Commitments and Contingencies (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014 Insurance reserves RHIC	Sep. 30, 2013 Insurance reserves RHIC	Sep. 30, 2014 Legal reserves	Dec. 31, 2013 Legal reserves
Changes in the entity's loan loss and related legal reserves
Balance at the beginning of the period		$ 11,472,000	$ 10,484,000
Provision for losses		6,176,000	1,072,000
Settlements made		(15,231,000)	(592,000)
Balance at the end of the period		2,417,000	10,964,000
Increase in legal reserve related to the settlement of Ryland Mortgage Company's lawsuit with Countrywide	5,800,000
Product warranty
Number of years of product warranty for workmanship and materials		1 year
Number of years of product warranty for mechanical systems		2 years
Number of years of product warranty for structural systems		10 years
Product liability reserves
Balance at the beginning of the period		23,139,000	18,188,000
Warranties issued		8,192,000	5,651,000
Changes in liability for accruals related to pre-existing warranties		1,190,000	739,000
Settlements made		(7,561,000)	(4,419,000)
Balance at the end of the period		24,960,000	20,159,000
Changes in entity's subcontractor insurance reserves
Balance at the beginning of period				13,857,000	14,813,000
Insurance expense provisions or adjustments				2,400,000	0
Loss expenses paid				(4,177,000)	(1,380,000)
Balance at the end of period				12,080,000	13,433,000
Changes in entity's legal reserves
Legal reserves						7,900,000	17,200,000
Reasonably possible losses in excess of amounts accrued						$ 1,500,000