Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Income tax expense reduction	$ 106	$ 7,095

The reduction of reserves due to an adjustment of the Company's provision for unrecognized tax benefits.

No definition available.

Name:	nvr_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitReductionInReserves
Namespace Prefix:	nvr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration