John Caniglia Homes spans generations
12-page photo portfolio by Christine Ballard
John Caniglia built his first home in 1979, and later when his son Cory was in high school at Millard North, during the summers Cory helped his dad on job sites, learning each of the trades. Cory loved the work and knew then it’s what he wanted to do for a living. Today, Cory serves as a project manager and is part of the sales team for John Caniglia Homes, helping not just his dad, but his mother Cindy, brother Jesse, and sister Kylie, who all work as part of the family business.
Although styles and trends have changed over the 35 years since John Caniglia Homes started, they’ve always focused on custom builds using floor plans they’ve developed and evolved over time. The company typically builds 12-15 custom homes a year and tries to always have six spec homes available in varying floor plans. Cory said a majority of what they used to build were ranches, which turned into two-story homes, and now it’s evolved into the story and a half, which has become the most popular in the West Omaha market and is the floor plan for the 3,200 sq. ft. home currently for sale in Southpointe Estates in Elkhorn.
This particular home includes a true two-story great room and a staircase in the middle of the house rather than at the front—two trends that allow for more functional living space. “A lot of people like to have a hidden staircase, so we put it off the kitchen, not in the entryway,” Cory said. “And in some of our ranches that have a walkout basement we put it behind the great room at the back of the house with windows that go all the way down the staircase. It’s a great feature for letting in natural light to the lower level.”
The two-story great room is another feature that has evolved on their homes. Cory explained that their original two-story floor plan had an angled ceiling in the great room with a small overlook from the second floor. Now they’ve opened it up so you can look out onto the great room from the large second floor loft. “Kids can be upstairs in the loft while parents entertain downstairs and still feel like they’re part of everything,” Cory said.
Detailed ceilings are another trend that John Caniglia Homes includes. This house incorporates wooden ceiling beams in the kitchen, patterned ceilings in the great room, master bedroom and loft; as well as tiered ceilings in each of its additional four bedrooms. “It’s almost uncommon not to have ceiling details in a house,” Cory added. Cabinets have also evolved into a more modern, simple style without as much glazing and are more sophisticated with soft closing doors and drawers. Countertops are also moving away from granite toward quartz, which is denser and offers greater consistency with color and grain.
Style and warmth are first and foremost with John Caniglia Homes, so they incorporate a transitional look, which is between a modern and craftsman style. It uses combinations of “greige”—mixing tans, white, and greys into their décor, which in their spec homes is all designed by Cindy and Kylie. Many customers are also finishing basements at the time of build, and some are also adding outdoor pools along with covered patios that house TVs and fire pits.
Family is what the Caniglia’s are all about—working together as a family to cater to other families. Cory said they always want to continue to grow and evolve as housing trends evolve, but they want to always have their homes remain practical. And they want to continue to provide the best service they can. “Everybody in our company cares about our customers, and we hope they feel like part of the family, because that’s how we feel about them,” Cory said. It’s that value placed on family that has made John Caniglia Homes a trusted builder for generations.
