Aspire turns custom homebuilding into a personalized journey
Aspire Fine Homes (Aspire) is an award-winning luxury custom home builder based in Houston, Texas. Understanding that a dream home is just as much an emotional investment as a financial one, the business provides all-inclusive design/build services that make it easy to bring a vision to life, ensure the entire process is efficient and painless, and craft each home as an environment that promotes comfort, well-being and luxury.
Owner, David Gordon, shares how the company got its start: “We founded the company in 2004, building custom homes in a specific neighborhood within Houston. It was an area that was being gentrified and becoming very popular. We began building spec homes and continued that all the way up until the economic collapse in 2008. Then we transitioned to building custom homes for clients.
“Custom home building can be a very difficult business. I think everybody wants to build spec houses because it can be easier than building to a customer’s specific needs; working directly with clients throughout the entire process can pose a different set of challenges compared to spec homes. To survive as a business, you must move beyond spec homes and evolve as a company. We developed into what I call a customer service company that happens to build custom homes. Because we’re serving a specific client with specific needs, and most of our clients have never built before, they look to us for our expertise. To overcome some of the challenges that this can present, we have developed a concierge level of experience for the client. This makes what could be an overwhelming process enjoyable and deeply rewarding.”
David then outlines the processes the company has implemented to achieve these goals: “Our ‘ACE’ process involves designing a house to a budget. For us, that is the most critical element, because even if a client has a lot of money to spend, they want to know that you’re targeting a budget with them. We start off with a questionnaire for the clients to complete. It’s a detailed document, where the client answers specific questions about the house they envision, which gives us the direction we need to bring that to life.
“We then go over the design questionnaire together with the client to establish the initial budget based on what they’re asking for. The home is going to be built to our standards, which comes with a certain starting price but in the design questionnaire, they may be asking for additional features beyond those standards. Following this process allows us to track and establish our budget, while staying ahead of any unexpected surprises for our clients. From there, we start designing the house. During this part of the process there are choices that are going to affect the budget; we keep a running tab in order to show them each of these decisions and how they affect the overall cost.
“When we get the floor plans and elevations completed, we send several of the key items out to bid to make sure that our estimate is accurate and right in line with the market. That’s one of the most important parts of the process, because when we design our budget, it goes on to become a fixed price. A lot of builders do the cost-plus approach, because they’re trying to protect themselves. But clients want to know what the house is going to cost at the end of the project. We believe if you have a good set of plans and a detailed set of specifications, there’s no reason why you can’t give them a fixed price.” 
This approach has created a lot of satisfied customers and delivered some special homes. David goes on to highlight one of his favorite projects: “One that stands out was a spec house that we did in a more affluent neighborhood; it really is a work of art. We used an architect from a different city that we hadn’t worked with before and the result was stunning. I really liked the different design elements such as the portico. That one always sticks out in my mind as a great example, and clients consistently refer to it as a reason for reaching out to us.”
Another central element of Aspire’s approach involves utilizing cutting-edge practices and technologies to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of its projects. David explains: “We use ZipWall systems, which allow you to have a significantly tighter house, which is important here in our market. When you have exterior sheathing that goes on the outside of the house, you can ensure all of the joints in the building are a lot snugger. If we have siding on the house, we don’t have to use a rain shield because it’s already built in.
“We also do full foam insulation on all our houses, something that not all our competitors are doing. I tell people that a whole foam house is just like having a Yeti cooler around your house. It keeps all the cold or hot air in, depending on whether it’s summer or winter. Our houses are also built solar-ready, with the final decision on whether to install panels being up to the clients.”
David concludes with a vision of Aspire’s future: “The priorities for the rest of the year are to improve the efficiency of our internal systems. This includes everything from the pre-construction process, which we have now trimmed down to four months. We’re streamlining the processes, making them simpler, and improving communication with our clients. We’re also doing the same thing when it comes to the construction side of the business. Right now, we’re building houses in between ten and 12 months; we’d like to be building houses in between eight and ten months. With these improvements in place, in five years, we aim to grow our revenue, which is currently around $15 million, to $100 million.”