A Houston homebuilder intends to buck market trends by selling suburban homes inspired by early 1900s architecture.
While a chunk of the industry is pulling back building operations in the face of waning housing demand, Houston-based Sullivan Brothers plans to double its portfolio over the next year, according to the Houston Business Journal.
The homebuilder announced projects in Pearland, Baytown, George Bush Park and near Memorial City.
“All four of these sites are pieces of property that are surrounded by development and, for whatever reason, have been passed over over the years,” Scott Burrer, Sullivan’s managing director, told the newspaper.
Since its founding in 1999, Sullivan almost exclusively has developed in The Heights, one of Houston’s trendiest neighborhoods, which has seen major growth in the last decade. The builder is moving on to submarkets in the Bayou City, but it’s bringing that inner-city feel along, with high density and quality architecture.
Despite leaving The Heights for (literally) greener pastures, Sullivan will be maintaining the same style of historical architecture with modern interior amenities for its future homes. For instance, the Pearland project will be located in the city’s historic Old Town district where the firm will be building 1900s-style bungalows and Southern Creole row houses.
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Burrer acknowledges that interest rates, record-high prices and economic uncertainty have driven demand, and in turn home prices, downward. However, he says he believes that the location and architectural novelty of the product will give Sullivan Brothers the edge.
“We believe in the long-term prospects of the Greater Houston market,” he said. “People and companies are moving to Houston from all over the country. They need housing, and there isn’t enough of it.”
The firm completed its last community in The Heights, Tulane Trails, in 2016. Last week, it announced the completion of Harper Woods, a 16-acre development in City Place, the master-planned community in Spring formerly known as Springwoods Village.
“The Heights has gotten so expensive, and there’s just not that much dirt left,” Burrer said. “We don’t build on one or two lots. We tend to build on more than a few lots, so being able to acquire a larger piece in the Heights is pretty difficult.”
— Maddy Sperling