Meet the fall Puerta Bella Award winner


Boyden looking to set up shop in Las Cruces

BY BETHANY CONWAY The Las Cruces Bulletin

In 2007, the Las Cruces Home Builders Association Fall Parade of Homes saw a surprising entry with the first out-of-town home
in several years. Even more surprising was the fact that the entry stole the show.

The home was 102 Mesa Grande in Elephant Butte's Turtleback Mountain Resort, and the builder was Joe Boyden.

Voted best overall in its price range, the home was the event's Puerta Bella Award winner - its highest recognition.

“This was our biggest accomplishment ever. Building in Turtleback has taken our whole team to a new level of achievement and has been so rewarding,” Boyden said.

With the resort raising eyebrows around the state, Boyden, who has built in the area for several years, said it is a great feeling to know he is attracting new resi-dents to the city of Elephant Butte.

“I was always trying to get that community going, and our goal is to build good houses at all different price ranges,” he said.

Working in the construction business since 1976, Boyden started working in the field and running 100-man crews when he was 16 years old.

Thirty years later, his company, Homes by Joe Boyden, builds all over the state, constructing about 85 homes a year.

On top of the rewards he has received from the LCHBA, Boyden has a long list of accomplishments including several awards from the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico and the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association.

Currently participating in the restoration of the historic plaza in Santa Fe, Homes by Joe Boyden is now building condominiums in an important tourist attraction for the entire state.

“We love the Bella Donna Condominiums and really enjoyed working with the historic district to put that project together. Santa Fe is such a great city, and we all benefit from the tourism drawn there,” he said.

Boyden said that he keeps his edge as a builder by staying unique and keeping buyers involved throughout the process.

“Every home is just as different as the family buying it. We want this home to be yours from the ground up. It's a team effort between the homeowner and us. We walk you through the entire process, from plan and lot selection to the color of your countertops. It's all very personal and individual,” Boyden said.

One way that he keeps the homeowner involved is by filming the construction of each house so the owner can view the entire process online.

While Boyden is based in central New Mexico, he sees good things happening in Las Cruces and is looking to start building in the ever-popular Picacho Hills area.

“I think this is a very exciting market right now. We've been looking around a lot, especially in Picacho Mountain. There are so many areas open right now for a new builder with a new vision, backed up by a lot of experience,” he said.

Driving to job sites all over New Mexico, Boyden said he owes his success to hard work and perseverance along with his hard-working team and family.

“The toughest part is keeping perspective. We're one of the biggest semi-custom homebuilders around, and it can be tough to maintain that balance between size and personal interaction. But we're very personally driven, so I think we do well,” he said. “I have a great team and great family support. That makes it easier to “stay in there fighting.”

According to Boyden, his family has “building in their blood,” and both his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Jacquelyn, fill important positions within his company.

Showcasing his product to interested parties from Las Cruces, Homes by Joe Boyden will be hosting tours of Turtleback Mountain during the month of April and will also have another entry in the up coming LCHBA Spring Showcase of Homes.

“Our models are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said Alley Sanxay, CEO of Homes by Joe Boyden. “We all believe in a certain lifestyle and in community, and that is what Turleback Mountain is.”

Ready to join the impressive list of builders in Las Cruces, Boyden said there are a lot of homes left to build out there.

“My consistent growth and success in homebuilding is my biggest achievement. Staying stable in such a volatile business is hard work. We've managed to do that,” he said. “We're not going anywhere. I've been doing this for almost 30 years, and it's still what I want to do every day.”