As we’ve reported in recent issues of Cordillera Ranch Living Magazine, home construction in the Ranch is booming. With 44 homes currently under construction and another 33 in architectural design review in Cordillera, our builders have been busy keeping up with the demand. In light of this activity and new lot releases this year and next, we’re expanding our Preferred Builder program to include two new distinguished builders: Partners in Building and Garner Custom Homes. Both builders add to the exceptional and tenured group of Preferred Builders that includes Burdick and Christofilis Homes, Authentic Custom Homes, Great Homes by Robert Thornton and Stadler Custom Homes.
Cordillera Ranch Preferred Builders have built approximately half of the 650 homes in Cordillera Ranch over the 15+ years they have been in the program. “Expansions in multiple new areas of Cordillera Ranch, including the Springs, Bears Ridge and new Golf Frontage estate lots, has necessitated broadening our group to the 6-builder count we had at the height of the market in the mid-2000’s. It’s great to have this construction activity nearing those busy years,” noted Barry Denton, Director of Real Estate Sales at Cordillera Ranch.
We are proud of the longevity and success our builders have had in Cordillera Ranch and when we began considering expanding the program again, we spent months of due diligence exploring numerous quality builders in the region. There are many quality custom builders; however, we were looking for the perfect fit to meet the Cordillera client’s distinct needs. After careful and thorough planning we’re confident that Partners in Building and Garner Custom Homes will be great complements to the existing Preferred Builder group.
PARTNERS IN BUILDING
Partners in Building is one of the largest custom builders in the Houston and Austin markets, having grown from just a few homes in the mid-1980’s to over 200 homes built in 2013. However, throughout their years of growth they’ve maintained the personal touch of a small custom builder. As we began discussions with Partners in Building about joining Cordillera Ranch, it was impressive how many prospects that visited Cordillera from Houston or Austin that mentioned a great past experience with Partners. There was a consistent reaction from past clients and other real estate industry contacts: these guys have an exceptional reputation of building a very quality home and leaving very satisfied clients in their wake. They’ve leveraged the buying power and market knowledge you get with scale while maintaining the personal relationship you get from a small local builder, which is rare.
Partners has excelled in delivering exceptional custom homes in the $600k to $1.2MM price points in some of the nicest Houston and Austin neighborhoods; their extensive list of awards illustrates the market recognition they’ve garnered as a diversified custom builder. For that reason, they are not only an excellent fit to be a part of the Preferred Builders, but will also be one of the two exclusive builders in the enclave of ¾-acre to 1-acre home sites in the Springs of Cordillera Ranch. The Springs will begin construction in the 4th quarter of 2014 and deliver lots in the 1st half of 2015 with homes available in Summer 2015. “We’ve built every style of home imaginable – Hill Country Modern to Classic Mediterranean – and the ability to accommodate whatever our buyers envision is a great part of our success in Houston and Austin. It will be important to our success in the San Antonio area as well,” said Shannon Nelson, Area President for Partners in Building. “That’s why we are excited to be a Preferred Builder in an acclaimed master-planned community like Cordillera Ranch, with its unmatched array of amenities and many years of growth ahead.”
GARNER CUSTOM HOMES
Trey Garner founded Garner Custom Homes in 1998 and has built over 150 custom homes throughout San Antonio, Austin, Boerne and other Hill Country areas. Although Garner has built some homes in Cordillera in the past (eight completed with another five under way), he’s a new addition to the group of Preferred Builders and will also be building in the Springs of Cordillera Ranch along with Partners in Building. “Cordillera is regarded as a one of the most premier communities in the entire state and we’re thrilled to become part of the Cordillera Ranch Preferred Builder program,” says Trey Garner.
Garner got into the custom building business like many other builders: starting small with a few homes at a time (in the Austin area) relying on past homebuilding job experience and a degree from the respected Texas A&M Construction Science program. After successfully growing the company in the early 2000’s and expanding to the Stone Oak area of San Antonio, Garner dedicated himself to enhancing his systems, communications platform, and overall project management. “We found that proper client communication and organization is critical to making the customer happy. It’s not just about the end-game of delivering a high-quality custom home, it’s the entire design to building process and the owner’s experience throughout it. For many people this is their one and only custom home to build in their lifetime and it needs to be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience,” adds Garner.
The web-based communication platform that Garner instituted makes the build process much smoother and particularly easier for owners that are building but don’t live in the area. “We utilize several tools to fully educate and enable our homeowners to make informed decisions as well as keep them updated on the project. It allows us to be in constant communication with the owner in a central spot where we can post progress updates, photos, budget updates and much more anytime from anywhere. It’s extremely simple to use and allows all the selections to be made right there in the system and the owner, builder, project manager and accounting team can all be on the same page about every step of the process,” Garner says. “I like to educate our clients on the process and our philosophies, but the thrill comes when we reach the point where the project design, the details and the personalities all start to harmonize. That is the stage in the process when truly custom homes are created.”
Partners in Building and Garner build custom homes ranging from the $600’s to the $1.5MM+. Both are working on plans to start a new spec home in Clubs Village followed by homes in the Springs of Cordillera. Come meet the entire group of Preferred Builders, including Partners in Building and Garner Homes, at our Builder’s Fair on October 25th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cordillera Ranch Clubhouse. Contact the Cordillera Ranch Visitor Center at 888.66.RANCH for more info on the Builder’s Fair. To learn more about Garner Homes visit www.garnerhomes.com and for Partners in Building visit www.partnersinbuilding.com.
