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discovered Traylor through his homes in
previous parades and knew they had found
the right person to build their dream house.
Early in his career, Traylor took a risk
building spec houses. He entered them as
parade homes and attributes that to helping
him attract the clientele he was looking for.
“That’s what I love about the East Texas BA’s
Parade of Homes,” said Traylor. “I’ve sold
multiple houses off of each parade.”
For the spec house in this year’s parade,
Traylor chose a corner lot in the development
and spent time studying the space before
initializing any of the designs. He knew
the corner lot would work well for the flow
of vehicle traffic onto the property, and he
added a big, three-car, side-entry garage to
maximize this potential. The lot overlooks
the golf course’s driving range and backs
up to the woods, so Traylor decided a big
outdoor living area would be a great addition,
including an outdoor kitchen and fireplace.
When it came to designing the interiors,
Traylor had a clear vision: “I wanted at least
four bedrooms and three baths. I wanted a
separate living area and separate dining area.
I like to do bonus rooms and can do them
pretty cost effectively, so I put a 400-square-
foot bonus room above the garage. I also did
a little secret room under the stairs, and I
did a media room. I like stereos to rumble
and vibrate seats. We go big, or we go home.”
Traylor strives to ensure his new homes
are built with all the latest modern
advancements. His company is known
as a green builder. “I’m big on energy
efficiency,” said Traylor. “I can build a big
house and still keep the energy bills low.
I’m big on smart houses, too.” For all his
home automation technology, Traylor uses
a local Longview area company called Big
Daddy’s Stereo. “They’re a mom-and-pop
and a great family. We can control the
house from a cell phone anywhere in the
world, so your house is literally in your
hip pocket.” Traylor can put cameras on
every entrance and set up remote controls
for all the door locks, garage doors, lights,
air conditioning, hot tubs, pools, ovens,
stereos, televisions, stereos, and more.
He can even sync wake-up alarms with
specified music and lighting. “If you don’t
turn the alarm off, the lights get bright and
it starts playing hard rock to get you out of
bed,” said Traylor. “There are lots of things
we can do now to make sure a house is
smart…and fun. A house should be fun.”
Both houses can be seen at the East Texas
BA’s Spring Parade of Homes in May.
“There’s really no place I can’t build a house.”