VIERA, Fla. | CDS Builders has won the First Place Diamond Award in the $2 million–$3 million category at the 2026 Space Coast Builders Association Parade of Homes for its Live Oak model home in Aripeka at Viera.
The award was presented Thursday night, October 1, at the Parade of Homes Awards Dinner at The Tides Club on Patrick Space Force Base. Builders, trade partners and industry professionals from across Brevard County attended the event.
The Live Oak, listed at $2,050,000, competed in the $2 million–$3 million category against two other luxury custom homes: Joyal Homes’ Sandhill Key model in Aripeka at Viera, listed at $2,525,900, and Beau Monde Builders’ The Open Water in Titusville, listed at $2.3 million. The Live Oak earned first place in the category, Joyal Homes’ Sandhill Key took second place, and Beau Monde Builders’ The Open Water was the runner-up.
“The award belongs to the CDS team. Our designers, staff and trades are the ones pushing the work forward. The designs, finishes and quality are meant to lead, not follow. That is the standard we hold ourselves to,” said Christopher Simms, owner and president of CDS Builders.
Back-to-Back Honors for the Live Oak
The 2026 honor marks the second consecutive year the Live Oak model has won the First Place Diamond Award, reinforcing its place among the Space Coast’s leading luxury custom homes. The model has also received recognition from the local builder community in prior Parade events.
Inside the Award-Winning Live Oak Model Home
The Live Oak sits at 1726 Gracewood Drive in Viera, among the mature oak trees Aripeka was planned around. The home has 3,150 square feet of living space under air and 5,399 square feet in total, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, according to CDS Builders.
The Parade of Homes program says the design combines modern organic style with craftsmanship. Interior features include soaring wood ceilings, handcrafted Douglas fir beams and large windows that bring the outdoors in.
Outside, the home has a luxury pool and spa, a summer kitchen and a fire table. Other features listed in the program include a built-in wine dispenser, sustainably sourced woodwork throughout and a detached one-car garage. CDS also offers multigenerational floor plans, and every home it builds is fully custom.
The program notes the Live Oak was recently selected for a special Samsung Spotlight. CDS Builders held a grand opening for the model in March 2025.
Looking ahead, CDS Builders is preparing to unveil an all-new model home around January 2027, offering a fresh showcase of the company’s approach to custom design, craftsmanship, luxury and value.
Aripeka: Viera’s Nature-Focused Luxury Community
CDS builds custom homes in Aripeka at Viera starting at $1.5 million. The community covers roughly 400 acres of former hunting land, and its homes and amenities are laid out around the existing natural features. Lot sizes vary so that trees and native vegetation can be preserved. Lot lines follow the land in an “old Florida” style.
According to CDS, the community has wider sidewalks with swales, natural buffers along the front of lots, and lakes throughout. Walking and exercise trails run through the neighborhood and connect to the nearby zoo. Home sites are released without a lottery system.
CDS Builders is the sole developer and builder of Phase 2 in Aripeka—a distinction not seen in Viera in 36 years, since Crane Creek was developed by Donald and Christopher Simms.
While Aripeka is one of the communities where CDS Builders is currently building, the company’s custom homes are not limited to a specific neighborhood or development. CDS Builders can bring its custom designs, craftsmanship and luxury finishes to any buildable lot across the Space Coast. Whether a client already owns property or is searching for the right homesite, the CDS team can create a fully custom home designed specifically for the lot and the homeowner’s vision.
How the 2026 Parade of Homes Was Judged
For the 2026 Space Coast Parade of Homes, entries competed within designated price categories and were evaluated by a panel of judges from the building and design industry. Judging took place on September 25, the opening day of the Parade. Within the $2 million–$3 million category, CDS Builders’ Live Oak was judged alongside Joyal Homes’ Sandhill Key and Beau Monde Builders’ The Open Water, with the Live Oak earning first place.
The category-based judging allows homes to be evaluated against other entries in a comparable price range, with the awards recognizing the strongest entries in each category. The 2026 winners were announced at the Parade of Homes Awards Dinner on October 1 at The Tides Club on Patrick Space Force Base.
About CDS Builders and Christopher Simms
CDS Builders is a Brevard County design-build company focused on luxury custom homes. The company describes itself as a multigenerational builder with a family legacy going back to the 1960s and nearly 60 years of homebuilding experience in Brevard County.
Christopher Simms owns and leads CDS Builders. Thursday’s award adds to a record of Parade of Homes honors: Simms won the First Place Platinum Award at the Brevard County Parade of Homes three years in a row, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and was named Brevard County Home Builder of the Year in 2018. With the 2024 Showcase Home designation and the 2025 and 2026 First Place Diamond Awards, the Live Oak model has now been recognized three years in a row.
Before CDS, Simms worked with his father, Donald Simms, at the former Falcon Realty and Development Corp. Projects they were involved with across Brevard County included Crane Creek in Viera; Three Meadows and Meadow Creek in Rockledge; Sisson Meadows in Titusville; River Grove on the Trail in Merritt Island; Woodbridge in Suntree; Pinehurst Apartments in Palm Bay; and the Wickham Road Business Center in Melbourne.
The CDS team also includes Tim McWilliams, as a partner, Tim’s focus is design, developmentsand working directly with customers. Tim brings a wealth of experience working as a luxury builder, developer and a Florida real estate broker for 35 years in the local and regional markets. McWilliams is a past president of the Melbourne Area Association of Realtors and of the Home Builders and Contractors Association of Brevard County and the only professional to be named both ‘Builder of the Year” and “Realtor of the Year” on the Space Coast. A small sample of projects with Tim’s involvement include Lansing Island, Martesia, Ventana, Carolwood, Windward Cove, Island Villas and Dockside Villas.
A Tradition Dating Back to Post-War America
The Parade of Homes has its roots in the post-World War II housing boom. In 1948, the National Association of Home Builders organized the first Parade of Homes as a public showcase of the latest advances in home design and construction. That same year, builders in the Minneapolis area launched their own Parade. In 1950 they introduced the scattered-site format, where homes are toured across many neighborhoods instead of one subdivision. Brevard’s Parade uses that format today.
Brevard County’s Parade has been running for more than half a century. The 2021 event marked its 53rd anniversary, which would make the 2026 Parade the 58th edition.
About the 2026 Parade of Homes
The Parade of Homes is a scattered-site tour of new homes across the Space Coast. Custom and production builders open their homes to the public, and remodelers, home feature companies and showrooms participate as well.
This year’s event began with an exclusive Realtor preview on September 21 at the Space Coast Association of Realtors. Judging and the public tour started September 25, the same day The Viera Company hosted the official kickoff celebration at The Addison Village Club. The tour runs through Sunday, October 4.
About the Space Coast Builders Association and John Thomas
The Space Coast Builders Association (SCBA) is a Brevard County trade association for home builders, contractors and industry professionals. According to the association’s website, its work includes government affairs and advocacy, member networking, and education and workforce development through partnerships with schools and trade programs. Its signature events include the Parade of Homes, Builders Circle dinners, a Hall of Fame induction and an annual golf tournament.
As of 2022, the association reported more than 320 member companies, with an annual economic impact of nearly $500 million and an estimated 4,000 people employed.
The 2026 board of directors is chaired by Mike Jaffe of Christopher Alan Homes. Neal Johnson of Huntington Bank serves as vice chair, and Kerri Kunde of Joyal Homes serves as associate chair.
John Thomas is the association’s president and CEO. The board unanimously selected him in 2020. A lifelong Space Coast resident, Thomas served as Melbourne’s vice mayor and as a city council member from 2006 to 2014. He was also a member of the Orlando Melbourne International Airport authority and served on the board of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission. Before leading the builders association, he held economic development roles at Florida Institute of Technology.
In his welcome letter in this year’s Parade program, Thomas pointed to the January 31, 1958, launch of Explorer 1 from Cape Canaveral. He wrote that the same pioneering spirit continues to shape the community. He described the Parade as “more than an opportunity to tour beautiful houses” and invited visitors to see the work of the builders, designers, tradespeople and suppliers who make it possible. The letter closed with the association’s tagline, “Build Tomorrow Here.”
Tour the Live Oak Model This Weekend
The Live Oak remains open during the final days of the Parade of Homes, which ends Sunday, October 4. The model is at 1726 Gracewood Drive in Viera. Model hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
From Interstate 95, take Exit 188 and head west on Pineda Causeway. Turn right on Lake Andrew Drive, then right on Aripeka Drive, and continue to Gracewood Drive.
To learn more or schedule a consultation, call CDS Builders at 321-419-4441 or visit cdshomebuilders.com.
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