With so many residential architects in our beloved city, this is a very important question. A good first step is: ask people you trust for recommendations. Feel free to ask us for a few recommendations if you’d like. Throughout the past 30 years, we have worked with Houston’s most gifted residential architects and we continually research up-and-comers to identify new high-quality talent.

Be sure to research several architects and interview the top 2 or 3 who seem to match your personal design aesthetic. Visit our blog post Trying to Choose an Architect? 10 Questions to Ask for more information.

Don’t worry. If your plans and specifications have not been finalized yet, there is still time to have us study your plans and provide consultation without going through a lengthy and costly architectural revision process. At this stage, we will look for value-engineering opportunities and constructability issues as well as work up a budget estimate to ensure alignment of your home design and desired budget.

We’re so glad you’re exploring this, as many people don’t until it’s too late. In short, having a builder on board while your plans are still being fleshed out ensures that the home your architect is designing fits within your budget and doesn’t pose any constructability issues that should be addressed before breaking ground.

Builders, especially those with extensive experience in custom homebuilding like us, are very in tune with current construction costs, material and labor availability, schedule requirements, and other factors that affect the cost of a home. Once your architect completes a preliminary design for your home,

it’s very helpful to have us provide a rough estimate of construction costs. From this, you and your architect can gauge whether the home design is on the right track.

Throughout the remainder of the design process, we can continually refine this estimate and also enhance your home’s design by providing construction expertise and design ideas.

Absolutely! We’ve made it our mission to help prospective homeowners through the architectural design phase without you having to commit to us as your ultimate builder.

We believe so passionately in the importance of having a builder working collaboratively with your architect during the design phase that we offer this as a stand-alone service. No commitment, no surprises… just added value

When we work with architects during the design phase, we build a truly collaborative relationship with the shared goal of benefiting you, our mutual client. We respect the architect as the artistic visionary of your home’s design, and the architect respects us as the experts on how to make that vision a reality. As the builder, we must present value-engineering options that satisfy your budget AND maintain the integrity and authenticity of your architect’s design. Having an architect and a builder on board during the design phase is like having two advocates in your corner simultaneously and ensures that your homebuilding journey will be smooth and extraordinarily fruitful.

Well, to begin you’ve got to know that in the state of Texas anyone can be a builder. There are no licenses or certifications required by law here like there are in most other states. Because of this very low barrier to entry, there are hundreds of homebuilders in and around Houston. Take this into consideration when choosing a builder.

Do as much homework as you can to assess how experienced and capable your builder candidates are. Interview them. Request to visit a home or jobsite with them. Speak to their past homeowners. Learn their processes to confirm they are organized and effective. Make sure they are a good fit for you and your family.

If you’d like a little more help on this topic, visit our blog post How to Choose the Right Builder for You.