EXHIBIT 10.5

                      NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT



         ____________________  (the "Participant") and Continental Homes Holding
Corp., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), agree:

         1. This Non-Qualified  Stock Option Agreement  evidences a stock option
granted under the Continental Homes Holding Corp. 1986/1988 Stock Incentive Plan
(the  "Plan"),  the terms and  provisions  of which are  incorporated  herein by
reference.

         2. Subject to the terms of the Plan and this  Agreement,  the committee
of the  Board of  Directors  of the  Company  which  administers  the Plan  (the
"Committee")  hereby grants the  Participant as of  _________________  an option
(the  "Option"),  to  purchase  all or any part of  ____________  shares  of the
Company's  common stock, par value of $.01 per share ("Common Stock") at a price
of ____________ per share (the "Option  Price"),  which is the fair market value
per share of the Common Stock on the date of grant specified above.

         3.  (a) The  Option  evidenced  by this  Agreement  shall  commence  on
____________,  shall be  exercisable  beginning  twelve months after the date of
grant of the Option, and subject to the provisions of paragraph (c) below, shall
terminate  on  ____________  (the  "Expiration   Date").  The  Option  shall  be
exercisable  by the Optionee in cumulative  installments  of twenty five percent
(25%) of the shares covered by the Option, as follows:


                                                     CUMULATIVE
                                                      NUMBER OF
                                                    SHARES AS TO
                                                  WHICH THE OPTION
                     DATE                          IS EXERCISABLE
    On or after
               -----------------           --------------------------------
    On or after
               -----------------           --------------------------------
    On or after
               -----------------           --------------------------------
    On or after
               -----------------           --------------------------------

                  (b) During this  period,  the Option may be exercised in whole
or part from time to time,  provided that the Option may not be exercised at any
one time as to less than 100  shares  (or such  number of shares as to which the
Option is then exercisable if less than 100).

                  (c) To the  extent  that an  Option is not  exercised  when it
becomes  initially  exercisable,  it shall be carried forward and be exercisable
until the expiration of the term of such Option.





                  (d) Except as provided,  in clauses (i) and (ii) below, if the
Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company,  any unexercised portion of
his Option shall automatically terminate.

                  (i) In the  Event  that a  Participant  terminates  employment
         prior to the  Expiration  Date by reason of  retirement at or after age
         65, any  unexercised  portion of his Option  shall  expire three months
         after  such  retirement,  and  during  such  three  months'  period the
         Participant  shall have the same rights to exercise  the portion of his
         Option as he would have had if he were an employee of the Company.

                  (ii) If prior to the Expiration Date a Participant shall cease
         to be an employee  by reason of death or  disability,  any  unexercised
         portion  of his  Option  shall  expire  12  months  after  his death or
         disability,  and during such 12 month period he (or in the event of the
         Participant's death, his estate or the person who acquires the right to
         exercise  such  option by  bequest or  inheritance  or by reason of his
         death) may exercise any unexercised portion of his Option to the extent
         it was  exercisable  at the  time of such  cessation.  Thereafter,  any
         unexercised portion of the Option shall expire.

In no event shall the Option be exercised after the Expiration Date.

         4. The Option  shall be exercised  by written  notice  delivered to the
Secretary  of the  Company  at the  Company's  principal  office in  Scottsdale,
Arizona.  The notice shall  specify the number of shares for which the Option is
being  exercised  and,  if the  Option is being  exercised  for  cash,  shall be
accompanied  by a check,  cash or money order in the full amount of the purchase
price.

         5.       (a) The Option shall be nontransferable except, in the case of
the Participant's  death, to his designated  beneficiary as provided in the Plan
or, in the  absence  of such  designation,  by will or the laws of  descent  and
distribution, and shall be exercisable during the Participant's lifetime only by
him.

                  (b) Except as  otherwise  provided  in this  Agreement  or the
Plan, the Option may not be exercised,  unless the Participant is then a regular
employee of the Company and has  continuously  remained an employee at all times
(other  than on an absence  for an  approved  leave of absence or service in the
Armed Forces) since the date of grant of the Option.

                  (c)  Notwithstanding  any other provision of this Agreement or
the Plan, the  Participant (or his  beneficiary or legal  representative)  shall
forfeit any  unexercised  part of the Option and all rights under this Agreement
or the Plan to the exercise thereof if, prior to the time of such exercise,  the
Participant shall (i) be employed by a competitor of, or shall be engaged in any
activity in competition  with the Company  without the Company's  consent,  (ii)
divulge any secret or confidential  information belonging to the Company without
the  Company's  consent,  or (iii)  engage in any other  activities  which would
constitute grounds for his discharge by the Company for cause.





                  (d) Nothing  contained in this  Agreement or in the Plan shall
confer upon the  Participant  any right to be employed by, or to be continued in
the employ of, the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company
to terminate his employment at any time.

         6.       (a) In the event of a corporate  merger or  consolidation,  or
the  acquisition  by the Company of property or stock of another  corporation or
any  reorganization or other transaction  qualifying under Section 425(a) of the
Code, the Committee may (1) permit the immediate exercise of the Option, whether
or not the Option is then exercisable  under the terms of this Agreement and the
Plan or (2) in accordance  with the  provisions of the Code,  substitute for the
Option,  an option under a plan of the acquired  corporation,  provided that (a)
the excess of the  aggregate  fair market value of the shares  subject to option
immediately  after the  substitution  over the  aggregate  option  price of such
shares is not more than the similar excess  immediately before such substitution
and (b) the new  option  does  not  give the  Participant  additional  benefits,
including any extension of the Expiration Date.

                  (b) If there is any  change in the  number of shares of Common
Stock through the declaration of stock  dividends,  or through  recapitalization
resulting in stock  splits,  or  combinations  or exchanges of such shares,  the
number of such  shares  covered  by the  Option,  and the price per share of the
Option,  shall be  proportionately  adjusted  by the  Committee  to reflect  any
increase or decrease in the number of issued  shares of Common  Stock;  provided
however,  that any fractional  shares  resulting from such  adjustment  shall be
eliminated.

                  (c)  In the  event  of a  dissolution  or  liquidation  of the
Company, or in the event of any corporate separation or division, including, but
not limited to, split-up,  split-off or spin-off, the Committee may provide that
the  Participant  shall  have the right to  exercise  the  Option if it was then
exercisable  (at its then option price) solely for the kind and amount of shares
of  stock  and  other  securities,  property,  cash or any  combination  thereof
receivable  upon such  dissolution,  liquidation,  or  corporate  separation  or
division  by a holder of the  number  of  shares  of Common  Stock for which the
Option  might  have  been  exercised  immediately  prior  to  such  dissolution,
liquidation,  or corporate separation or division; or the Committee may provide,
in the alternative,  that the Option shall terminate as of a date to be fixed by
the Committee;  provided,  however, that not less than thirty (30) days' written
notice  of the  date  so  fixed  shall  be  given  to the  Participant  and  the
Participant  shall  have the  right,  during  the  period  of  thirty  (30) days
preceding such termination,  to exercise the Option as to all or any part of the
Common Stock covered thereby,  including shares as to which the Option would not
otherwise be exercisable.

                  (d) No Common  Stock shall be issued under the Plan unless and
until all legal requirements applicable to the issuance of such shares have been
complied with to the satisfaction of the Committee. The Committee shall have the
right to  condition  any  issuance  of Common  Stock to the  Participant  on the
Participant's  undertaking  in writing to comply with such  restrictions  on his
subsequent  disposition of such shares as the Committee  shall deem necessary or
advisable  as  a  result  of  any   applicable   law,   regulation  or  official
interpretation  thereof,  and  certificates  representing  such  shares  may  be
legended to reflect any such restrictions.




         7. The  Company  shall not be liable in the event it is unable to issue
or sell shares of Common Stock  pursuant to this  Agreement if such  issuance or
sale would be unlawful,  nor shall the Company be liable if the issuance or sale
of  shares  of  Common  Stock  pursuant  to  this   Agreement  is   subsequently
invalidated.

                                            PARTICIPANT



                                            ------------------------------------


                                            CONTINENTAL HOMES HOLDING CORP.



                                            By 
                                              ----------------------------------


Dated:  ______________, 1998