COEUR d'ALENE - To survive, adapt. That was the path chosen by Todd Stam, owner of Aspen Homes, a company that specialized in building expensive custom homes.

"For the last few years it has been high-end stuff," he said. "That slowed down, so to save our bacon we decided to do the stuff that's selling."

That doesn't mean million dollar homes are a thing of the past, as Aspen Homes is still in that market, with a $1.1 million entry in this year's Parade of Homes.

Stam grew up in Sandpoint, went to Eastern Washington University, and upon graduating immediately went into the construction business in 1993.

In 2009, The Cambrie, a $799,000 mountain-style in Gotham Bay Estates at Harrison, and The Sablewood, a $212,500 home in Rathdrum were Aspen's entries in the Parade of Homes. Again this year, another home in the sweet spot of today's market will also be shown. The $295,000 model home for The Lodges, a 22-lot subdivision within a subdivision at Coeur d'Alene Place, will be a second entry into that annual show in August.

The houses there, generally selling in the $275,000 to $350,000 range but priced from $232,680, and feature many of the custom features often associated with more expensive homes.

"It's something that's been needed here," Stam said. "We took the custom home to the subdivision. We kept the custom feel of the high-dollar home."

Other than a couple of fountains, one near the front door and a larger one out back, a wood fireplace and a full basement, the features of the model are those standard with the other homes in the project. The basement was a $20,000 option that added 1,000 square feet to the 2,500 square feet of the two-story home.

Lodge styling includes wood shake trim, cultured stone accents, hardy plank siding, wood floors in the entry and other areas, tile on the master bath floor and brown-tone fixtures. Solid wood doors and other higher-end materials and treatments such as knock-down texturing on the walls give the home a luxurious quality.

A door from the master bedroom leads to a stamped concrete patio, and at the far corner the waterfall feature adds its music to the sunken backyard surrounded by a brown vinyl fence.

The windows of the unfinished basement are protected by exposed aggregate wells instead of metal.

"We will even stock it with Sheetrock if they like," he said, making future finishing a job the homeowner with a few friends can accomplish on their own.

It is a formula that is proving successful, as 14 of the 22 lots are sold, as are all the homes built there. Named The Lodges, the project on Renoir Drive, at the northern end of Coeur d'Alene Place with woods behind the homes on the north side of the street, was also the site selected for a home for Stam's father.

To the west Stam is planning another addition of homes in a 55-up community, with prices below $200,000.

"It is the perfect price point for people who want to retire," he said.

Aspen is also building homes in other areas, with 15 projects under way, at a variety of price points, and all sold.

That means jobs for about 200 employees of subcontactors, and bargains for buyers, who are finding homes they priced three years ago are coming in around $50,000 less.

"Labor and material prices are off," Stam said. "But it's starting to sneak back up."

An open house is held at The Lodges noon to 3 p.m. each weekend.