Green Building Professional

Jenkins Custom Homes recycles 80% of all jobsite materials on every custom home construction project in Austin.

Just call us Austin green home builders, as we have been doing this for over 3 years now in partnership with Construction Waste Recycler of Texas.  It is simply the right thing to do for our environment.  It doesn’t cost that much extra and tends to keep the jobsite cleaner, not to mention the positive effect it has on all who work on the project and visit it.  We are proud, as a home builder, to support the environment and promote good, green community relations on all our jobs.

Aggie100 Winners

This is the Press Release that was sent out last weekend:

Luxury home builder, Jenkins Custom Homes, was honored today as the 6th fastest-growing Aggie-owned business in the world, with an average compound growth rate of 94.13%!  The luxury home builder was recognized at the seventh annual Aggie 100 program, sponsored by Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. The Aggie 100 focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. Recipients of the award were selected based on verified compound annual revenue growth for the 2008 to 2010 period. In addition to this honor, Jenkins was also recognized as one of only three companies which have been named in the Aggie 100 for five out of the last seven years since the program has been in existence.  This is the longest sustained growth of any Aggie100 recipient.

Nearly seven hundred people attended the awards luncheon in The Zone Club at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. Texas A&M University Women’s Basketball Coach, Gary Blair, presented the keynote address at the luncheon. After leading the Aggie Women to a 2010 NCAA National Championship, it was only fitting that he inspire the group of entrepreneurs by sharing his thoughts on true leadership. Kelsey Assarian, a member of the winning basketball team, sat at the table with Shan & Bethany Jenkins, along with Porter Garner, CEO of the Association of Former Students, and other distinguished faculty.

Earlier that morning, Jenkins had breakfast with the Dean of the College of Architecture, along with the Department Heads, which include the Department of Construction Science, Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban

Planning, and the Department of Visualization. After breakfast, Jenkins was given a personal tour of some of the technology being used to design homes and commercial buildings in the Department of Architecture.  One such technology, called the “BIM Cave” (Building Information Modeling Cave), surrounds students with display screens which allow them to be immersed in the design from multiple sides.  Such technology allows aspiring architects to envision spaces within the home or commercial structure during the design process, a very useful technology which could be used to assist the luxury home builder’s clients as well.

This year’s Aggie 100 companies posted an average compound growth rate of 41 percent. The complete list can be found at aggie100.com. The Top 10 Aggie 100 companies include:

“Since the founding of Texas A&M University, Aggies have been leaving a legacy across all businesses and industries,” said Dr. Richard H. Lester, Executive Director of Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. “Over the last seven years, the Aggie 100 companies have continuously proven that even in tough economic times, solid business ideas and hard work pay off.”

To be considered, companies (corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships) must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M.  After receiving the award five out of the last seven years, Jenkins Custom Homes is a shining example of the legacy of leadership.

Thermador Adventures in Scottsdale

Our latest Builder20 meeting was held in Scottsdale, AZ (thus, my previous post about visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Center).  We have been meeting with our Builder20 group twice a year for over 5 years, and it is always a great time where we work strategically “on” the business instead of just “in” the business.  This time, we held the meetings in the award-winning Thermador training center and showroom.  I must say, this place was awesome and put every meeting room we have ever used in the past to shame!

One of the nights, we had an interactive dinner, where we all cooked various dishes in the showroom on Thermador appliances.  This was really fun and allowed us to learn first-hand about the appliances.  The most amazing feature we saw, in my opinion, was the infrared sensor on the cooktops.  This bad boy senses the temperature inside the dish and KEEPS IT FROM BURNING!  Ah, hello, why haven’t we always had this awesome feature?!!!  As newlyweds, that could have saved us LOTS of money in ruined dinners.  There were many other great features, and we were duly impressed.  Here is what Thermador says about their “Sensor Dome” technology and how it is used in conjunction with their induction cooktop (also available in the electric cooktop):

“Thermador Induction can fry with the industry’s most powerful heating element, or simmer precisely for long periods of time. Thermador’s patented Sensor Dome technology brings the pan to the perfect temperature and utilizes infrared sensor technology to monitor the temperature inside the pan, cycling on and off to maintain the precise temperature. Sensor Dome allows Thermador Induction to simmer without scorching, boil without boiling over, and deep fry without burning.”  (Read more)

Incidentally, Thermador recently announced that they are closing this facility, and that is unfortunate.  We wish everyone could see it!

Cost per Square Foot in Austin Homes

Cost per square foot is a common measurement in today’s home valuation, and Austin is no different.  It is used by Realtors, Banks, Appraisers, and others, but experienced professionals do not use that valuation alone and neither should you.  In this article, we will look into the fallacy of using cost per square foot as the only valuation of a home.  It is my opinion that cost per square foot (s.f.) is one of the least effective tools for measuring a home’s value in the custom home (and especially luxury home) market.

At Jenkins Custom Homes, our typical budget for a single home is over 300 line items.  The factors that affect each line item can be varied and numerous.

Take roofing material as an example.  Is a clay tile roof imported from Italy the same cost as a 20 year shingle roof, or even a concrete tile roof?  I can assure you that it is not.  The import cost alone is much more.  Not to mention the necessary framing changes to accommodate the weight of the tile, the numerous flashing and underlayment options, etc.  Which do you prefer, two layers of 30lb. felt or ice and water shield?  Maybe you need a combination of the two?  A lot to consider?  Yes, it is.

Do you see my point, though? Just within this one line item – roofing materials – there can be a variety of alternatives, each of which has a ripple affect on the rest of the budget.

Allow me to illustrate further.  Here is an over-simplified example.  Let’s say these are the costs for two different homes – House #1 and House #2.  Both homes are 10′ x 10′ or 100 square feet (SF).

Now, before you decide which house you are going to purchase, look carefully at the difference between these two homes.  House #2 is a whopping  67% more for the exact same 100 square foot!  What a rip-off, right?

Well, House #1 also has no windows.  Meanwhile, House #2 has windows on all sides, a nice covered porch, better appliances and an extra 1/2 bath.  Still want the first house?

My point is that if you multiply those cost differences by 300 different line items, pretty soon the two houses start to look really different even though they are the exact same size.  My suggestion?  Find out what is in the house before you decide what the true value is.  That is really the only way you will know whether the home is a good value or not.

After all, have you ever called a car dealer and asked him for the cost per seat of a car you were interested in purchasing?  Of course not!  And if you did, wouldn’t it make sense for the single cab F150 Pick-Up to cost the same as a Corvette?  They both have only two seats!

Then again, if that were the measure of value, we would all be driving minivans, wouldn’t we?!  Or… would we?!

By: Shan Jenkins, Jenkins Custom Homes

Video of Blown-in-Batt Insulation

Blown-in-batts (or BIBs, as they are often called) are one of the many options in insulation these days which provide superior energy savings over traditional batt insulation.  Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.  So, we have filmed the installation taking place at one of our custom home jobsites in Spanish Oaks in the Lakeway / Austin area.

Report from the Field – Spanish Oaks

Mini-tour of home construction commencing at one of our projects in the Spanish Oaks subdivision.