LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY

          Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes
and appoints
each of Nancy Marrazzo, Peter S. Reinhart, Anthony J. Maimone and J. Larry
Sorsby
signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:
(1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as an officer and/or director of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (the
Company), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

(2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute
any such Form 3, 4, or 5, complete and execute any amendment or
amendments thereto, and timely file such form with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar
authority; and

(3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with
the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of
benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned,
it being understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on
behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in
such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-
fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

	The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary,
or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers herein
granted, as
fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do if
personally
present, with full power of substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and
confirming all
that such attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or
substitutes, shall
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the
rights and
powers herein granted.  The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing
attorneys-in-
fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not
assuming, nor is
the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply with
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
         This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is
no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the undersigned's
holdings of
and transactions in securities issued by the Company, unless earlier revoked by
the
undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to
be executed as of this 14 day of July, 2003.

__________________________				_______
Witness:  Peter S. Reinhart				/s/Geaton A. DeCesaris, Jr.