The Las Ventanas housing development in Fallbrook sat dormant for more than six years because of the housing crisis. 

But last weekend, the first two model homes opened for buyers.

Developer Brad Termini of Zephyr Partners said the response was great.

"We've had such strong initial demand that we're going to start on the 11 remaining lots this summer and build the whole project at once," he said.

The planned building means more work for construction workers, carpenters, painters and landscapers. He said there's more to come.  

"We also control another 500 lots between apartments and for-sale residential and all those are going to be under construction this summer," said Termini.

To handle the work, he's working with interior designer Jules Wilson, who recently hired three people, plans to hire two more and just moved into a new office in downtown San Diego.

Wilson said her company is expanding gradually but she's also hiring other people to do the work.
 
"There's the clients, then there's us, and then there's other people that we bring into the project," she said. 

"So from that point of view, we're putting out a lot more volume of work to people in the building industry."

The U.S. Department of Labor showed the number of job openings rose 2.2 percent in January, compared to falling 5 percent in December.

But the Labor Department also said 1.5 million people were laid off, the lowest monthly number since the department began recording it in 2001.

Both Wilson and Termini are positive about the future and plan to hire accordingly.

"We think the economy is heading in the up direction," said Wilson. "So if we play our hand right then, it should work out we're hoping."