Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Luedtke.
Hi Austin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My family has been in the construction business since before I was born. My dad used to build houses in the 80’s, then ran a building materials supply company in Austin for 30 years. Having been around the construction industry my whole life, I have been drawn to custom home design and building since I was a child. I have always loved the ability to start something from scratch and see it through to a final product. Naturally, custom homebuilding was a perfect fit. I always knew I wanted to focus on custom home building versus production homes, as I enjoy building houses that are different or unique in their own way. I started my personal experience in the homebuilding world as a subcontractor for 10 years before starting Arrowwood Custom Homes in 2017.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not always been a smooth road. I initially started the business with a partner, but we decided to part ways about a year after start-up. That was really tough for me because my partner was also my best friend at the time, so it was both a professional and personal struggle when that happened. I still wish there was a way it could’ve worked out, but I knew that in order for the business to succeed it was a necessary split…at least at that time.
While not necessarily a bad problem for a young company, business was growing almost too fast from 2020-2022. I am a one-man shop, so I handle all of the on-site and off-site responsibilities. I am always the direct contact with the homeowners, do all of the bidding, order all supplies, oversee day-to-day operations at the jobsite, and handle all of the bookkeeping. There was a period where I had almost a dozen houses on the ground at the same time, which created a very lopsided work-life balance. I had to decide whether to scale up the business and bring on other employees, or scale back to a reasonable number of houses that I could handle on my own. Ultimately, I decided that I would rather devote time and effort into only a few projects each year versus trying to build as many houses as I possibly could. I enjoy working with my homeowners, so building more than 3-4 houses a year was spreading myself too thin and taking away from the parts of the job I truly enjoy.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a custom home builder, and I think sometimes the “custom” part gets lost in our business today. I try to build a truly custom home for my clients. I hear all too often that people are building a “custom” home but are given limitations on design choices and what finish selections they can make without extraordinary change order fees. I don’t subscribe to the theory that a homeowner should be limited in selection. If they want it done, I will figure out a way to get it done. There absolutely will be changes when building a custom home, and I think it’s a silly practice to upcharge someone for this. Granted, homeowners do have to understand that certain choices may be more expensive than others, but I think adding a fee or upcharge for the simple reason it is a change from the original plan or selections is not fair. I want my homeowners to be happy and get a house with the design elements they want, not a house that was built from 3-4 options or packages they had to choose from.
I think flexibility is also key to everyone enjoying the process. Building a home can be stressful at times, but it should also be a fun, enjoyable experience. In my opinion, flexibility plays a huge role here. As I mentioned above, things will change throughout the build. That’s just the nature of building a custom home. I am a firm believer in allowing my clients to make changes on the fly or adjust things that can sometimes turn out different in real life than they look on paper. Again, I want my homeowners to live in a house they love, not one that they had to settle for.
When it comes to home design, I work with my clients to design their home from the time it is penciled out on a napkin until the final plans are sent to the printer. While I do not actually draw up the plans myself, I have some great draftsman and architects that help us put the puzzle together. This is one of my favorite parts of the build, as I love to work through the design of a house to make sure it is functional, efficient, and unique.
In regard to interior finish and selections, I have some great groups I work with in addition to myself that can help homeowners with selections. I also have a great friend and fantastic interior designer (Heather Fitch at Fitch & Co. Design), who has helped with several of the houses I’ve built, including many of the houses in the attached pictures. This is another area that I like to offer flexibility to my homeowners. Whether it’s finding an idea on Pinterest, a finish detail on social media, or a fixture they love, I will do whatever we need to do in order to make that dream to come to life.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The Austin area has it all. I love the outdoors, so the topography of the area and all of the outdoor activities available in the greater Austin area are a huge attraction for me. Personally, I enjoy being able to live somewhere with a little bit of elbow room but still have essentially anything I need or want within 15 minutes of home. The dining options are also fantastic, and I love a good meal!
Traffic is definitely my least favorite part. I hardly ever go south of downtown, in large part because it’s not really necessary, but also because I hate fighting the traffic when I do go south.
Pricing:
- It’s pretty hard to put generic pricing on a custom home, particularly in the greater Austin area. Prices can be 50% or more higher in certain areas due to logistics and building requirements.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arrowwoodhomes.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/arrowwoodhomes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arrowwoodcustomhomes/
Image Credits
Heather Fitch
