Stan George

I have an intnl flight scheduled out of IAH at 5PM. No CLEAR, and by that time, PreCheck will have been closed for 7 hours. This was my brother’s PreCheck line at 5:30AM 🕺🏽

@michaelbrom @SusieM414141 @nahomtesfa 😭😭😭

@SusieM414141 @nahomtesfa @stangeorge

You found the house of your dreams online, but when you went to see it in person, this is what you saw. How are you supposed to use the garage? Hope it was a good deal.

One of the challenges of building in older neighborhoods is that our new drainage culverts are always lower than our neighbors’ culverts. Water just sits in the drainage ditch. We are required to put in larger 24” pipes, and our neighbors’ original culverts are only 12” - 18”. On top of that, we have almost 6” of concrete above the culvert so to achieve sheet flow from our driveway, we have to set the culvert down even lower. Not to mention, their culverts are often clogged with dirt. The City is technically responsible for maintaining these ditches, but this specific problem wont be solved until all of these older homes are redeveloped and new culverts will organically be placed, or the City proactively replaces everyone’s existing culverts. Across the City, this is likely a problem. In an environment where Houston’s flood zones are expanding, drainage of our streets is an increasing concern.

@contractorkeith 2-story, 1,800 sf living, “detached townhomes”. These are infill, near the urban core, and often bought by young professionals

@stangeorge Doesn’t sound like entry level to me, what size homes are you building as spec homes?

Saw a social media ad for a local builder who has a large following, and is selling a course. The backdrop to his video ad was him showcasing one of his builds, and I counted 3 different house wraps pieced together on the porch alone. Nice. I started in this business set out to build quality spec homes for the entry level price point. It's been an experience learning what that buyer pool cares for, and doesn't care about. I've eventually had to realize that I'm not building this house for myself, but am building it for the market. Some of the competition builds absolute garbage structures, so some finesse is required to not lose my soul, and still build a quality product that I have to feel comfortable with. I enjoy sleeping well at night. Extra things I cared about, that buyers don't care about: - OSB over T-ply sheathing - Tyvek WRB vs woven Home Guard - Better windows (tilt sash, higher energy ratings) - Double-flashing windows - Lexel caulking at bottom plate vs polyseal - Prewiring ethernet and security - Spec'ing better aggregate in the concrete mix - Using 2x6 studs on all exterior walls - Tankless water heater - Spec'ing Trane HVAC system - LVP w/ thicker wear layer - 1-1/8" subfloor vs 3/4" - Class 4 rated shingles vs Class 3 and below - Spec'ing a basic-function shower fixture from a reputable brand w/ a better quality valve - Including drain inlets, and gutters, that are all tied into an underground drainage system - Kohler toilets over HD's Glacier Bay - 3rd party-insured structural warranty vs builder-backed warranty - Yellow pine baseboards over MDF - Oil based paint on trim/doors vs water based Extra things I didn't care for, that buyers love: - Trendy tile that I know will be dated in a few years - 12' ceilings (Ok maybe I like this) - Including a fridge with that dumb see-through feature - Frameless Euro-style cabinets made of particle board - No-name shower fixture w/ bells and whistles - Including a $100 Nest thermostat w/ the terrible app I've tried educating on the integrity of the comprehensive home, but I've found that after having to consistently match the price/concessions of my competition, the contract comes down to dollars and aesthetics.

@GrulkeLamonte Feel this deeply. Good on you to have even done zip to begin with. You’ll be better prepared for when you start doing custom homes!

Man I agree with this 100%. Sadly few care about what’s really going on underneath the home. Over time I’ve tried to find the right balance and offer the best product for the price point of each home. I personally won’t compromise the integrity or skip something blatantly wrong with any of my homes. But I won’t put zip sheathing on every home anymore as well.

@TJinspectre Thanks! Primarily, just east of Downtown Houston.

@stangeorge Where do you build? As a home inspector, those are all great things you listed in my opinion and would definitely be something I discuss with my clients. Never compromise on what you believe when you’re building a home, and they good educated buyers will come.

@ksabz Keeyan. I wish I had you as a buyer’s agent for all my transactions 😭

@stangeorge Do you show a breakdown of your costs w those extras vs the other builders? Definitely comes down to dollars & aesthetics for many but good Realtors will point out those differences to assist buyers in making the best investment w their money. Definitely worth doing if you don’t!

@bobbyfijan @americanhousing A beauty

SXSW @americanhousing

@investandcreate Hah. This is the way.

@stangeorge I’m BIG on MIL suites LOL

Trying out something new. We acquired (2) 5k sf lots within walking distance of each other. We replatted so that on each development we have: • 1 single family home (3 bed/3 bath) • 1 stacked duplex (6 bed/4 bath) We’re about to list the first batch and it’s getting some good buzz so far - hoping that rates remain stable in the coming weeks as geopolitics does its thing.

@AdamB1438 What a guy. Hope you’re well, Adam

Stan is good people and he does some wonderful work:

@investandcreate That’s a cool idea!

@stangeorge I’ve thought about something similar but with in-law aka grandparent suite. Keep us posted and good luck!

@JimKittridge Fast for 2 days, and take a deep breath!

@stangeorge Love it. Would hate to need to do any work between those

@LA_Multi_Fam That’s the thesis! We shall see if it plays out

@stangeorge This is a cool set up! A lot of buyers looking to occupy the single and rent the double?

@shawngorham Thanks Shawn - hope you and Melissa are better.

@stangeorge love it

@J_Koenig21 Incredible work

I love what I do.

@murphy_peighton Same issue here

is quickbooks online just like not working right now. why can’t i add any new expenses/invoices/templates. like pages will load but nothing will save

@DietCoke82 Incredible

As homes become more custom and detailed, it’s harder to predict the time, supervision, and rework they require. These projects don’t follow a typical construction schedule. Construction is a layering process. The more complex the design, the more sequencing and coordination it takes to execute well. With added detail comes higher expectations and less room for error, add in multiple changes because that’s every custom home… In the end they are really fun and rewarding projects, but hard to make money all the time! 😜 More photos from yesterday of this same home, including the primary bath. Full radius arches, corner arches, and curves are a consistent theme throughout.