VLH-024Custom Build
The Memorial Estate
Memorial · Houston · 2024
SqFt
8,640
Beds
5
Baths
6
Houston · Custom Homes Since 2009
The home,drawn forthe way you live.
Villas La Hacienda Homes is a Houston-based custom builder led by architects, interior designers, and master craftsmen. We deliver one residence at a time, on a transparent budget, on a calendar you can hold us to.
Now Building
River Oaks · Memorial · Tanglewood
Founded
2009 · Houston, Texas
Investment
From $1.4M custom builds
Concierge
(832) 329-4855
River Oaks✦
Memorial✦
Tanglewood✦
West University✦
Bellaire✦
Hedwig Village✦
Bunker Hill✦
Piney Point✦
Southside Place✦
Bayou Bend✦
River Oaks✦
Memorial✦
Tanglewood✦
West University✦
Bellaire✦
Hedwig Village✦
Bunker Hill✦
Piney Point✦
Southside Place✦
Bayou Bend✦
A Quiet Manifesto
We build no two homes alike,and no two clients the same way.
Houston is a city of long rooms and longer summers. The homes we build here must hold the heat at bay, frame the live oaks just so, and feel — when you finally pull into the drive on a Friday night — like the only place in the world that sounds like you.
For sixteen years, we have answered every brief with a single question: how do you intend to live here? Every plan, fixture, and finish flows from the answer.
Read Our Approach16yrs
Building in Houston
120+
Homes delivered
94%
Repeat & referral clients
0
Open change orders, today
Selected Work · 2021 — 2024
A portfolio ofprivate residences.
Six recent commissions, each one shaped by its land, its light, and a family who trusted us with the next twenty years of their evenings.
06 / 06
Inquire
VLH-021Custom Build
River Oaks Pavilion
River Oaks · Houston · 2023
SqFt
6,210
Beds
4
Baths
5
VLH-019Outdoor Living
Tanglewood Refuge
Tanglewood · Houston · 2023
SqFt
5,480
Beds
4
Baths
4
VLH-018Renovation
West University Townhouse
West U. · Houston · 2022
SqFt
4,360
Beds
4
Baths
4
VLH-016Addition
Bayou Bend Library
Bayou Bend · Houston · 2022
SqFt
1,150
Beds
—
Baths
1
VLH-015Addition
Hedwig Spa Suite
Hedwig Village · Houston · 2021
SqFt
980
Beds
1
Baths
2
Land.
Available Lots & Future Homes
The next addressis already drawn.
A quiet selection of land we currently hold and homes we are drawing for 2026. Each is priced openly, surveyed, and ready for a private conversation — reserve any parcel with a refundable deposit.
A note on reservations
Transparent pricing.Each lot and pre-construction home is offered at a fixed price with an open-book build agreement — no escalations after signing.
Refundable holds.A $10,000 refundable deposit holds any parcel or home for 30 days while we complete diligence with you and your advisors.
Bring your architect.All available lots accept build-on-your-lot commissions. You may design with our in-house team or your preferred Houston firm.
Craft.
What We Do
Four disciplines,one signature.
Every Villas La Hacienda residence passes through the same four hands. Whether you are commissioning a ground-up estate or an addition that disappears into a 1930s home, the standard is identical.
01Discipline
Architectural Design
We collaborate with award-winning architects and our in-house design team to translate the way you live into a home of permanent character.
- Programming & site studies
- Schematic design & 3D massing
- Interior architecture & finishes
02Discipline
Custom Home Construction
From foundation to final walkthrough, every Villas La Hacienda home is hand-built by tenured craftsmen on a transparent, weekly-reported schedule.
- Build on your lot or ours
- Tenured trade partners
- Single point of contact
03Discipline
Renovation & Additions
Bring a beloved Houston address into a new chapter — quietly, surgically, and with a respect for what came before.
- Whole-home renovations
- Kitchens, primary suites, libraries
- Historic-sensitive additions
04Discipline
Outdoor Living & Pools
Loggias, summer kitchens, infinity pools, and shaded courtyards — engineered for the long Houston spring.
- Pool & spa design-build
- Covered loggias & summer kitchens
- Mature-tree landscape integration
Site.
A Walk Through The House
Engineered for the longHouston spring.
Loggias that invite an evening cocktail in March. Spa rooms that recover the quiet of a Saturday morning. We design the rooms in between with the same care as the great room.
Outdoor Living · VLH-019
The covered loggia, drawn around an old live oak.
A 64-foot reflecting pool, a white-oak ceiling, and a single steel column — positioned so the canopy of a 1940s live oak frames the view from every chair.
Primary Suite · VLH-024
A bath cut from a single block of travertine.
Honed travertine, a cast-stone tub, and a curved single-pane glass shower wall — engineered for a soft Houston light filtered through linen sheers.
- 01Chapter · Discovery
A private conversation.
We meet at our Prudence Drive office or on your property to understand your land, your family, and the way you intend to live for the next twenty years.
- 02Chapter · Design
Drawn by hand, refined in light.
Our architects and interior team develop schematic plans, 3D massings, and material studies — presented in person, edited together until the home is unmistakably yours.
- 03Chapter · Pre-Construction
A budget you can hold.
Every assembly, fixture, and finish is priced from real bids — not allowances — so you sign a build agreement with a number that does not move.
- 04Chapter · Construction
Eighteen months, one phone number.
Your dedicated project lead sends a Friday photo report each week, walks the site with you monthly, and answers their phone on Saturdays.
- 05Chapter · Delivery
Move-in, then a quiet decade.
We hand you the keys with a printed care guide, a five-year structural warranty, and an annual visit each January to keep the house performing as drawn.
VLH-024 · The Memorial Estate Kitchen2024
The Atelier
A small housethat builds large ones.
Villas La Hacienda Homes was founded in 2009 by José Ortega, a master builder who came to Houston to build for one family and stayed for a hundred and twenty. We remain a deliberately small firm — twenty-two people, ten projects a year — because the only way to deliver a house with this level of detail is to keep our hands on every drawing.
- 01
Architect-led, builder-grounded.
Every plan is reviewed by both an architect and a master carpenter before it leaves our atelier — so what is drawn is what will stand.
- 02
One hundred and twenty homes, by hand.
We deliver no more than ten residences a year, on purpose. The principal of the firm walks every site every week.
- 03
An open book, from day one.
You see every bid, invoice, and trade allowance. Our average closing variance over the last 36 months is plus or minus 1.4%.
“A house is not a transaction. It is the room your daughter will dance in at her wedding. We build accordingly.
José Ortega
Founder & Principal Builder
“
Letters from Clients
Why familiesbuild twice with us.
We interviewed seven Houston builders. Villas La Hacienda was the only one who asked about our daughters' morning routine before they asked about our budget. It shows in every room.
Caroline & Marcus W.
River Oaks · 2023
RecognitionGHBA Prism Awards · 2023Houston Modern Home TourTexas Architect HonorBest of Houzz · Design 2024BBB · A+ AccreditedNAHB Member
The Atelier Journal
Field notes fromour drafting table.
Long-form essays on the materials, the weather, and the architectural decisions behind every Villas La Hacienda home. Quietly sent to our list once a quarter.
Frequently Asked
The questionswe hear most often.
If your question isn't here, please write us — José or our director of client experience answers every inquiry personally within one business day.
- 01
What does a Villas La Hacienda home typically cost?
Our custom homes generally begin at $1.4M for a thoughtfully sized, fully appointed residence and scale to $12M+ for estates. We build on a transparent open-book agreement so the number you sign is the number you pay. - 02
How long does the process take, start to finish?
From the first discovery meeting to keys in hand, expect 22 to 30 months for a ground-up custom home: roughly 6–9 months in design and pre-construction, then 14–20 months on site. Renovations typically run 9–14 months. - 03
Do you build on my lot, or only in your communities?
Both. The majority of our work is build-on-your-lot for clients who already own land in River Oaks, Memorial, Tanglewood, West U., and the surrounding Memorial Villages. We also acquire and develop a small number of estate lots each year. - 04
Can I work with my own architect?
Absolutely. Roughly half of our projects are designed in-house and half are delivered with a client's chosen architect. We collaborate seamlessly with the leading firms in Houston. - 05
What warranty do you provide?
Every home includes a one-year cosmetic, two-year mechanical, and ten-year structural warranty, plus a complimentary annual home walkthrough each January for the first five years.
An Invitation
Come walk a homein progress with us.
Twice a month, we host a small group of prospective clients on an active job site in River Oaks or Memorial. You will see the framing details, meet the trades, and ask José anything you'd like — over coffee, on site, no presentation.
Begin a Project
A private,unhurriedconversation.
We accept a small number of new commissions each year. Tell us about your land, your family, and what you hope to come home to. José will reply personally — from one Houston household to another.
- Concierge(832) 329-4855
- Atelier[email protected]
- StudioOffice 5334 Prudence Dr, Houston, TX 77045
- HoursMon — Fri · 9:00 to 6:00 CT
Inquiry · No. 0001