Builder Profiles
All Profiles
Swiss Builders
5367 Fieldwood, 3121 Newcastle
Excellent locations; exquisite architecture; beautifully executed floor plans; expansive spaces; and luxury finishes are hallmarks of the best of Houston’s newest luxury homes. But Tino Bekhradi, president of Swiss Builders, adds something that distinguishes him from the rest: antique architectural elements. Bekhradi knows that classic antique features are usually one-of-a-kind and impart individual character and personality to a new home.
Examples of Bekhradi’s 18th- and 19th-century European features have included vintage stone window surrounds; iron work from an orangerie in northern France; reclaimed doors; reclaimed antique terra cotta and 10-inch plank pine floors; manteaux de cheminée (French chimney pieces); stone sinks; and decorative tiles. Bekhradi combines these unusual additions with state-of-the-art kitchens and media rooms, extraordinary master suites, lavish marble-clad baths, and exercise rooms.
Published August 2010 - Back to Top
Cyrus Homes
5517 Sugar Hill and 5622 Bayou Glen
Outstanding locations; superb construction materials and finishes; floor plans tailored for gracious lifestyles; and unparalleled luxury made standard…these are hallmarks of Cyrus Homes, one of Houston’s finest home builders. Founder and President Kam Dahesh commissions the finest home designers, including Robert Dame, to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
One of Cyrus Homes’ finest completed projects is the stunning, 9,000-plus-square-foot home at 5517 Sugar Hill. Beautifully constructed on a premier street in the heart of Tanglewood, this home offers a lavish wrought iron and slab marble staircase; Schoenbeck crystal chandelier; exquisite marble tile and polished walnut floors; an impressive barrel vaulted gallery; hand-crafted moldings; cook’s kitchen with select granite countertops and Wolf and SubZero appliances; wine vault; secluded master suite with lavish dual baths; library; home theater with wet bar; expansive loggia with summer kitchen; pool and spa; Lutron system; and an elevator.
A second project is under way at 5622 Bayou Glen in Tanglewood. This dazzling home, designed by Robert Dame, boasts elegantly arched doorways and exceptionally fine entertaining paces including a mahogany-paneled library, enormous media/billiards room, and an exquisite formal dining room with a temperature-controlled wine room. The family room has a double-height ceiling and adjoins the open, granite-clad cook’s kitchen with an island and mahogany cabinetry. Walls of French doors access the back porch and loggia where a summer kitchen and fireplace provide gracious al fresco living. Additional amenities include a first-floor master suite, a second master suite on the second floor, an elevator, and maid’s quarters.
Published June 2010 - Back to Top
Justin Gordon Homes
1344 Woodcrest
Justin Gordon and his project management/design team offer more than 20 years combined experience in custom home building. Gordon’s passion for building luxury homes is evident in the many projects he has created throughout Oak Forest and the surrounding community. With a strong background in real estate and an appreciation for fine home detail, Gordon has developed a standard of quality and a wealth of unique features admired within the luxury home-building industry.
Community involvement and the environment are important to Gordon and his staff. To date, his company has diverted more than 10 tons of reusable construction material to the City of Houston's Reuse Warehouse, where it is donated to non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Gordon has elected to support the City of Houston’s Adopt-An-Esplanade program along parts of Ella Blvd. and T.C. Jester in the Oak Forest area. This project is nearing final approval and should be completed in spring/summer 2010. When not working, Gordon serves as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston, a volunteer commitment he has performed for more than four years.
Published June 2010 - Back to Top
Classic American Homes
Is West University Place the real estate equivalent of "The Little Engine That Could"? "It's a housing market that pretty much holds its own regardless of ups and downs in the market," says Charles Kuck, president of Classic American Homes, a luxury home builder focused in West University Place. "I've lived in West U since 1974, built homes here since 1983, raised my children here and love the area. It's proved to be a quality lifestyle as well as investment."
Kuck chooses his locations carefully, even within West University Place. "I have such deep roots in the neighborhood that I purchase many of my properties from friends who are upgrading or whose parents are moving and selling their older home," says Kuck, who learned his craft under the tutelage of a craftsman in River Oaks. His criteria include not only location but surrounding properties. Kuck prefers to limit his projects to three or four a year so he may spend more time on site. "There is no substitute for attention to details. That's what sells my homes," he says.
Classic American Homes' recently completed projects and those under construction are primarily Mediterranean or Traditional architecture, styles Kuck feels work very well in West University Place. Kuck also builds custom homes for select customers on Lake Conroe as well as ranches and horse farms in Cypress and Katy. "I enjoy going to other areas for very special custom-builds," he says.
Published April 2010 - Back to Top
Potomac Custom Builders
17 Hedwig Circle
The principals of Potomac Custom Builders, husband-and-wife team John Whetsell and Denise Traylor, build homes that are architecturally significant, thoughtfully designed and impeccably built. Before founding Potomac Custom Builders in 2000, Whetsell and Traylor spent 12 years redesigning and remodeling existing homes in Houston. That experience affirmed their instinct for superior design, their passion for quality and their sense of what homeowners need and want.
Building mainly in Houston’s close-in neighborhoods, Potomac Custom Builders begins each project the same way – by carefully studying buyer preferences to produce a home that is perfectly matched to the market, the neighborhood, the site and, perhaps most importantly, owner’s expectations.
“We never build the same home twice,” say Whetsell and Traylor, “and we believe that no one builds a home quite the way we do. Our construction standards are the highest in the industry, and we build each home as if it were our own.”
Published January 2010 - Back to Top
Frankel Building Group
5317 Grand Lake
Frankel Building Group is renowned for building exceptional custom homes in Memorial, Tanglewood, West University, Sunset Terrace and Bellaire for more than 20 years. FBG is a family-run, full-service, local custom home builder who puts quality and service first, still believes in personal contact, and values clients' investment, time and trust.
Founder and President Jim Frankel, a native Houstonian who is deeply involved in his industry and his community, is a past president of the Greater Houston Builders Association and a Life Director of the Texas Association of Builders. Vice President Kevin Frankel scouts for new projects and continues to position Frankel Building Group ahead of the curve. A licensed broker in the state of Texas, Kevin is very involved in heading up acquisitions as well as sales and cost forecasting. Vice President Scott Frankel is a Certified Graduate Builder, Certified Green Professional and a Graduate Master Builder. Eager to improve processes and increase the productivity of contractors, Scott constantly strives to make the building process more enjoyable and rewarding for customers.
Throughout the building process, FBG ensures that each facet of a home is of the highest quality, is technologically advanced and offers the best value without compromising aesthetic design or function. Certified as a green builder by the Greater Houston Association of Builders Green Building Initiative, FBG recognizes the growing concern with protecting the environment and eco-system. They spend hours on research and education in order to provide the community and their clients with eco-friendly homes built with materials everyone can feel good about.
Published January 2010 - Back to Top