For most of us, buying a new home is the largest investment we will ever make. And we do so with the expectation that we will get a good return on our investment should we decide to sell. For that to happen, we are hoping and betting that the home will appreciate in value. While there is no sure way to predict home values in the future since much depends on external factors, like when you sell and where you live, building or buying a home that is certified as a high-performance home is a great way to hedge your bet.
Lately, advertisements and commercials for “Do It Yourself” security systems have become numerous. They are cheap and a one-time purchase, but are they the best for your peace of mind, or would you prefer whole-house and yard coverage with 24/7 monitoring?
Not all homes are constructed equally. Sure, some may look the same, and both may appear to be of high-quality energy efficient construction, but how can a homebuyer be sure that the home is truly what it is represented to be? The only way to be sure is to ask for proof—a certificate that officially recognizes the home as a high-performance home.
From 15” TVs in the 1960’s to 84” LED backlit TVs in 2018, we all have one or more TVs in our homes—television plays a major role in our lives. The family TV is usually crammed into our living areas along with sofas, bookshelves, tables, chairs, and lamps. Generally, it is near the kitchen and entryway, and often this is not a useful spot for private viewing, or is too small for large groups of friends and family.
During the last few years, Villanueva Construction has been a serious leader in building high-performance homes. For two years in a row, the company was recognized for building the most homes in the BUILT TO SAVE™ program, a high-performance home program sponsored by Magic Valley Electric Cooperative.
The New Year is a great time to set goals for improving your life. Whether the goal is to lose weight, to stop smoking, or to start a new career, it’s the season to set positive intentions and turn last year’s “would have, should have, could have” to “Yes! This year, I am going to!”
Divine Custom Homes was once again recognized by AEP Texas for building the home with the highest kWh savings from among those entered in its High-Performance Homes Program for 2018. The award is not new to Olga Treviño, the company’s builder/owner, having received it last year, as well.
Magic Valley Electric Cooperative and BUILT TO SAVE™ are proud to present Villanueva Construction with the award for building the highest number of BUILT TO SAVE™ certified homes in 2018.
Waldo Homes invites you to visit their newest model located at Canton Village, 2802 Esmeralda St. in Edinburg for a personal tour of this showcase home.
Monica Berry has been in the building-related industry for many years, including the 15 years since she and her husband, Lonnie Berry, founded Berry Homes in 2003. Operating mostly in the Mid-Valley area, Berry Homes is an established construction company, recognized as much for the owners’ integrity as for the detailed quality of their homes.
Waldo Homes was founded in 2004. This family owned company is exclusively owned and managed by the Waldo Homes team: Mr. Luis Waldo and Mrs. Teresa Waldo, along with their son Danny and their daughter Karen. Everyone has a significant role in the day-to-day operations, and their skills complement their duties—especially those of the women.
Stephanie Villanueva is proud to be part of the Villanueva Construction legacy of building beautiful homes for over 30 years. The company rallies around its slogan, “The Valley’s Original Builder” for good reason. Its long history in business predates many new start-ups and is a testament to its enduring reputation as a quality builder.
Since its founding in 2013 by Emigdio Villanueva Jr. and his sons, Emigdio Villanueva III and David Villanueva, Villa Homes has achieved a remarkable reputation as a builder of some of the Valley’s finest custom homes. The Villa Homes team includes Emigdio Villanueva Jr.’s spouse, Cynthia, and his two daughters-in-law, Brianna and Erica Villanueva.
Marisol Treviño works side-by-side with her husband, Mario Treviño, both, as owners of Treviño Construction sharing the same passion for building homes that stand out from the ordinary. This family-owned company has distinguished itself by building award-winning homes that are as unique as the customers who buy them. It is with good reason that Treviño Construction’s company slogan is, “Luxury One-Of-A-Kind Homes For Life.”
Sandra Brown is a builder. What makes her different is that she is a “woman” builder. The love for what she does is evident in her work. And her work involves a lot. In fact, it covers everything from the design and concept of the home to its finishing details. As the owner of Sorrento Fine Homes, Sandra has built a great reputation as both an architectural designer and a master builder. She is currently certified as a “Master Builder” by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), a designation she first earned in 2010. The “Master Builder” designation is one of NAHB’s highest designations given only to experienced veteran builders. Sandra is the only one that has been given the Master Builder designation in South Texas.
Our feature on the 2018 Distinguished Women in Construction would not be complete without honoring a group of women working for Proyecto Azteca, a non-profit organization based in San Juan, Texas, that provides a grassroots approach to affordable housing for the area’s poor in the rural “colonias” of the Rio Grande Valley. The women have been with Proyecto Azteca for many years, and together with other members in the organization, they work as one cohesive family towards the goal of improving the quality of life for under-privileged families in the Valley.
Lourdes Vargas started her career in construction in California, helping her husband, Pedro Vargas, who was doing remodeling. Customers were so impressed with the remodeling work by the Vargas family that word quickly spread of their detailed, quality work. It wasn’t long before the couple expanded into full-time custom home building. Today, after moving from California to South Texas, Lourdes works side-by-side with her husband and their son, Jonathan, in one of the Rio Grande Valley’s finest custom homebuilding companies—Innovative Construction.
Divine Custom Homes is one of the Rio Grande Valley’s few construction companies that is run by a woman builder who is actually a “hands-on builder.” What that means is that its owner, Olga Treviño, is the builder. Olga is personally involved in every project, from the design, to the construction, and to the finishing touches—and she would not have it any other way.