality than numbers," he said. "We're not a public company and we don't have to obtain a certain amount of units, so we want to have great customer satisfaction first."

Dianne Hampton, a tax preparer who has lived in Southern Nevada for 10 years, has the distinction of recently closing on StoryBook's 100th home. Hampton made it clear she is a satisfied customer.

"They were my very first experience (buying a home), and they made it comfortable and convenient and easy -- I was able to make all the right decisions," Hampton said. "I also noticed that they took the time do some customizing and some creative stuff in the home as opposed to the cookie-cutter. They rounded corners, and put in little nooks and crannies, and did some customizing in the closets -- just things as an owner you'd want to put in but as a developer you'd make something standardized and knock it out as quick as you can. But they took the time to do it right. I also like the idea it was a complete package. They did the landscaping, the walling and the fencing. Sometimes when you buy a new home you have to go in yourself and do a lot of the stuff to make it livable."

Her home, located near Flamingo Road and Buffalo Drive, is in the final phases of construction, and she expects to be able to move in next month. She discovered the company last spring on the Internet.

"I found StoryBook online and said, 'How cute,' " she recalled. "I went over on a Sunday and pretty much spent the day. Right then on the spot I signed up and paid my deposit and opened escrow that Monday. It's funny -- I am a tax preparer so I don't do anything until after April 15, so there I was on April 17 looking for a new home."

The two-story, 1,350-square-foot home, located near her office, which was a major selling point, has two bedrooms, a loft, 2 1/2 baths and a two-car garage. The loft also piqued Hampton's interest.

"I always wanted a brand-new house and I always wanted a loft," she said. "I had some say in how it was laid out and it's gorgeous."

Hien Chang, a civil engineer who has lived in the valley for 20 years, is also a StoryBook homeowner, having moved into a 1,350-square-foot house near Flamingo Road and Buffalo Drive two months ago. The two-story home has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths.

"I was actually not looking for a home, but I drove by and saw (the company's) sign and it caught my eye because I liked the location; close to my family, close to my work and in the center of Las Vegas," Chang said, adding that she also had a positive experience with the StoryBook. "I'm satisfied with the quality of the home, and they were nice people to work with. They provided me with good service and they did a good job on the house."

So what prompted Laska to leave KB Home and launch StoryBook?

Unfortunately, it was personal tragedy.

"At the end of 2001, my 3 1/2-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer and went through chemotherapy and radiation and several surgeries," Laska said, adding that his son is now in remission. "But at the time we re-evaluated life and what we thought was important and decided in 2002 to go ahead and leave for family reasons and take a different direction in my life like a lot of executives do. We started considering options as a family and decided to start our own company."

Laska, who previously owned his own business repairing private aircraft prior to joining Lewis Homes, has always had a keen interest in real estate, so the transition from mechanic to the homebuilding industry made sense.

"My family was in real estate in New Jersey and I was always intrigued when I was young," he said. "Everybody needs a home and everybody wants something to call their own. It's the American dream, the foundation of a family, not only a concrete foundation, but a philosophical one. You live together in your home, you laugh, you cry, you have hard times, fun times and share dinner and have popcorn and movie nights. These are all things people do in their homes."

As for the future of the company, Laska anticipates growing to 35 employees by the end of the year, although he emphasized that controlled growth is the secret to running a successful homebuilding business.

"It's important to build a quality home so we will keep the company small and will probably stay around the 300 to 400 (home) per year range," he said.