**Exhibit 31.1**

CERTIFICATION

I, Jeffrey P. Orleans,      Chief Executive Officer of Orleans Homebuilders, Inc., certify that:

| 1.     | I have reviewed this quarterly report on        Form 10-Q of Orleans Homebuilders, Inc.; |
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| 2.     | Based on my knowledge, this report does        not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state        a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the        circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with        respect to the period covered by this report; |
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| 3.     | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements,        and other financial information included in this report, fairly present        in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations        and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented        in this report; |
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| 4.     | The registrant’s other certifying        officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure        controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and        15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have: |
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|   | (a)    | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures,        or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under        our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the        registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to        us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in        which this report is being prepared; |
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|   | (b)    | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s        disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions        about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as        of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;        and |
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|   | (c)    | Disclosed in this report any change in the        registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred        during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s        fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially        affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s        internal control over financial reporting; and |
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| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying        officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of        internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s        auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors        (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
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|  | (a)    | All significant deficiencies and material        weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial        reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s        ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;        and |
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|  | (b)    | Any fraud, whether or not material, that        involves management or other employees who have a significant role in        the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
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| Signed: |                    | Jeffrey P. Orleans |
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|    | Jeffrey P. Orleans      |
|    | Chief Executive Officer |

November 12, 2004

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