Quality Heights Victorian House Builder

[aeonflux10]

I'm moving to Houston; a good friend of mine bought a home by Sterling Victorian Homes in the Heights in the 1990's and love it. It's really well-built and has nice architectural details. I was searching the internet for details about Sterling and heard it was defunct? Does anyone know if this is the case? Do you know where else in the Heights Sterling might have built?

I've been looking for other new victorian homes in the Heights - I've seen a lot of victorian-style homes that look poorly built and some that look nice (Lindsey Custom (?)). Do you know anything about any other good builders in the area? I'm scared of buying something that might have serious problems in a year or two.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for any info!

aeonflux10 at gmail.com

[lwood]

I'm moving to Houston; a good friend of mine bought a home by Sterling Victorian Homes in the Heights in the 1990's and love it. It's really well-built and has nice architectural details. I was searching the internet for details about Sterling and heard it was defunct? Does anyone know if this is the case? Do you know where else in the Heights Sterling might have built?

I've been looking for other new victorian homes in the Heights - I've seen a lot of victorian-style homes that look poorly built and some that look nice (Lindsey Custom (?)). Do you know anything about any other good builders in the area? I'm scared of buying something that might have serious problems in a year or two.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for any info!

aeonflux10 at gmail.com

I just moved into a home in the Heights that was constructed by Tom Tynan Homes. I am very happy with the quality. Let me know if you would like to talk and discuss the details of the process.

[segovia]

I have not seen that many Tom Tynan homes in the Heights (1). I have seen several Tricon construction homes built from scratch...Quality work. Allegro construction is another excellent builder. There are more smaller outfits in the area.

Check out the following...

http://www.allegrobuilders.com

http://www.triconhomesinc.com

Portal:

http://www.houstonheights.org/construction.htm

[uncertaintraveler]

I looked at the Tricon website....maybe its just me, but if I am buying a $300K plus home, I would expect the door and window trim to be made out of something more substantial than MDF. I would think that $300K would get you trim made out of solid wood, and not out of sawdust.

[heights_yankee]

I looked at the Tricon website....maybe its just me, but if I am buying a $300K plus home, I would expect the door and window trim to be made out of something more substantial than MDF. I would think that $300K would get you trim made out of solid wood, and not out of sawdust.

A lawyer we know who specializes in construction law says Tricon used to be great, but as they build more they are slipping in quality. Basically, they'll be a fancy Perry in a few years. Allegro is still supposed to be good, though.

I agree about the MDF. It's practically particle board.

[segovia]

Buyer beware these days. The strong housing demand can create issues related to the type of skilled labor hired and the quality of materials used. Tricon is no exception...the bottom-line will always dictate their workmanship.

[lwood]

I have not seen that many Tom Tynan homes in the Heights (1). I have seen several Tricon construction homes built from scratch...Quality work. Allegro construction is another excellent builder. There are more smaller outfits in the area.

Check out the following...

http://www.allegrobuilders.com

http://www.triconhomesinc.com

Portal:

http://www.houstonheights.org/construction.htm

You are correct. In the inner city Tom has one home in the Heights, one in the west end and one just completed in Garden Oaks. You will choose between a tract builder such as Tricon or a custom builder. It depends on your budget and quality requirements.

[segovia]

Iwood...how much research went into your decision in choosing Tom Tynan? Did you consider at any time the owner builder network program? My wife and I are still at the crossroads of either renovating or building new. It seems the more we try to fix, the more stuff we find out that is broken. I did talk to several local builders and the minimum price per sq. foot was about $150 avg. (300K avg. total cost). The strong housing demand and high cost of materials does not help in trying to negotiate a lower price.

[lwood]

Iwood...how much research went into your decision in choosing Tom Tynan? Did you consider at any time the owner builder network program? My wife and I are still at the crossroads of either renovating or building new. It seems the more we try to fix, the more stuff we find out that is broken. I did talk to several local builders and the minimum price per sq. foot was about $150 avg. (300K avg. total cost). The strong housing demand and high cost of materials does not help in trying to negotiate a lower price.

A lot of research went into the decision to go with Tom. I have been through the building process before and I think regardless who you choose it is a stressful process. I know a good bit about construction and I am somewhat picky about everything so it consumed my spare time for several months.

I travel in my job so the Owner Builder Network was not an option for me. My price per sq. ft. was less than $150 and I am sure I got a quality product with many bells and whistles. The recent hurricanes have impacted building prices and I did not have that to contend with.

A home is like anything else. It is comprised of 100's of "parts". You can choose the least expensive of those components or something higher. I chose the best in construction as first priority and still had excellent finish items. Your architect should write a strong spec so you know everyone is bidding the same home.

I would be happy to discuss my project if it would help you.

[RedScare]

A buddy of mine is an architect who works with several builders in the Heights. Feel free to call him about who to use. His name is Kirk Gant. Number is 713-237-8002.

Iwood...how much research went into your decision in choosing Tom Tynan? Did you consider at any time the owner builder network program? My wife and I are still at the crossroads of either renovating or building new. It seems the more we try to fix, the more stuff we find out that is broken. I did talk to several local builders and the minimum price per sq. foot was about $150 avg. (300K avg. total cost). The strong housing demand and high cost of materials does not help in trying to negotiate a lower price.

I hope that price includes dirt. Otherwise, it is pretty high, unless you are going crazy with the add-ons.

[lwood]

A buddy of mine is an architect who works with several builders in the Heights. Feel free to call him about who to use. His name is Kirk Gant. Number is 713-237-8002.

I hope that price includes dirt. Otherwise, it is pretty high, unless you are going crazy with the add-ons.

Dirt not included. One-off custom homes will typically run $125 per sq. ft. and up. Mostly up. It depends on what your specs require.

[aeonflux10]

Thanks a lot for your input. I'd heard conflicting things about Tricon and Allegro; a friend bought from Bastien (?) and had a typical building experience. I'm interested in excellent construction, but I don't know very much about construction, and my occupation makes it difficult for me to look over the contractor's and crew's shoulders to make sure that the things I can identify are getting done well...

[lwood]

Thanks a lot for your input. I'd heard conflicting things about Tricon and Allegro; a friend bought from Bastien (?) and had a typical building experience. I'm interested in excellent construction, but I don't know very much about construction, and my occupation makes it difficult for me to look over the contractor's and crew's shoulders to make sure that the things I can identify are getting done well...

Talk to Tom Tynan. 800-880-3663. Excellent product. Good to work with. For my experience with him you can reach me at 281-704-4853.

[windowguy]

A lot of research went into the decision to go with Tom. I have been through the building process before and I think regardless who you choose it is a stressful process. I know a good bit about construction and I am somewhat picky about everything so it consumed my spare time for several months.

I travel in my job so the Owner Builder Network was not an option for me. My price per sq. ft. was less than $150 and I am sure I got a quality product with many bells and whistles. The recent hurricanes have impacted building prices and I did not have that to contend with.

A home is like anything else. It is comprised of 100's of "parts". You can choose the least expensive of those components or something higher. I chose the best in construction as first priority and still had excellent finish items. Your architect should write a strong spec so you know everyone is bidding the same home.

I would be happy to discuss my project if it would help you.

I have seen some of Toms work in West University. I am not real impressed with the quality of construction. Given that I am a vendor for custom builders in WU, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Memorial, etc, I see the components that many of the Custom builders use. Tom builds a beautiful house, but the guts of it have some points to be desired.

In the Heights area, consider using Gabriel Homes, Allegro, Millennium Companies. There are several others in that area that are also very good. I am available to give advice as to the quality of work if it will help you.

[segovia]

When a builder says $125

[heights_yankee]

In the Heights area, consider using Gabriel Homes, Allegro, Millennium Companies. There are several others in that area that are also very good. I am available to give advice as to the quality of work if it will help you.

Two Millennium homes just went up by me. They look really nice. I haven't been inside, btu we watched them being built and it seems like a lot of attention to detail and the windows are wood.

[windowguy]

When a builder says $125

[lwood]

when a price per square foot is quoted, that is usually after a preliminary bidding process that the builder does in order to set up a budget. The builder usually bids out everything with his "choice" vendors that includes everything from foundation, lumber, windows and doors, electrical, to finish out products. Some of these carry so many variables that the budget will be alloted as an allowance for future selection. These budget items, as well as the builders price will be the source of the per square foot price. This usually doesnt include dirt.

I know the homes you are talking about. and yes the windows are wood. Millennium normally uses wood windows or clad wood windows.

I think wood windows look great but how do they hold up in our humidity? From a maintenance standpoint are vinyl windows a better choice?

[heights_yankee]

I think wood windows look great but how do they hold up in our humidity? From a maintenance standpoint are vinyl windows a better choice?

Well, most of the houses in The Heights are from the early part of the 20th century, mine included. My house has the original wood windows it was built with in 1930. Additionally, my mother's house in Western MA (where it is equally as humid, just not as hot) was built in 1897. The original wood frames of the doors are holding up even better than her vinyl windows at this point, having suffered numerous New England winters as well as humid summers.

[Guest danax]

I think wood windows look great but how do they hold up in our humidity? From a maintenance standpoint are vinyl windows a better choice?

Vinyl is a type of plastic to me and try to find anything in your life that is plastic that is not either broken, cracked, warped etc. after many years, especially if it's been exposed to the elements. Plastic might last forever in a landfill but not in it's original manufactured form.

It kills me to see the old wood windows torn out and replaced with Box Store quickies. It's really just ignorance. The older the home, the better the wood quality in the house is and the windows usually were made out of old-growth tight-grained wood. I sanded a couple down in my house (1908) and the grain is so tight I can hardly see the lines. The mortise and tenon joints have not loosened at all and many of them probably hadn't been repainted for a good 75 years when I moved in, were mostly bare wood and you can imagine the water/sun combination that they had to endure.

OK, sorry, your question was about maintenance differences. I haven't examined the new wood windows but I am sure the wood won't be a good as the stuff people throw away, those trees just aren't harvested anymore. And, I doubt if new wood windows use the old weight and pulley systems, which were superior if maintained. I am thinking the new ones have friction guides like the other windows out there, so maintenance is probably the same or better with wood, since you're unlikely to have to throw them away when they break like the plastic ones.

I'm not a window expert so I might be off base on this. All I know is that I get satisfaction out of knowing that nothing in my house is plastic.

[windowguy]

I think wood windows look great but how do they hold up in our humidity? From a maintenance standpoint are vinyl windows a better choice?

In answer to your question, If you maintain an all wood window, then the window will hold up no matter what the climate. Regarding maintenance, a vinyl window is more low maintenance than that of a wood window, but the architectural asthetics are very unappealling. For a wood window that is a low maintenance product, Look into an aluminum clad product. This line of products has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past 5 years so as to replicate the details of the profiles of a true wood window.

And yes, I am a window expert. I get the pleasure of dealing with this facet of custom construction on daily basis.

Vinyl is a type of plastic to me and try to find anything in your life that is plastic that is not either broken, cracked, warped etc. after many years, especially if it's been exposed to the elements. Plastic might last forever in a landfill but not in it's original manufactured form.

It kills me to see the old wood windows torn out and replaced with Box Store quickies. It's really just ignorance. The older the home, the better the wood quality in the house is and the windows usually were made out of old-growth tight-grained wood. I sanded a couple down in my house (1908) and the grain is so tight I can hardly see the lines. The mortise and tenon joints have not loosened at all and many of them probably hadn't been repainted for a good 75 years when I moved in, were mostly bare wood and you can imagine the water/sun combination that they had to endure.

OK, sorry, your question was about maintenance differences. I haven't examined the new wood windows but I am sure the wood won't be a good as the stuff people throw away, those trees just aren't harvested anymore. And, I doubt if new wood windows use the old weight and pulley systems, which were superior if maintained. I am thinking the new ones have friction guides like the other windows out there, so maintenance is probably the same or better with wood, since you're unlikely to have to throw them away when they break like the plastic ones.

I'm not a window expert so I might be off base on this. All I know is that I get satisfaction out of knowing that nothing in my house is plastic.

The older windows that you describe were most likely old growth cypress that were field milled and buit. That is the reason that they have lasted so long. Most manufacturers today, be it Jeld-Wen, Marvin, Kolbe, etc. use #2 yellow pine as the frame and sash. This is a softer wood for 2 reasons, the nature of pine, and that it is new growth.

And yes, certain manufacturers will still do a counter balance system that is similar to a weight and pully. Most still use a block and tackle system that is far better than the old compression jambliners you see in some homes. Infact, most have completely concealed this system so all you see is wood.

Hope this helps.