We met Jim Gunn of Southpass Design/Build by accident, but my wife and I are glad we did. We were in the process of designing our dream home, but didn't have a builder or architect. Someone recommended Jim, so we scheduled a meeting. It was great that he's both an architect and a builder because he understands that not every design is readily buildable.
I gave Jim my plans and told him to aggressively review them and let me know where I was doing something really dumb. Jim and I worked to modify my plan, and then design the esthetics and beauty of the home. He worked with my wife & I every step of the way.
When I came to actually executing and building the plan, Jim and we worked closely together. We paid Jim's firm a flat fee, and all materials and labor were passthrough costs to us. My wife had a blast shopping for fixtures on Amazon, eBay, etc. Jim's philosophy and mine was "If the fixture is a ceiling fan in a 2-story family room, nobody will be close enough to see it, so economize. If it's a front door, kitchen detail, master bath, spend the money to make it beautiful."
We built the house using 2x6 framing for structural rigidity and for thicker insulation. Used spray foam under the roof and in the walls for energy efficiency. Variable speed AC compressor and tankless water heaters have worked well to keep utility costs low. (Our highest electricity bill in summer for 4,015 sq ft was $178.).
Also used 2x6's and batt insulation for bedroom to living area walls for sound deadening.
Jim's subcontractors did a quality job, especially his concrete crew, and framing crew. Our frame is built better than most I've seen in Houston & San Antonio.
Most importantly, Jim and his crews worked with us throughout the entire process. They quickly resolved any deficiencies that I found (I'm an engineer and visited the job site almost every day -- sometimes twice). We had professional inspectors review the slab reinforcement prior to pouring, the framing, and the HVAC installation.
We have now lived in our custom-design, custom-built dream home since August 2024 and couldn't be happier.
I heartily recommend Jim and Southpass Design/Build for your home project! Oh, by the way, it's not often you can go through a project like this and still say your builder is a friend. Jim is that guy.
Don & Nancy C. read more