Contract Land Deposits - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013 Lot	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012 Lot
Deposit Assets [Abstract]
Lots controlled by NVR	53,700		53,200
Cash deposited related to lots	$ 257,200		$ 256,600
Letters of credit related to lots	2,900		3,300
Pre-tax recovery related to impairment of contract land deposits	1,000	1,000
Contract land deposit asset impairment valuation allowance	$ 64,000		$ 65,000