The Secret To Success

May 26, 2017 Outdoor Living

We would like to thank VoyageHouston for taking the time to get to know Texas Custom Patios!  Below is a fantastic article getting to know the people that are making outdoor oasis dreams come true all over Texas.  And to think it all started with a simple deck …

 

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob and Katherine Douglass.

Thirteen years ago, Rob Douglass had a vision to open a company that would create outdoor living spaces that would be as functional and as attractive as the inside of the home. Something that looked original to the home and not an add on. Initially, Texas Custom Patios built simple decks and pergolas, but the market was changing and the timing was perfect. Along with his wife, Katherine Douglass, and business partner, Steven Schell, Texas Custom Patios began building luxury outdoor living spaces complete with fully equipped kitchens, outdoor living rooms, outdoor fire features, entertainment centers, and specialized dining areas. The first full year in business, 2005, there were 44 projects completed … now, an average of 200 projects are completed each year. This includes the newly opened branch in the Dallas Fort Worth area. In order to grow to this level, Texas Custom Patios needed to develop crews from all the trades that are required to build the projects. They have sub-contractors that have worked with them for many years – framers, electricians, painters, masons, plumbers and more. Texas Custom Patios has 7 project developers in the Houston area and 4 in the Dallas Fort Worth area that work closely with each homeowner throughout the process of designing and building the dream outdoor living space.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been relatively smooth, although with any business there are always some struggles. When Hurricane Ike hit the area, there was a definite slump in business. Everyone was focused on repairing damaged homes – not just theirs but others that were less fortunate.

Homeowners took the time to help out in the community and put their own backyard dreams to the side for a while. The recent oil slump has had an effect as well – homeowners have taken precautions with their spending. We have noticed an increase in sales since the beginning of 2017, which falls in line with the economy getting stronger again.

Texas Custom Patios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Texas Custom Patios has several unique assets that stand out from all the other patio competitors. Their key to success is designing and building a structure that does not look like an add-on, it looks original to the home’s design. No matter how old the house is, roofing, bricking, siding is all selected to blend with the structure of the home. It can be a challenge sometimes to figure out how to tie in substantial additions while maintaining the style of the original home, but we achieve success time after time. We focus only on outdoor living – we are not interior remodelers. There are many types of projects we build – patio covers, pergolas, screened porches, pool houses, room additions, outdoor kitchens, outdoor fire features, decorative patios, and more. When we work with a customer on their backyard design, we gather information and create a project within their budget. We offer suggestions on design and finishes to make the project a custom space for the homeowner to enjoy. The project developer works with the homeowner from start of design to completion of the project… the project is not handed off to anyone else. Texas Custom Patios also has a strong written warranty.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is defined when we have happy homeowners. Knowing we are building and creating their dream outdoor space is something we take seriously. When at the end of the project, we are told it was exactly what they imagined or it turned out better than what they thought, that is success. We are always looking to have satisfied homeowners – ones that will and do refer us to their friends and neighbors.

For more from VoyageHouston, click here!

Building a Patio Near You

February 27, 2017 Outdoor Living

At Texas Custom Patios, we are a custom builder specializing in custom built patio covers, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, screened porches, room additions and other outdoor living structures in the Greater Houston Area.

Houston

Our service area extends northwest to include the following communities: The Woodlands, Spring, Cypress, Tomball, Klein, and Jersey Village. Over the past 12 years, we have built outdoor living spaces in almost every neighborhood, including: Creekside, Carlton Woods, Augusta Pines, Coles Crossing, Champions, Fairfield, Copperfield, Towne Lake, Bridgeland, Black Horse Ranch, Gleannloch Farms, Stonegate, Canyon Lakes, Lakes on Eldridge, Wimbledon, Bridgestone, and more.

Our service area extends west to the communities of Spring Branch, The Villages of Hunter Creek/Piney Point/Hedwig, Memorial, Katy and Fulshear. Specific neighborhoods where we’ve done a great deal of adding outdoor patio covers and living spaces are Tanglewood, Briargrove, Memorial, Spring Valley, Royal Oaks, Windsor Lake Estates, Green Trails, Kelliwood, Deerfield, Grand Lakes, Cinco Ranch, Seven Meadows, Cross Creek Ranch, Falcon Point, Weston Lakes, and Firethorne.

On the southwest side, Texas Custom Patios designs and builds outdoor patio projects in Richmond, Rosenberg, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford and Meadows Place. Because the business started in Fort Bend County in 2004, we have completed jobs in many neighborhoods, including First Colony, Sienna Plantation, Riverstone, Pecan Grove, Greatwood, New Territory, Telfair, Aliana, Waterside Estates, Longmeadow Farms, Lakes of Bella Terra, Westheimer Lakes, Sugar Creek, Sweetwater, Commonwealth and Quail Valley.

South and southeast of Houston, we have a large presence of building patio covers in Pearland, Manvel, Friendswood, Clear Lake, and League City. Neighborhoods where we have built outdoor living spaces include: Shadow Creek Ranch, Southwyk, Southfork, Silver Lake, Silver Creek, Sedona Lakes, The Forest of Friendswood, West Ranch, Lakes of Highland Glen, Bay Oaks, Pine Brook, and Nassau Bay.

Northeast of Houston, we build backyard patio covers in Humble, Atascocita, Kingwood and Porter, including the neighborhoods of Fall Creek and Summerwood.

Finally, we provide our services to all communities and neighborhoods near and inside the 610 Loop, like West U, Bellaire, Meyerland, Montrose, Upper Kirby, River Oaks, Midtown, Southside Place and The Heights.

Now let’s hop on 45 North … we also proudly build in the Dallas – Ft. Worth metroplex. Our service area extends to the Hurst, Euless, Bedford area in Tarrant County. Lewisville, Flower Mound and Highland Village north of DFW are also areas we build outdoor living spaces. McKinney, Frisco and Little Elm are in our Collin County service area. Allen, Plano and Richardson are on the eastern border of our service area, and we build patio covers in Grand Prairie, Arlington and Mansfield as a southern border.

DFW

We’ve designed and built patio covers in the neighborhoods of Timarron in Southlake, Woodland Hills in Colleyville, Hackberry Creek in Irving, The Tribute in the Colony, Bent Tree in Dallas, the Arbors of Creekwood in Mansfield, along with many other patio covers, outdoor kitchens, and fireplaces in Lewisville, Coppell, Frisco, Little Elm, and McKinney.

We can build everything from traditional to contemporary  … super modern or farm house chic covered patios … if you can dream, we can build it!  We know that the Super Bowl just ended, but if you would like to enjoy this year’s football season at your own patio party, give us a call now!  Use the guide below to help you with your timeframe in getting started.

 

CALENDAR DATES

Outdoor Trends

February 27, 2017 Outdoor Living

We recently graced the cover of the Houston Remodeling Guide, where they are talking all about outdoor trends.  Often times, you may find yourself wondering if you have enough space to build something enjoyable.  Or maybe you have a lot of space and don’t know how to make it cozy …

Check out this great article on how to get a functional and fun outdoor living space!

Houston Remodeling Guide

The Best of the Best

January 30, 2017 Awards, Patio Contractor
best of the best

Chances are if you are reading this blog right now, you are doing some patio pondering.  So will it be a covered patio or pergola? Outdoor kitchen or dining (or both)?  Maybe a fireplace or perhaps a beautifully lit fire pit?  Stone, granite, paint color … so many things to think about, but your first question should be … why Texas Custom Patios?

Let us help you answer that first!  We are a family-owned and operated business with offices located in Houston and Irving, Texas.  We proudly serve the greater Houston area and parts of Dallas/Fort Worth.  We have completed thousands of outdoor living projects since we opened our patio doors in 2004.

The TCP Difference

We offer personalized service and flexible payment terms, and when you choose to work with us, you’ll work with the same project developer every step of the way.  Start to finish, preliminary design stage all the way to project completion and clean-up.  It’s nice to have one main person that you can really count on each day.

We specialize in providing turnkey design solutions for outdoor living, including patio covers; outdoor kitchens; screened porches; room additions; pergolas and decks; outdoor fire features and so much more!  View our portfolio here to get a better idea of what you would like.

We Stand Behind Our Work

At Texas Custom Patios, we’re confident in our work, and we want you to feel confident, too!  That’s why we offer a two-year warranty for materials and workmanship, and a five-year warranty for structural components of your home improvement project.  We also have one million dollars in liability insurance to protect against accidents and injury.

Exact Quote Promise

When you schedule a consultation with one of our experienced project developers, you’ll receive more than just a ballpark figure.  We’ll tell you exactly how much your outdoor living project will cost – down to the penny!  So many times if you get a bid from multiple builders, they will give you a soft bid to entice you, but the costs add up as the project gets built, leaving you with something much higher than you were promised.   Every estimate of ours includes a detailed drawing with specifications and dimensions, plus rendered views and elevations -so you can see a preview of your completed project!  It’s like your day dreams come to life on paper, making it that much more fun to start building!

The Best of the Best (we always come full circle)

Year after year we are awarded and recognized for being the best in the business.  We constantly receive an A+ from the BBB (read our reviews here), and we are noticed by everyone from the National Association of Home Builders to fans on Houzz.  We love hearing from our customers and sharing the stories of how what we build for them has changed their lives.

We hope you will give us the chance to build a dream for you.

 

 

Builder Spotlight

April 15, 2016 Patio Design
We take so much pride in not only what we build, but who builds it!  Often times homeowners fear who will be the one at their home while they are not there (or present), trust is a very important part of our process. We are a general contractor that have trusted Project Developers and subcontractors that we consider to be our partners in creating your outdoor living space.  Many times, our TCP family member becomes a member of your family … enjoying backyard bbqs in the dream space they built together!
Texas Custom Patios

 

We would like to spotlight someone who has been working with us for 12 years, he knows a lot about building your dream patio, outdoor kitchen, and adding style to your outdoor life!  Take a moment to get to know one of our most talented partners …
Mike - Texas Custom Patios
Full name: Michael Rodriguez,  Owner of Tile Services

 

How long with TCP? I’ve been with TCP since their beginning in 2004 . I started with them by handling their tile installations. I now handle building their outdoor kitchens by welding them on site to the stone or brick installations and installing their appliances.  I handle most of their stone and brick installations such as fire pits, fireplaces, columns , sitting benches, etc.  I continue doing tile and travertine installations for Texas Custom Patios .

 

How long have you been in this business?  I’ve been in business since 1998 doing tile installs for custom home builders .

 

What’s your “specialty?”  I would say I am a tile installation expert, but now after working with Texas Custom Patios I feel I have learned the ins and outs of outdoor kitchens.  I’ve built them every way you possibly can … out of wood, cinder block,  metal studs and now we weld them together out of galvanized tubing which I find to be a much cleaner look, stronger and safer .

 

What do you enjoy most about what you do?  Making customers happy and pleasing them by making their ideas become reality .

 

What’s inspiring in the construction/build world to you?  Making a simple idea written on scratch paper come true.

 

Do you have a favorite project from the past?  I really don’t have a one favorite project, I believe all the projects have their special unique feature since all of them are so different .

 

What trends have you seen in outdoor design in the last few years?  Transformation of a simple patio to an extraordinary outdoor living area.

 

What’s the one thing that most clients say they HAVE to have?  A flat screen TV to watch sports!

 

What is your biggest obstacle you face during the design/build process?  The rain.

 

What do you hear most often from clients when everything is completed?  How satisfied they are and can’t wait to throw a party.

 

What do you think outdoor living space does for a home and person?  A great added feature that gives the customer more area for guests and entertaining.

 

What do you hope to build/design in the future? Whatever a customer can dream up!

 

So you heard it here … get to dreaming and Texas Custom Patios can build it with the help of our very talented, Michael!

 

 

Have a project in mind? We work throughout the Houston and Dallas - Fort Worth areas.

Our Customers Love Us

We spent 4 years looking for a contractor to deal with our funky roof line. Not only did Texas Custom Patios have new and different ideas, they listened to us. They worked together with us to create a patio design we love. Exceptional service, great price.

© 2024 TCP Custom Outdoor Living

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