Sims Luxury Builders Blog

Your trusted resource for high-end homebuilding and renovations.

How Long Does It Take To Build A Custom Home?

Like many things in construction, this topic is complex! “How long ...

How Long Does It Take To Renovate A Custom Home?

One of the first questions that a homeowner asks when they’re ...

Before & After: River Oaks Historic

Our team is celebrating the completion of another beautiful historic ...

Exposed Rafter Tails vs. Flat Soffit with Corbels

As you get deeper into the architectural design phase for your custom ...

How to Avoid Change Orders on My Custom Home

We’ve all heard the horror stories. Someone starts building a custom ...

Unveiling Our Lakeside Modern Home

Striking in so many ways, this beautiful waterfront home was such a ...

3 Tips for Success When Renovating an Old Home

After years of renovating hundred-year-old homes throughout Houston, ...

Before & After: River Oaks Transitional

This home renovation in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood was a ...

Custom Home Design Trends 2023

Here is how bold colors, sustainability, tactile materials, and other ...

National Custom Builders Council

Once again, we’ve returned from a National Custom Builders Council ...

The RIGHT Way to Install Stucco

We are among the tier of homebuilders that have embraced building ...

How Do I Know If My Builder's Budget is Thorough and Accurate?

How thorough your custom builder is when creating your home’s ...

Which Roofing Material Should I Choose For My Custom Home?

The roof of your custom home has a significant impact on its ...

How to Narrow Down Your Renovation Wishlist

There are few things more exciting in life than making your house ...

Quartzite vs. Quartz

So, what IS the difference between QUARTZITE and QUARTZ? Don’t feel ...

Tips for Success in the Age of Volatile Construction Pricing

You’ve probably heard in the news that prices in construction, as in ...

Custom Home Design Trends 2022

As we settle into a new post-pandemic normal-of-sorts, we’ve ...

Unveiling Our Cedar Shake Transitional Home

We are so pleased and proud to share photography of our new Cedar ...

2021 Prism Awards

We are elated to share with you all that our team received TWO ...

Solid Beams vs. Box Beams

If you plan to build a custom home in the future, there is a good ...

Which Countertop Material Should I Choose For My Custom Home?

There are few things in a home that are more widely used and noticed ...

10 Ways to Make Any Home Look Custom

For most of us, the past year has ushered in a strong desire to ...

What Should My Builder Be Doing During the Pre-Construction Phase?

Now that you’ve gotten through the architectural design process for ...

What Should My Builder Be Doing During the Architectural Design Phase?

In our experience, homeowners approach the custom homebuilding ...

Cased vs. Kerfed (Trimless) Windows

Over the past 15 years, more and more of our homeowners have sought ...

Big Reveal: Houston's Historic La Colombe d'Or Mansion

What a joy and honor it was to renovate one of Houston’s most ...

Gas vs. Wood Burning Fireplaces

According to the National Association of Home Builders’ annual ...

Spring Cleaning and Home Maintenance Tips

It’s springtime! In Houston, there is no mistaking the arrival of ...

Painted vs. Stained Cabinetry

Should I go with painted or stained cabinetry? This question is asked ...

Sneak Peek: Renovation Before & After

What an exciting project this recently completed renovation was! ...

Making the Most of Your Plumbing Showroom Visit

Before you visit a showroom to select plumbing fixtures for your ...

New eBook: Questions for Interior Designers

Our most-visited blog post of 2020 was about what design selections ...

New eBook: Questions for Architects

The first step on your custom home building or renovating journey is ...

New eBook: Questions for Custom Builders

We’ve kicked off a new mini-series of FREE downloadable eBooks! As ...

Custom Home Design Trends 2021

Ask anyone and they would agree: 2020 really threw us for a loop and ...

2020 in the Rearview

We think you’ll join us as we collectively sigh and say “good ...

Sneak Peek: La Colombe d'Or Mansion

There is something extra special about completing historic ...

Energy Efficient Home Gift Ideas

The holidays may not be the best time of year to save money, but it ...

Most Common Questions We Get About Building a Custom Home

We LOVE what we do. We’re in the business of building beautiful homes ...

Green Tree Home on KPRC's 'Houston Life'

KPRC’s “Houston Life” featured our Green Tree home last week in a ...

FAQ’s About Homeowners Insurance

Buying a home insurance policy can be a challenge if you haven’t done ...

12 Questions to Ask When Interviewing Custom Builders

As you prepare to meet face-to-face with your short list of potential ...

Custom Home Maintenance Tips

You did it! You’ve made it through the homebuilding process and are ...

The Most Important Questions to Ask Before Renovating Your Home

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re already on the right track! ...

Home Must-Haves For Baby Boomers

According to the most recent NAHB What Home Buyers Really Want survey ...

Solid vs. Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Engineered hardwood flooring has come a LONG way in terms of quality ...

Where to Save vs. Splurge on Plumbing Fixtures

Whether you’re hoping to renovate your current home or build your ...

The Biggest Cause of Custom Home Construction Delays

A ballooning construction schedule is one of the biggest fears ...

5 Tips for Success for Your Custom Home Pre-Construction Phase

Congratulations! Beginning your Pre-Construction Phase is a major ...

6 Tips for Success for your Custom Home Bidding Phase

Welcome to your Custom Home Bidding Phase! Right now, you’re likely ...

It's Easy Being Green With an Energy Efficient Home

As our collective consciousness shifts more and more towards ...

Give Your Landscaping a Quarantine Refresh

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our daily lives in so many ways, ...

Introducing our Longmont Showcase Home

Our Longmont Showcase Home in Tanglewood is officially on the market! ...

Q&A Building a Home in Houston – What Does Sustainability & Energy Mean to a Buyer Today?

image via Toner Home Matters Facebook Today, we’ve got a special ...

Luxury Features for Your Master Bedroom

You spend at least one-third of your life sleeping, so shouldn’t your ...

Tips for Building in Houston's Tanglewood Neighborhood

Houston’s Tanglewood community is an exclusive neighborhood of ...

Custom Home Design Trends for 2020

When life feels chaotic and overwhelming, people want comfort food ...

From Blueprints to Build – How We Work with Architects

At Sims Luxury Builders, we consider the architect to be an essential ...

Top Houston Neighborhoods to Build a Luxury Home

Houston has many luxury home neighborhoods throughout the city. Each ...

Tips for Building a Custom Home in Houston's River Oaks

River Oaks is one of the most exclusive residential neighborhoods in ...

FAQ: Understanding the Builder’s Warranty

An essential resource for custom homebuyers, the builder’s warranty ...

Selecting the Right Exterior Material for Your Custom Home

Everyone wants a home with great curb appeal. A lot goes into ...

Choosing an Architectural Style for Your Custom Home

One of the first decisions you make when building a custom home is ...

Choosing the Right Roofing Material for Your Custom Home

The roof of your custom home has a significant impact on its ...

7 Tips for Success When Renovating Your Home

There are many reasons to consider a renovation. You might have a ...

Green Building at Its Finest: Our LEED Platinum Home

Our Texas Hill Country-style home is nearing completion! We’re ...

The Basics of Financing Your Custom Home

Financing the construction of a custom home is not like a typical ...

Renovating Your Existing Home vs. Building a New Custom Home

To build or not to build, that is the question. We often get asked by ...

Building a Custom Home: What to Know about Permits and HOAs

Permits are part and parcel of construction. Whether you are ...

What Design Decisions Need to Be Made Before Building a Custom Home

A custom home is a complex project that is most successfully ...

Steps for Custom Home Construction

Building a custom home can be exciting and scary all at once. It ...

General Tips for Success When Building a Custom Home

We refuse to let you become one of those homebuilding horror stories ...

How to Compare Custom Homebuilders

When it’s time to choose a custom homebuilder, how do you decide ...

Where to Find Custom Home Inspiration

Where do people get their inspiration for their custom home designs? ...

Unveiling Our Green Tree Showcase Home in Tanglewood

Our Green Tree Showcase Home in Tanglewood is officially on the ...

Should You Hire an Architect or Builder First?

If you’ve been researching the opportunity to build your own custom ...

How to Choose the Right Interior Designer for You

An interior designer can help you redesign any space in your home, ...

How to Use Universal Design in Your Custom Home

Universal design is about creating a home today that will accommodate ...

Sims Luxury Builders Hosts Texas A&M Construction Science Field Trip

What do you say when you're offered the chance to host a field trip ...

Questions to Ask Renovation Builders / Contractors

You love your home, but lately you’ve been thinking it needs a few ...

Common Issues When Building a Custom Home

Taking on any major endeavor in life is bound to present you with ...

How Long Does a Whole Home Renovation Take?

There’s a mythology out there that renovating a house is usually a ...

What Makes a Good Homebuilder?

Chances are, by the time you’re ready to pick a homebuilder for your ...

How Long Does It Take to Build a Custom Home?

In our three decades of custom homebuilding, we’ve encountered just ...

Common Issues When Renovating a Home and How to Prepare

In their own way, renovations can be every bit as exciting and ...

Trying to Choose an Architect? 10 Questions to Ask

Aside from choosing your builder, selecting the right architect for ...

How to Choose the Right Custom Builder for You

Congratulations! You’re taking the first steps toward building your ...

Happy 30th Anniversary to Us!

We are both proud and humbled by the events of this past week. ...

Home Completion

We’re so excited for one of our wonderful families who will be moving ...

Drum Roll Please…

As many of you know, we achieved an exciting milestone at the ...

A Diverse Portfolio

In the age of mass-production homebuilding, we count ourselves ...

LAGUNA on ABC’S “Cool Spaces”

ABC 13’s “Cool Spaces” featured our Laguna at Lake Pointe luxury ...

The Big Reveal!

We are thrilled to share this newest addition to our portfolio. This ...

GHBA Continuing Education

As home builders in Houston, we have the fortunate opportunity to ...

Laguna: A Vehicle for Giving Back

We started 2018 with a renewed sense of purpose: To create ...

Wrap-Up to Another Great Year

As a new year approaches, we find ourselves reflecting on where we’ve ...

Modern Home in Historic Tanglewood

We are excited to finally show off a few professional shots of our ...

NCBC Charleston Meeting a Success!

You’ve heard us many times talk about the National Custom Builders ...

Moisture Control

Water is essential and life-giving. In construction, water is also ...

Laguna Grand Opening

We recently had the pleasure of celebrating the official Grand ...

It’s Move-In Time!

This week, one of our families will be moving into their new home! As ...

Winner: 2017 Reader’s Choice

We got a special surprise today… Our firm was selected as the Best ...

Laguna Photography

Well, it’s official… The Laguna townhomes are complete and on the ...

Using Houzz for Our Homes

In recent years, Houzz.com has been instrumental in allowing us to ...

Welcome to our New Team Members

We’d like to send a warm welcome to our newest team member, Raul ...

Home for the Super Bowl

Another exciting Super Bowl in Houston, Texas! The game on Sunday ...

A Happy New Year

Sims Luxury Builders has seen exciting evolution in 2016, from ...

Sims Luxury Builders Holiday Lunch

We certainly know how to work hard. So much so that we oftentimes ...

Tanglewood Spec Home: SOLD

We are thrilled that our recent spec home in Tanglewood sold ...

2016 NCBC Meeting: San Diego, CA

As most of you know, Sims Luxury Builders is a member of the National ...

Riva Top-Out Celebration

Last Monday evening, our team celebrated with all of our Riva at the ...

Professional Photos: Sweetwater Renovation

We have finally professionally photographed the whole-house ...

New Home Gallery: Riverstone Residence

After more than a year since its completion, our team had the ...

UPDATE: Laguna in Lake Pointe

Laguna, our community of nine luxury townhomes in Lake Pointe, is ...

Home Portfolio: Spanish Mediterranean

This Spanish Mediterranean home was built on 3.5 acres in Fort Bend ...

Riva Construction Progress

Enjoy this gallery chronicling the progress of Riva at the Park ...

Before and After: Home Renovation

This home is near and dear to our hearts here at Sims Luxury ...

The Making of a Wine Room Addition

What a ride! 15 years ago, we built a beautiful custom home for a ...

Welcome to Our New Team Members

We are thrilled to welcome the newest additions to our Sims Luxury ...

Aurora Sales Center

Our Aurora Sales Center has been opened for a few months now, and we ...

Riva Construction Progress

Progress on Riva at the Park has been swift over the last two and a ...

Winner of Two 2015 Prism Awards

This month, Sims Luxury Builders picked up TWO Houston’s Best Prism ...

2015 NCBC MEETING: SEATTLE, WA

This year’s National Custom Builders Council meeting was hosted by ...

Aurora Launch Party

Our Aurora launch party benefitting Dec My Room was a success. We’d ...

Riverstone Residence Completion

Our Riverstone Residence homeowners moved in a couple of months ago ...

Aurora

Following a successful pre-construction phase for our first luxury ...

Sims Luxury Builders Featured in Houzz Homepage Article

We’ve been featured in an editorial ideabook on the homepage of ...

We Just Keep Getting Stronger!

We’d like to offer a sincere welcome to our newest team members, ...

Sims Luxury Builders Project Videos

A couple of months ago, we spent a few days shooting video footage of ...

Introducing Laguna: A Sims Luxury Builders Townhome Project

Construction on our custom townhome project in Sugar Land has begun! ...

Sims Luxury Builders Team Jobsite Visit

Every couple of months, our Sims Luxury Builders team visits a job ...

Welcome to Our New Team Members

After searching for some time to find just the right fit, we are ...

Home Completion: Spanish Mediterranean in Riverstone

Our newest home completion is located in the Sugar Land community of ...

Luxe Magazine 2015 Gold List

What a great way to start the year! Our Sims Luxury Builders team is ...

Project Updates: New Home Starts

This is a very exciting time for us at Sims Luxury Builders. In the ...

Newest Home Completion: Lake Pointe Modern

We are extremely proud of our newest home completion located in The ...

2014 NCBC Meeting: Kansas City, MO

This year’s National Custom Builders Council meeting was hosted by ...

Sims Luxury Builders Home on Cover of Luxe

Pick up a copy of the newest edition of Luxe magazine on newsstands ...

Sims Luxury Builders Launches Riva at the Park

We are excited to announce that sales have begun for Riva at the ...

Watch Our Sims Luxury Builders Video

We have officially made the transition from Christopher Sims Custom ...

Tribute

It is with a very heavy heart that we share the news of the loss of ...

The Results Are In!

The winners of the 2014 Texas Star Awards were announced at the ...

2014 Star Award Finalists Announced

We are pleased to announce that we have been named a finalist for a ...

Elevation Evolution

This Spanish Santa Barbara style home is one of our most recent ...

Visit Us On Houzz

Click the image below to visit our profile on Houzz.com

7 Home Completions in 3 Months

The last few months have been extremely exciting for our team and for ...

Team Job Site Visit: Lake Pointe

Several times a year, our entire Sims team visits a job site ...

Before and After 2

This home was referenced in our archived blog post showing before and ...

2013 CASA Christmas Home Tour

One of the very special causes that CSCH supports each year is that ...

2013 NCBC Meeting: Scottsdale, AZ

What an educational and enlightening workshop! This year’s National ...

Before and After

It’s truly amazing to reflect on the entire construction process of ...

New Address for CSCH

As of today, Christopher Sims Custom Homes has a new home! But don’t ...

SOLD: Lake Pointe Homes

As expected, the two homes that we are building on a speculative ...

WINNER: CSCH Takes Home a 2013 Star Award

The results are in! Christopher Sims Custom Homes has been honored ...

CSCH Named Finalist for a 2013 Star Award

Our team is thrilled that we have been named a finalist for a 2013 ...

Project Updates: 3 New Home Starts

Once again, it’s full-steam ahead for the team at Christopher Sims ...

Project Update: Before and After – From Above

We had the good fortune of capturing a birds-eye view of this project ...

Project Updates: New Home Starts

Last month proved to be quite a busy one for our team.

Project Update: Three Home Completions

It is always particularly exciting for us when our clients are able ...

New CSCH Homes Available in Lake Pointe

Construction in Lake Pointe is picking up! Christopher Sims Custom ...

2012 CASA Christmas Home Tour

One of the very special causes that CSCH supports each year is that ...

Another Successful NCBC Collaborative Meeting

This year’s National Custom Builders Council meeting took place in ...

WINNER: Houston’s Best PRISM Award for Custom Home of the Year

We are proud to announce that one of our homes has been honored with ...

Hope For 3 Luncheon Hosted at CSCH Home

The second annual Hope for 3 awareness event Lite Lunch Dazzling ...

Project Update: Newest CSCH Completion

Enjoy perusing photos of our newest home completion in Sugar Land. ...

CSCH Home Featured in Fort Bend Lifestyles & Homes Magazine

We are thrilled each time one of our homes is featured in a magazine ...

Lake Pointe Modern Home Professional Photography

We are gearing up for our industry’s awards season by professionally ...

Community Spotlight: Saddlebrook (Memorial Area)

While building a home in this subdivision during the past two years, ...

Trends in Outdoor Living

Each month we enjoy sifting through the various industry publications ...

Project Update: Modern Lake Pointe Home Complete!

We are extremely proud of our newest home completion. Building this ...

CSCH Home Featured in Texas Home & Living Magazine

A very special Christopher Sims home was featured in the December ...

Project Updates: 3 New Home Starts

The month of December brought three new home starts for CSCH! This is ...

National Custom Builders Council

Once again, Chris has returned from a National Custom Builders ...

Giving Hope for Three

Through the years, we have had the pleasure of building many ...

Project Update: Sweetwater Home is Complete!

Another successful completion for one of our very special homeowners! ...

CSCH Homes from the Air

For years, Chris has been talking about photographing some of our ...

Community Spotlight: Lake Pointe

Lake Pointe in Sugar Land boasts intimate gated, waterfront ...

Going Green with Reclaimed Materials

Building a home using recycled materials doesn’t mean you have to ...

Our Tree Story

We believe the old Scottish poet Alexander Smith had it right when he ...

Tankless Water Heaters

In recent years, Tankless (also called Demand or Instantaneous) water ...

No Challenge Too Great

Through the years, we have certainly held strong to the belief that ...

Community Spotlight: Sugar Land

Each year, it becomes more and more evident to us that Sugar Land is ...

Hot off the Press: 2011 Houston Custom Home Builders Resource Guide

One of our homes graced the cover of this year’s publication. Visit ...

Protecting your home with a Concealed Lightning Protection System

Well fellow Houstonians, it seems that our great city is now known as ...

Outdoor Living Spaces

Over the last several years, homeowners and homebuilders alike have ...

CSCH Wins Three 2010 Houston’s Best Awards

Along with the regional recognition we received this year through the ...

CSCH Wins Two 2010 Texas Star Awards

The Results Are In! We are honored to announce that Christopher Sims ...

Christopher Sims Custom Homes named Finalist for five 2010 Star Awards

Christopher Sims Custom Homes has just been named a finalist in five ...