24
Texas Association of Builders
January/February 2015
Builder Profile
BUILDING SMARTER
For Sierra Homes, taking the lead in green
building means building a smarter home
that meets the needs of the homeowner.
Each project takes its own path, from homes
that reduce utility costs all the way to energy
independent, off-grid homes. This sort of
customization not only requires significant
planning, but also a commitment to staying
educated on the latest technologies and
design trends. This is particularly true
due to the sort of customer looking for a
green home.
“Our customers are savvy because they want
a green home,” said Todd Eidson, partner at
Sierra Homes. “They are educated due to the
information available on the internet, and
we help fulfill their dreams by discussing
the leading trends to get them energy
independent.” These customers want more
than just an open-ended “more efficient
home.”Many of them have done the research
to specify a range of money they want to
save on utility bills each month. Using their
customers goals, Sierra Homes compiles
these desires and puts together a group of
systems to meet the homeowner’s desires.
Like most building projects, site selection,
waterproofing and overhangs, insulation
packages, and HVAC systems are all
important choices, but these choices are
even more in-depth for Sierra Homes.
Their green-building practices go further
with conservation of the site’s resources
to maintain the natural features of the
site and reduce the impact on the nearby
wildlife. They must also determine the
solar orientation for the home for heating
and cooling purposes as well as for power
generation via solar sources.
For those customers that who want a truly
sustainable experience, Sierra Homes
offers rain collection systems. They have
continued their education on the variety of
collection systems, to ensure viable options.
They offer whole-house water harvesting
which delivers enough water to sustain a
two to three person family even with the
recent droughts throughout the state.
The Sierra Homes team has also worked to
stay on the cutting edge of home automation.
They’ve kept up with the technology in this
area despite how quickly it has advanced
with the introduction of managing the
F
or those in the home building industry,
a water leak is often an expensive
and destructive force, but for Sierra
Homes, something as simple as a water leak
proved to be a unique motivator that led
to a new direction in construction. Sierra
Homes founder David Fransik was working
in the Dallas area when the inspiring leak
occurred. While searching to find the cause
of the leak, David realized that instead of
spending his time fixing leaks and other
common household problems, he could use
his experience to design a better home with
fewer problems.
Taking his newfound idea and a passion for
cutting-edge building technologies, Fransik
started Sierra Homes in Fredericksburg.
He began with a commitment to listen
to his customers in order to deliver a
superior home, free from the hassles of
ordinary homes and customized to meet
each customer’s specific desires. This
commitment has served him well over the
past twelve years as he's embraced the latest
trends in green building and brandished
the catchphrase, “We are the Hill Country’s
leading green builder.”
Sierra Homes – Building Green
in the Hill Country
David Fransik & Todd Eidson | Sierra Homes
By Michael Reed
