Shareholders' Equity - Class A Common Shares (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Feb. 29, 2016	Aug. 31, 2014	Jul. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from issuance of Class A common shares				$ 102,830	$ 0	$ 308,435
Class A common shares
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of class A common shares, net of offering costs (in shares)	36,546,170	17,782,861
Common shares, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01		$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Proceeds from issuance of Class A common shares		$ 313,300
Stock issuance costs		$ 4,900		$ 227	$ 0	$ 0
Beazer Rental Homes | Class A common shares
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Issuance of class A common shares, net of offering costs (in shares)			8,158,001
Common shares, par value (in dollars per share)			$ 0.01