builder filesfile 44 of 57built here in the 2010sboyenga team at compass
Davidon Homes
Donald and Carole Chaiken started Davidon Homes in 1982, per the company, and it has built mostly in the East Bay and beyond. In our area its documented work is at the Highlands of Los Gatos, a 19-lot hillside subdivision off Shady Lane where it built estate homes from 2013 to 2016. Here’s what the records confirm and what the homes resell for.
- builder
- Davidon Homes
- founders
- Donald and Carole Chaiken, 1982, per the company
- headquarters
- Walnut Creek, per the company
- ownership
- privately held, family-run, per the company
- builds now
- East Bay and North Bay, per the company
- here
- Highlands of Los Gatos, 2013–2016
- listings say
- “Davidon home”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- lots at the Highlands of Los Gatos, per the Town19
where they are
Davidon homes in our area
From Town of Los Gatos records, state environmental filings and local press; listing-only credits are marked.
| community | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands of Los Gatos | Los Gatos | 2013–2016 | 5+ of 19 lots | Hillside estate lots at the end of Shady Lane, approved by the Town in 2005–06 with about 43 of 66 acres in scenic easements. Davidon applied to build on at least five lots, and Patch reported homes of about 6,000 to 7,000 sq ft. |
| San Jose homes | San Jose | — (listings) | — | Listings credit Davidon with homes on Fieldgate Ct and Midhurst Ct; we couldn’t tie them to a Davidon tract in records. |
Davidon’s current communities are in Antioch, Danville, Napa, Petaluma and Pleasant Hill, outside our area, per the company. We found no Davidon work in San Mateo County, San Francisco, Morgan Hill or Gilroy.
the homes
What the homes are like
From Town of Los Gatos records, local press and listings.
- styles
Old-world estates
The Highlands homes were marketed in Provence, Italian Villa and Spanish styles, alongside Prairie and Woodland Contemporary, per Patch.
- size
Very large homes
Patch reported homes of about 6,000 to 7,000 sq ft; listings show some larger.
- town rules
Colors that blend in
The Town’s approval requires dark, earth-tone exterior colors and limits heights to 25 ft, or 18 ft where visible from a Town viewing platform.
- site
Steep, shared driveways
Some lots share steep driveways that needed Town exceptions to its slope standard, per Town minutes.
- myth check
Not every Highlands lot
An earlier owner entitled the Highlands lots and Davidon built on only some of them, so check the builder lot by lot.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Davidon sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names Davidon, mostly at the Highlands of Los Gatos. Hover a dot for the address, date and price.
- sales on record…
- median price…
- median $ per sq ft…
- latest sale…
one recorded salemedian for the yearprice per sq ft = sale price ÷ listed living area
| sold | address | price | $/sq ft | bd / ba | sq ft |
|---|
Some listings name Davidon for older San Jose homes we couldn’t confirm, and new-home sales may not all appear in the MLS. Sales come from the MLS records available to us and include every sold listing whose description names the builder, so a few homes may be labeled by the listing agent rather than confirmed from tract records. Sold data is shown with the listing brokerage. Price per square foot uses the living area in the listing. Ask us for a full comparable-sales report on any address.
on the market
For sale now
Active listings whose description names Davidon.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- HOA and CC&RsThe Town’s approval requires an association and CC&Rs for the Highlands. Ask for them, the budget and any architectural rules.
- Hillside conditionsThe approval called for a geologic report on every lot and landslide repair on two. Read the geologic and soils reports before you buy.
- Fire safetyThe approval requires Class A roofs, sprinklers in every home and defensible space. Check the current fire hazard zone for the address.
- Warranty and SB 800California’s Right to Repair Act generally limits defect claims to 10 years after completion, so homes finished in 2014–2016 are near or past the end of that window.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Which lot?We match the address to its lot, builder and approvals, since different owners built on the Highlands lots.
- Geologic reportsWe read the lot’s geologic and soils reports and the Town’s conditions.
- HOA reviewWe read the CC&Rs, budget and architectural rules.
- The right comparablesWe compare against similar hillside estates nearby first.
How we market one when you sell
- Name the builderBuyers search for Davidon homes by name, so we confirm it from Town records and say so.
- Paperwork up frontWe gather the geologic reports, HOA documents and permits early.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of similar homes nearby.
questions
Questions we hear
Who is Davidon Homes?
A privately held builder founded in 1982 by Donald and Carole Chaiken, per the company, and now run by their family and a management team. It builds today in the East Bay and North Bay.
What did Davidon build in Los Gatos?
Estate homes at the Highlands of Los Gatos, a 19-lot hillside subdivision off Shady Lane approved by the Town in 2005–06. Town records show Davidon applying to build on at least five lots from 2013 to 2016.
What rules come with a Highlands home?
The Town’s approval includes an HOA and CC&Rs, dark earth-tone exterior colors, height limits, scenic easements, geologic reports, Class A roofs and sprinklers.
Is a Highlands home still inside the defect window?
California’s Right to Repair Act generally limits defect claims to 10 years after completion, so homes finished in 2014–2016 are near or past it. Check the completion date.
sources
Sources
Town of Los Gatos records, state filings, local press and company pages, checked October 2026.
- Davidon Homes: aboutFounders, 1982 and where it builds (company)davidonhomes.com/about
- California Homebuilding Foundation: Donald ChaikenThe founder’s careerwww.mychf.org/node/74
- Town of Los Gatos: Highlands of Los Gatos council report (2006)19 lots, scenic easements and conditionslosgatosca.gov/files/1-17-06/CR01-17-0610A.pdf
- CEQAnet: Highlands of Los Gatos (SCH 2004062010)The project’s environmental reviewceqanet.lci.ca.gov/Project/2004062010
- Patch: The Highlands of Los Gatos homes now on the market (2013)Home sizes and stylespatch.com/california/losgatos/the-highlands-of-los-gatos-homes-now-on-the-market
- California Civil Code § 94110-year limit for construction-defect claimscalifornia.public.law/codes/civil_code_section_941
builder files
Every builder file, by era
Bars show the years each builder was building here. See all builders or the home styles field guide.
- Fernando Nelson1880–1920s
- Ernest Coxhead1890–1930s
- Willis Polk1890s–1920s
- Frank Delos Wolfe1892–1926
- Henry Gutterson1914–1954
- Gellert (Sunstream)1922–1972
- Birge Clark1922–1970s
- Stoneson1920s–1960s
- Doelger1927–1960s
- McKeon1927–early 1970s
- Gardner Dailey1930s–1960s
- William Wurster1930s–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Bohannon1936–1955
- Cliff May1950s
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Goodwin Steinberg1950s–1980s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- Anshen & Allen1940s–1960
- Jones & Emmons1951–1970s
- Claude Oakland1950s–1970s
- Owen Signature Homes1970–today
- Swatt | Miers1975–today
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Citation Homeslate 1970s–2010s
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- Kelly Gordon2000s–2010s
- Feldman Architecture2003–today
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- Davidon Homes2010s
- The New Home Company2014–2018
- Dividend Homes2010s–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Brookfield1990s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
- D.R. Horton2010s
- Tri Pointe Homes2012–today
- K. Hovnanian2014–2018
- Meritage Homes2010s
talk to a property nerd
Own a Davidon home?
We can confirm the lot and builder from Town records and value it against recent hillside sales nearby. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
