Custom Home Builders in the Texas Hill Country
Custom Builders
Six builders working in South Texas and the Hill Country, each with a different approach — from a program that hands the general contractor role to you, to firms where the owner is on site every day. Profiles are drawn from each builder’s own published material and third-party review sources.
By Adam Michaud · Last updated September 25, 2026
Brad Moore Builders
Brad Moore Builders has been building in the Hill Country since 2001, serving Boerne, Bulverde, Spring Branch, Canyon Lake, New Braunfels and out toward Blanco, Comfort and Fredericksburg. The firm describes itself as an award-winning luxury custom builder “building with purpose,” with more than 40 years of combined building experience behind the work.
The process is front-loaded on purpose. In their words, “a successful custom home begins long before construction” — they spend the early phase understanding goals, reviewing details, and guiding decisions “before they become costly changes in the field.” That framing shows up again in how they describe the relationship: “We do not see this as a transaction. We see it as a relationship.”
The work is recognized locally. Their 2025 New Braunfels Parade of Homes entry in Centennial Ridge, built with the Greater New Braunfels Home Builders Association, took both Best Overall in the $2–3 million class and the People’s Choice Award.
Two decades in the Hill Country
Building since 2001 across Boerne, Bulverde, Canyon Lake and New Braunfels — the firm knows these lots and these inspectors.
Decisions before dirt
Planning is deliberately front-loaded to keep changes out of the field, where they cost the most.
Award-winning work
Best Overall ($2–3M) and People’s Choice at the 2025 New Braunfels Parade of Homes.
Communication as the product
Clients consistently cite transparency and knowing what to expect in each phase.
“He made the whole building process easy and stress free. The quality of work and attention to detail was outstanding.”
“Every aspect of the custom home building process was outstanding. The team offered wonderful, functional ideas to help us design our dream home for retirement.”
“We found him to be genuine and transparent from day one and always let us know what to expect in each phase of building our house.”
“From the first touch point, the team at BMB listened closely and seemed to truly care about our project.”
Built Green Custom Homes
Built Green is an owner-builder consultancy rather than a conventional general contractor. Since 2010 the firm has guided owners in designing and building their own custom home on their own property in the greater San Antonio area, and it has held BBB accreditation since January 2011 with an A+ rating. The model puts the homeowner in the general contractor’s seat with the firm supplying the structure around that role: construction financing, construction management, energy-efficient design, land acquisition, owner-builder consulting, and preconstruction consulting.
The appeal is control and equity. Homeowners choose their own contractors from a vetted list, make their own allowance decisions, and capture the general contractor’s margin themselves. The tradeoff is involvement, which is why the program is built around seminars at active job sites, written construction timetables, and consultations before each phase. The first consultation is free of obligation and usually starts at the building site, so the team can understand what the owner wants from the property.
Energy performance is the other half of the pitch. Founder Charlie Watts is an energy efficiency specialist with 27 years in home building whose stated goal is maximum efficiency at minimum cost, and the firm describes itself as a “build on your lot” builder specializing in green-built, energy-efficient homes in Texas.
You are the GC
The owner-builder program hands you the contractor role and the margin that comes with it, backed by seminars, vetted trades, and a phase-by-phase timetable.
Build on your own lot
Property evaluation, site planning, utility review, and plan customization are part of the engagement rather than an add-on.
Financing built in
Construction financing and owner-builder consulting are listed services — the part of an owner-build that usually stops people cold.
Energy-first spec
Twenty-seven years of energy-efficiency practice drives the envelope and mechanical decisions, which matters most in a South Texas summer.
“They have an excellent program to take someone with zero building experience to an accomplished owner builder.”
“I was very concerned about whether I would be able to be successful as an owner-builder… the project actually exceeded my hopes.”
“Everything from the initial budget to the selection of contractors was taken into account… the end result was a magnificent home.”
“Using a traditional custom home builder vs the Built Green Program… it’s Built Green every time.”
G. Morris Custom Homes
G. Morris Homes builds in Boerne, New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Bulverde, Blanco, Johnson City, Canyon Lake, Comfort and San Antonio. Their stated belief is that “truly superior custom homes are built by people of integrity, whose core values direct both the building process and the relationship” — attention to detail, clear and timely communication, and doing things right the first time.
Owner Brad Morris is a Marine and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a Texas A&M graduate, and a licensed Texas real estate broker. He worked up to Division President of one of the largest custom builders in the state before founding the company, served as President of the Greater New Braunfels Home Builders Association in 2020 and 2021, and sits on the Texas Association of Builders Executive Committee as Area IV Vice President. The company name comes from his son’s first initial.
If you have not bought land yet, that is part of the engagement: the firm points to its area knowledge and broker license to help find the right lot. Clients get online access to progress photos and timelines through Buildertrend, and the company publishes its energy-efficiency practices and warranty terms on its own site.
Veteran-owned
Brad Morris is a Marine and Iraq veteran; he credits Corps leadership values as the company’s operating principles.
Industry leadership
Past President of the Greater New Braunfels HBA and Area IV VP on the Texas Association of Builders Executive Committee.
Lot-finding help
A licensed Texas broker in house, so land search is part of the service rather than a referral.
Transparent tracking
Buildertrend gives clients online access to progress photos and schedule, plus a published warranty.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the G Morris home building process and the craftsmanship of our new home! From start to finish, the team was so attentive and thorough.”
“Brad helped us pick our lot in the very beginning and we are extremely grateful for his guidance from the get-go.”
Keith Wing Custom Homes
Keith Wing Custom Builders has been working since 2014 as what the firm calls a “dirt up” custom home builder in South Texas and the Hill Country, staying with the owner through planning, design, construction and warranty. Their current focus is the corridor between I-35 and 281 north of Loop 1604 — Spring Branch, New Braunfels, Garden Ridge, San Marcos, Wimberley, Lake LBJ and Lake McQueeney — with a specialty in waterfront and build-on-your-lot work.
The structural difference they point to is continuity of contact: “There are no handoffs from the salesman to the builder that so often result in details being missed.” Clients work directly with the team throughout, tracking the build in a smartphone app. Budget control is described the same way — detailed planning, clear communication, transparent timelines.
The firm holds professional membership in the National Association of Home Builders, the Texas Association of Builders, the Hill Country Builders Association and the Greater New Braunfels Home Builders Association, and is BBB accredited. Its stated mission is to honor God, build inspired, and deliver dreams realized.
No sales handoff
You deal with the builder from first meeting to warranty — the gap where details usually get lost is closed by design.
Waterfront and build-on-your-lot
A declared specialty, which matters on the lake and river lots where most builders get cautious.
App-tracked build
Selections, changes and schedule live in a client app rather than in someone’s inbox.
Broadly accredited
NAHB, TAB, Hill Country BA and Greater New Braunfels HBA member; BBB accredited.
“Transparency, attention to detail, great follow-up (even after we moved in) and on budget! One couldn’t ask for more.”
“He is very organized and hands-on; he was at our job site nearly every day checking out every detail.”
“Keith’s attention to detail was excellent. His patience in dealing with design changes… was amazing.”
“So many of our friends cautioned us of how stressful building a home can be, but Keith and his team kept us focused and engaged.”
T.A. French Custom Builder
Based in New Braunfels and covering Blanco, Hays, Comal, and Kendall counties, T.A. French is a full-service, design-to-build firm founded by Troy French. A native Texan raised in Corpus Christi, French came up in a family with construction roots reaching back to the 1800s, and has spent more than a decade building luxury custom homes across central Texas.
The distinguishing practice is who runs the job. Rather than assigning a superintendent to oversee the build, every home is personally managed by Troy French himself, with a superintendent assisting — what the firm describes as one-on-one personal service most other builders cannot provide. A production manager also remains on site through construction for time, resource, and quality control.
The process is structured from the first meeting. An initial design consultation covers style, square footage, interior and exterior amenities, materials, budget, and timeline; an in-house plan designer produces the blueprint and spec sheet, followed by full-color renderings for a three-dimensional read on colors and textures. Selections alone run to more than 300 decisions, managed against a pre-approved allowance that acts as the client’s financial planning tool.
Owner-managed builds
Troy French personally manages every home rather than delegating to a superintendent.
Design-to-build in house
Plans, spec sheets, and full-color renderings are produced before a shovel moves, so the budget is set against a real drawing.
Allowance discipline
Coming in under a selection allowance can be applied as credit elsewhere in the project, which keeps the 300-plus decisions honest.
Quality gates before closing
An internal quality inspection, homeowner orientation walk-through, and a signed-off punch list all precede the keys.
“Detailed estimates and daily updates with photos of progress… made the whole experience much more efficient and stress-free.”
“T.A. French is building our custom Texas home. He was terrific from the start by face timing some lots at Vintage Oaks with us.”
“The build came in on budget, was completed on time and his team made our first custom build a great experience.”
“We were given a price for the build and that is the price we paid. We had a great team that made our home what we envisioned.”
Urbania Builders
Urbania is a family-owned San Antonio builder working out of 1141 N Loop 1604 E. In their own words they “are a family owned business” and “specialize in the construction of new high quality homes” — a small-volume operation rather than a production shop, which in practice means the owners are the people you deal with.
The firm is listed in the Texas Association of Builders directory under Urbania Investments LLC at the same address, and reaches the San Antonio metro and surrounding Hill Country counties. Office hours run weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 210-677-2920.
Family owned
A family-run shop, so the person quoting the job is the person running it.
New construction focus
The stated specialty is new high-quality homes rather than remodels or additions.
San Antonio based
An office on N Loop 1604 puts them close to most north-side and Hill Country lots.
Trade association member
Listed in the Texas Association of Builders directory as a single-family custom builder.