Are you looking for a local, custom builder who can build on raw land that you buy? Stuart Alkire with Alkire Construction is one of them! I first called Stuart last year after we took our office photos in one of his gorgeous custom homes on West Fitzhugh. Soon after, I had a client who wanted to know if the land they were purchasing had the right topography to build a home on.
Stuart quickly looked at the maps and responded! I know it is so hard to just do a google search and see names and websites when looking for custom builders and so I wanted to introduce you to Dripping Springs’ 2022 Best Custom Builder- Alkire Construction!
Hey Stuart… tell us more about yourself…
How did you get into home building?
I got into the homebuilding business straight out of college when I took a project manager position with Coventry Homes. I always knew I wanted to build my own custom homes, but needed a starting point to learn the ropes. It was well before then that I fell in love with design and creating beautiful structures.
I was just a kid when I was drawing out my favorite floorplans, and building quite extravagant treehouses. We already had construction in the family, so my design skills were nicely paired with the construction crew of my family.
What has been the most challenging part of building homes during the pandemic?
The most challenging part of building during the pandemic is setting expectations for clients. Part of what makes our design/build process so successful is being able to forecast the project cost and designing within parameters. We set expectations that can be met, and the pandemic definitely threw a wrench into that process.
When our vendors couldn’t tell us what things were going to cost, and when we could get them, it becomes very difficult to estimate this for our clients. The dramatic rise in costs were very hard to manage, but the unknown on costs 2 months into the future made setting confident expectations quite impossible.
Do you design the homes or just build them from plans your clients buy?
Alkire Construction designs about 90% of our projects in-house. We love the system we’ve created which incorporates the entire process of the home build, from concept to realization. Taking a client through virtual walk throughs during the design phase, and then being able to look back when the home is complete and see that design come to life, is incredibly rewarding! It also creates a relationship very early on where we establish trust and have full knowledge of the plans and construction.
Things simply don’t get overlooked or misunderstood when building, because we designed it together, so we understand the purpose. Builders often overlook important aspects of plans that architects will design, which certainly lessens the end product. That simply doesn’t happen with design/build.
What style of home do you gravitate towards in your design?
The correct answer would be that we gravitate towards the design our clients want! But, we will certainly default to methods of construction and styles that lean craftsman. When we started our business, I was obsessed with the detail and thoughtfulness of craftsman style homes and some mid-century modern touches which, with a trained eye, you will notice in our builds.
A lot of people will gravitate towards the most viewed homes on Pinterest, which is fine. But when 4 or 5 clients send me the exact same photo as their inspiration, I’ll 100% put our design spin on it. I love large overhangs and tons of natural light, so whatever the design, the craftsman idea will be incorporated somehow.
Custom building seems pretty overwhelming… what are the first steps people need to do when wanting to hire you to build their dream home?
It certainly can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to having to make what seems like 8,000 decisions. The first step our clients should do is take a small step back and trust our process. We have created a system that breaks up these many decisions, and categorizes them into levels of priority so that you can enjoy the home build. This should absolutely be a fun and rewarding experience. The most important thing that we ask of clients is to have a budget.
We don’t care what that budget is, $1 million or $8 million, it’s still a budget. If we don’t have a budget to design and build to, we are either leaving potential on the table, or we aren’t building to an accurate cost. It’s the least fun topic to discuss, so we rip that band-aid off right off the bat, and make sure we’re designing and building to a specific cost.
How long do most homes take to complete?
Most homes take around 10 months to build. That certainly increased to around 12 months over the last couple years, but we are seeing that number come back down thankfully! Our design process takes anywhere from 3-5 months, which is getting a set of plans designed, bid out, and ready for the bank. So if you buy a piece of land, or go under contract, expect a total timeframe of around 15-18 months for design, loan, and build.
What’s your favorite feature you’ve ever added into a home?
A feature that never disappoints would easily be our laundry shoot and dumbwaiter system for multi-level homes. It by far gets the most compliments and use. The ‘coolest’ feature we’ve installed would probably be a home we built with a dedicated greenhouse garden and swim spa. We built a very unique cedar lined greenhouse with walls and ceilings of windows, with a 20ft swim spa in the center. Looking at the stars at night, while enjoying the orchid garden surrounding you, and doing backstrokes was something that I’ve never seen in any other house. It was quite incredible!
What’s something interesting about your job that most people don’t know?
Something interesting about being a home designer and builder: I, maybe way too often, play the ‘if it were my house’ game while designing our homes. I always think about how I would want to live in whatever space it is that we’re working on. Or, I fall back to my wife for her feedback and put her in the situation. Or I ask my Mom or in-laws about living in a guest house or casita.
They get pretty tired of it, so I’ve moved on to other people, but I really like to understand as many perspectives as possible in order to see it from a different angle and make the best possible decision. It’s super fun, and the answers I get from kids are priceless!
What brought you to Dripping Springs?
The people brought us to Dripping Springs. They are by far the best people in the great state of Texas.
What do you love about living and working in this area?
I love working here because I love living here. We love our Dripping Springs Tigers, our community, and everything that represents our shared value system of family and community. It’s not a bad landscape either, if you like gorgeous century Oak trees, rolling hills, and springs and creeks running through.
The Tigers football team in a 6A format will be so fun and challenging this year! We love the spirit, and can’t wait to be a sponsor again in 2023!
What is your family’s favorite place to relax and have fun in Dripping Springs?
We love anything and everything outdoors! From taking the family to Camp Ben McCulloch and swimming in Onion Creek, to hiking out at Pedernales Falls, to meeting up with friends at Treaty Oak, everything we love is outside, soaking up this wonderful town.
How can people find you online?
Find us at www.GroundUpGreen.com, or on Facebook and Instagram #drippingbuilder. Or google ‘best custom home builder of Dripping Springs 2022!
Are you looking to buy land in Dripping Springs and want to build your dream home? Reach out to me and I’ll be happy to help you find it! I’m a local Dripping Springs Realtor and would love to help! Just call or email to get started 512-569-8480 or laurenclark@magnoliarealty.com
