Commitments and Contingencies (Narratives) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended				0 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2013 Home	Feb. 29, 2012	Nov. 30, 2012	Feb. 28, 2013 Damages from Product Defects [Member] Lawsuit	Mar. 12, 2013 Florida State Court Damages from Product Defects [Member]	Feb. 28, 2013 Florida State Court Damages from Product Defects [Member] Lawsuit
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Structural warranty provided by the company (in years)	10 years
Minimum warranty on electrical and other building systems (in years)	2 years
Maximum warranty on electrical and other building systems (in years)	5 years
Warranty for other components of a home (in years)	1 year
Warranty Liability Associated with Water Intrustion	$ 15,900,000
Number of Homes Affected by Water Intrusion	969
Accumulated number of affected homes on which repairs were resolved	207
Payments Made for Repair of Homes With Water Intrusion	5,400,000
Payments made as repair costs for homes containing defective drywall	9,400,000
Estimated repair costs for homes containing defective drywall	25,300,000
Estimated Insurance Recoveries for Water Intrusion	9,400,000
Recoveries of warranty liability	10,700,000
Number of lawsuits in which company is a defendant				8		1
Number of omnibus class action lawsuits				7
Litigation settlement, expense					300,000
Adjustment to increase warranty liability	1,674,000	33,000
Increase to estimated warranty costs	12,400,000
Estimated liabilities for construction defect	91,700,000		93,300,000
Expenses associated with self-insurance	1,800,000	2,300,000
Performance bonds	284,700,000		286,100,000
Letters of credit outstanding	43,700,000		41,900,000
Total deposits	21,600,000
Cash deposits	21,402,000		25,682,000
Letters of credit	200,000		500,000
Aggregate purchase price of land	$ 534,391,000		$ 625,335,000