Frankel Building Group is a regional custom home builder based in Houston, Texas. The company is the only home builder in Houston and one of two in the United States building all new homes to the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Frankel homes typically range in price from about $800,000 to $2 million. As a custom home builder, Frankel Building Group focuses on two niche areas: design-build and green building.
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Company history
Houston native Jim Frankel founded Frankel Building Group as Jim Frankel Custom Homes in 1988. He started building roughly three homes a year. Within the next few years, Frankel doubled and tripled the number of houses built until he could no longer manage the volume. Jim’s sons, Scott and Kevin Frankel, joined the company in 2005 and the family-run business became Frankel Building Group. Jim Frankel is the company’s President and his sons serve as vice presidents.
Jim Frankel
Jim Frankel developed his business acumen while serving as a corporate office executive for Foley’s department stores in Houston during the 1970s. While building his business, Jim served as president of the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) in 2001 and is a Life Director. He also served as a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Texas Association of Builders (TAB) director. He achieved NAHB Graduate Master Builder (GMB) designation. Jim Frankel served as the first chairman of the Development Council of Texas Children's Hospital.
Kevin Frankel
Kevin Frankel, a licensed real estate broker with an MBA from the University of Houston, is VP of sales and business development for Frankel Building Group. In 2014 he became vice president of the GHBA and a TAB director. He previously served as a GHBA board member and was the association’s Custom Builders Council chair in 2010. Kevin Frankel is a Certified Green Professional (CGP), and won the 2012 GHBA Green Building Advocate Individual award.
Scott Frankel
Scott Frankel is VP of operations and construction for Frankel Building Group. Like his father, he earned the GMB designation. In 2011, Scott Frankel became Texas’ first Master Certified Green Professional (Master CGP) and one of only two in the nation. He is also a Certified Graduate Builder (CGB), Certified Green Professional (CGP), and a member of the Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2012. In 2014, he served as a director of the TAB.
Green building smart homes
Under the direction of Kevin and Scott Frankel, the family-owned company started building all custom homes to LEED standards in 2009. The homes built included green features such as spray foam insulation, tank-less water heaters and dual-speed air conditioning. Within two years Frankel Building Group had registered 25 homes for LEED certification. The company also became one of the first homebuilders to adopt the GHBA’s Green Built Gulf Coast (GBGC) program introduced in 2010 that utilized green building practices appropriate for the Texas Gulf Coast.
In addition to standardizing green building, Frankel Building Group in 2010 made smart home technology standard in its custom homes. The basic Crestron home automation system included an in-wall docked iPad to control the system and security, providing control of lighting, HVAC, entertainment systems, gates, garage, fountains and pool.
Design-build firm
Frankel Building Group is a custom design-build firm, meaning they design the homes they build in-house. The company uses cutting edge technology, including architectural design software for a 3-D look at the home’s design. In 2013, Frankel invested over $50,000 to create a design studio in Ladco Washington Park Design Studio for free client use. Together with a trade partner, the company also designed a computer program for use in the design studio. Using a hand-held scanner similar to gift registry and an iPad, homebuyers browse through the design studio selecting texture and materials for walls, flooring, countertops, roofs and exterior finishes. Frankel puts the selections together to show the buyers what their custom home will look like.
The communities
Frankel Building Group designed and built custom homes in the Houston area’s high-end neighborhoods including Bellaire, Bunker Hill Village, Cinco Ranch, Hunters Creek, Tanglewood, The Woodlands and West University. In 2010, the builders developed a 50-acre community, ParkGate Reserve, in Shenandoah, Texas.
ParkGate Reserve
Located near the front of The Woodlands, ParkGate Reserve is a community of 58 custom high-performance homes designed and built by Frankel Building Group. The new luxury homes lots range from about 10,000 to 27,000 square feet, with prices averaging at about $170 per square foot for two-story homes and $220 per square foot for one story houses, land included.
The Woodlands Reserve
In 2013, Frankel Building Group announced plans to develop a new luxury neighborhood in The Woodlands’ Village of Indian Springs. The Woodlands Reserve, Frankel’s first development project within The Woodlands, became a gated community of 55 residential lots ranging from 12,000 to 23,000 square feet. The 4,000 square foot and up custom homes featured a blend of Southern Coastal and Southern French designs with open floor plans, large patios and front porches. Prices for the energy-efficient smart homes built with low impact on the surrounding environment started at about $1 million.
Lakes of Shadow Creek
In 2014, Frankel Building Group began developing new custom homes on 44 lots in the new Lakes of Shadow Creek residential community. The 23.6 acre luxury gated community is located southwest of The Woodlands, three miles from the new Exxon Mobil campus and zoned to Klein Independent School District. Residential lots range from 12,000 to 25,000 square feet. Prices for the 3,500 square feet and up custom smart homes designed and built to LEED for Homes standards by Frankel Building Group ranged from about $895,000 to $1.4 million.
Company awards
2014 GHBA Houston’s Best PRISM Awards:
2013 GHBA Houston’s Best PRISM Awards:
2012 GHBA Houston’s Best PRISM Awards:
2012 Texas Association of Builders Star Awards:
2011 NAHB Nationals Silver Awards:
2010 GHBA Houston’s Best PRISM Awards:
2010 Texas Association of Builders Star Awards:
2009 Texas Association of Builders Star Awards: Best Outdoor Project
2009 GHBA Houston's Best PRISM Awards:
2009 Cinco Ranch Custom Showcase -Winner: Best in Show