Luxury, Custom Building with a Personal Touch

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Builder Profile

Luxury, Custom Building with a Personal Touch

Victoria Hawes | Jamestown Estate Homes By Chad Andycha

G

reg Hawes was already president of a successful Houston home building company when he sold his interest and started Jamestown Estate Homes five years ago. So why start a new business? His main reason was personal: he wanted to work with his three daughters. The family business is still going strong today. Jamestown Estate Homes is a single-family, luxury, custom home builder, and the baby of the Hawes family, Victoria, is now Jamestown’s marketing director. Being both young and female, she represents a fairly unique demographic in the Texas building industry. She won the Star Award for 2014 Project Manager of the Year, and in 2015 she joined the Texas Association of Builders Board of Directors, as well as the NAHB. “I’ve really enjoyed the networking that comes with being on the board because it’s not something I’m exposed to as much locally,” she said. “[TAB] is really amazing at being a voice of advocacy for builders with the state government. Being involved is a great way to meet other builders that aren’t your direct competition and see what pearls of wisdom can be shared.”

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Despite following in her father’s footsteps, Victoria Hawes truly blazed her own trail to becoming a builder. “I started at the University of Texas in Austin and then dropped out and moved to L.A. to be an actress when I was eighteen,” said Hawes. “I worked as Britney Spears’ body double in two music videos” (see her work in “Toxic” and “Everytime”). Although she fared well out west, she was drawn back home a year later to work in sales at her dad’s previous company and attend the University of Houston. She stuck with it this time and

Texas Association of Builders November/December 2015

graduated first in her class with a degree in corporate communication. After that, she moved yet again to get a master’s in communication at Purdue University, and she worked briefly for a Chinese battery company in investor relations. “At that point I felt like I’d tried enough other things that I could come back to what I knew and loved,” said Hawes. “There’s nothing quite like building houses because you get spoiled being able to show people what you can do. It’s really fun to create pretty stuff all day.”

Builder Profile Jamestown currently builds 10 to 12 homes a year, but they’re still growing and diversifying. They started out building million-dollar, 4,000-square-foot homes in one development. Now many of their homes are up to 7,000 square feet and priced for over two million. They have a variety of product lines and have also done some building in more up-andcoming neighborhoods. “If we’re working with a buyer, we listen to them and meet with them and talk about their lives, and then we’ll do hand-drawn sketches in-house,” said Hawes. Working with a buyer who already owns the land makes more financial sense, but Jamestown still does roughly half their building on spec without a buyer lined up. They try to keep these floor plans as flexible as possible, and most of these homes are sold before completion. Once a buyer comes into the picture, Jamestown strives to make as many requested changes as is efficient and economically possible. “Even if you buy a nearly completed home from us, it can still be your custom home,” said Hawes. “There are some custom builders who don’t even want to paint the walls a different color, and they don’t want to list it for sale until it’s done because they don’t want the buyer involved. But we build homes for people. We want something they’ll actually be able to live in and that meets their lifestyle, and we try to keep our ego out of it.” Despite the cost involved, Jamestown has, for instance, changed a

newly-completed, beautiful wine room into a home office to satisfy a customer. Their buyers are often transplants to the Houston area, and Jamestown considers itself an ambassador for these new arrivals, as well as an expert on resale concerns. Putting two bedrooms on the main floor is a common, aging-in-place design for Jamestown. “We try to build homes that are adaptable to peoples’ changing lives and to be sure their home will be marketable if they do decide to move.” Jamestown takes pride in its concierge customer service. “We have an outstanding warranty program for our homeowners,” said Hawes. “We’ll do anything, within reason, to make our buyers happy and help them enjoy their new homes worry free.” And this is no exaggeration. A new home owner once called Jamestown to report their water heater had stopped working. This was on a weekend night, and Hawes went out there right away to solve the problem herself. Jamestown’s model is clearly working out well for them. They are currently building a house for a repeat buyer. “That’s really the ultimate compliment we can receive,” said Hawes. Although she doesn’t have any formal training as an interior decorator, Hawes has a real eye for design. “I enjoy working on the interior design with buyers and



helping them get the look they’re trying to achieve within their budget,” said Hawes. “Seeing a home throughout the process and then finally handing the keys over to the buyer is a pretty special feeling.” All the photos featured in this article highlights a recent project Hawes worked on. She described the look as “traditional meets New York City loft” with exposed beams and creative light fixtures. For the master bathroom, she went for “cool, bright, and spa-like.” This was a spec home completed without a buyer, and when it did sell, the new owner loved it so much they didn’t want to change a thing. So what would Hawes’ own dream home plans include? “I’ve gotten so good at understanding my buyers’ wants that I haven’t put much thought into what I would actually want for myself. My personal favorite room in a house is the lady’s master closet. I think a woman’s closet should feel like a boutique more than just storage, and there should be mirrors and ways for them to display their favorite clothes so that looking at them makes them happy.” Although she’s not quite ready to design her own house, she was certain her current roommate’s needs would factor into the plans. That roommate is named Diva, a one-year-old and much loved Pomeranian. “Honestly, she’d probably have her own room.”

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Builder Profile

The Voice of San Antonio Design & Remodeling Keith Moehle | KM Builders By Chad Andycha

Y

ou may not recognize the face, but

thought-out show every week. We have high listenership and a very

there’s a chance you would know

wide audience.”

the voice. Keith Moehle is the host

of the KM Builders Design and Remodeling

Moehle grew up in San Antonio and got his start in the construction

Show, broadcasting live every Saturday

industry as a framer while still in high school. “I really liked the

on News Radio 1200 WOAI. He’s also the

physicality and the satisfaction of building,” said Moehle. “I

founder and president of KM Builders,

was running a crew by the time I was nineteen, and I started my

which happens to be the largest full-

own subcontracting business at twenty-one.” Over the years, his

service remodeler in the San Antonio area.

company has transitioned its focus from new construction to

“I started the radio show over 12 years ago

remodeling. In the late 1980s, the savings and loan crisis caused

as a community service,” said Moehle. “We talk about design concepts,

a major building slowdown. “I saw the need to be in remodeling

best practices, trends, legalities, codes, and so forth, and we take a

because I needed to be working for the customer and start building

handful of calls every show. It’s educational, and we do a well-planned,

repeat business,” said Moehle. “I was seeing no distinction with

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Texas Association of Builders January/February 2016

Builder Profile

Before construction begins, a menu-priced budget is presented with everything broken out separately. “We show all our costs, and we show our own overhead and profit as well,” said Moehle. “Multiple options are given to allow clients to fully customize the design. I think that’s very unique in the industry.” The project’s start and completion dates are also decided on, and the client is presented with a highly-detailed project schedule. This customerservice model has made for many happy clients. About one-third of KM’s business has consistently come from repeat customers, builders as far as quality. They were more concerned with volume and output.” Moehle’s focus on quality over quantity has always set his company apart. KM’s staff has grown significantly since its inception in order to meet the high demands of a growing client base. “We have over 450 combined years of experience,” said Moehle. “We’ve put together a one-stop-shop, turnkey service for our clients. We’ve acquired more and more trades over the years and brought all our design work in house.” Despite all the growth, KM has remained a highly rated business with the feel of a small, family-owned operation. “I’m very proud of our culture,” said Moehle. “Many employees have said this is the best company they’ve worked for. We’re very careful about who we bring on in order to maintain that atmosphere.” Moehle believes there is no type of remodeling job that KM can’t do well. “The more complex the project, the more we stand out.” KM is production-oriented to satisfy the needs of their clients, and their scheduling and procedures are extremely thorough.

and another third is from referrals. So where does a company like KM Builders go from here? As a design-build remodeler, the two entities of design and build will always be intrinsically linked at KM, but according to Moehle, they’re working to make the design side of their business more distinct and separate from the construction side. “We want to be noted as an architectural and design firm as much as we are a builder.” And what is Keith Moehle’s personal favorite room of the house? “Definitely the kitchen. There’s typically more beauty per square inch in that room than in any other. A lot of creativity can be incorporated into the kitchen. Plus, it’s where I get to eat and prepare food. It’s really the hub of our homes.” To hear more from Mr. Moehle, be sure to tune in to his show every Saturday.

The process for a prospective client begins at the home site with an initial consultation. Moehle still tries to make it to as many of these first meetings as he can, saying it’s his favorite part of the process. “We work to give them as much information as possible and understand their needs. We come up with design solutions, budget parameters, and a design agreement.” KM offers the security of a money-back guarantee on their designs if the project ends up exceeding the client’s budge. After the initial consultation, one of KM’s architectural designers creates a comprehensive scope of the work for the project, and the entire design team visits the site for a complete survey. All existing conditions are recorded and all measurements, as well as hundreds of photos, are taken. Design and development meetings follow, with the client’s continued input and final say, and an interior designer finalizes all selections.



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Builder Profile

Sustainable Building & Stylish Design Alan Hoffmann | Hoffmann Homes By Chad Andycha

A

lan

Hoffmann

green

through real estate, but before that he

designer and builder of modern,

was a Detroit boy who moved to Dallas to

homeland. “Ibiza is on the same latitude

innovative,

study theater. “I went to graduate school at

as Austin, with a similar climate, but the

and

is

a

sustainable

homes in and around Dallas. His company,

the Dallas Theater Center where I studied

homes there don’t have air conditioning

Hoffmann Homes, was voted by D Home

with Paul Baker,” said Hoffmann. “The

and don’t need it, even in the summer,”

magazine as one of Dallas’ best builders

center is housed in a Frank Lloyd Wright

said Hoffmann. “They have three-foot-

several years running. He built the first

designed building, and there I became

thick stone masonry walls that retain the

ICF (insulating concrete forms) homes in

fascinated with architecture and design.

ambient temperature of the ground and the

the Dallas-Fort Worth area and helped the

We were also building sets that were pretty

cool air from the nights. It’s an elegantly

Dallas BA craft the city’s green ordinance

elaborate in terms of construction.”

simple concept for high efficiency.” In

in 2007. Hoffmann’s own distinctive take

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off the coast of Spain, his grandfather’s

the winter, a system of fireplaces built

on building comes from the unique path

Hoffmann’s next wave of inspiration came

into the walls help radiate heat evenly

he took to get here. He came to building

from a trip he took to the island of Ibiza

throughout the homes. Hoffmann has

Texas Association of Builders March/April 2016

Builder Profile

“By building efficiently we can reduce our impact and energy consumption which helps improve the air quality here in Dallas, and in the broader sense, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a benefit we can all appreciate.”

researched other techniques for efficient

said Hoffmann. The homes will also feature

closely with the Dallas BA and the Dallas

building over the years but always comes

rooftop rainwater capture, and Hoffmann

city building department over the years,

back to the thermal-mass-wall concept.

will build an onsite community cistern.

putting in the effort to keep the industry

His discovery of ICFs in the ’90s got him

“We had a tremendous amount of rainfall

excited about the sustainable possibilities

in Dallas last year. It’s been challenging,

while being able to build in any style, and

but with the cistern, we’ll be able to

“I don’t like waste,” said Hoffmann. “By

he shifted his career to home design and

store about 20,000 gallons. It’s basically

building efficiently we can reduce our

building full time. “I get really great performance with the

integrated storm water management, but

impact and energy consumption which

we’ll keep the water to irrigate the site

helps improve the air quality here in

during the drought period of the year.”

Dallas, and in the broader sense, reducing

homes, and most of my business now is



strong and moving forward.

greenhouse gas emissions is a benefit we

referral through my existing client base

Hoffmann is proud to call Dallas home.

can all appreciate.” Pictured in this article

and network of people in the industry,”

He designed and built his own ICF house

are images from some of Hoffmann’s

said Hoffman. He is now working to push

in the area. His residence has a courtyard,

projects. Featuring ICF walls, outdoor

his business into community development,

with a style harking back to his Spanish

living spaces, and artistic attributes, the

with the goal of becoming an NAHB

roots. “Dallas is a hardworking town that

“playful-meets-modern” look of these

Green certified community builder. An

has really impacted and invented a lot,”

homes exemplifies Hoffmann’s unique

eight-home infill development is currently

said Hoffmann. “The town has a great

marriage of style and function. “I have a

in the works on a 1.7 acre piece of land.

energy, and the people are positive here. I

real appreciation for how impactful our

“We’ve run the energy modeling, and the

think that’s the reason for the growth, and

industry is on the whole,” said Hoffmann.

energy costs for the 1,850-square-foot

Dallas has planned for the growth. We’ve

“It’s very gratifying to know that I’m going

plans will be under $400 in annual energy

got a great mass transit system and a great

to see families and generations growing

consumption to heat and cool the house,”

business climate.” Hoffmann has worked

up in the homes I’ve built.”

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