Some people like their job; others love their job; others stillare passionate about their calling. Of the three, who wouldyou most want to design and build your home? Enter LupeNunez, charismatic owner of L. Nunez, Signature Homes. “Ilike to go to sleep to wake up,” says this young achiever.
Nunez’s entrance to the world of designing and buildingelite homes was not a straight road.Nunez attended college and graduatedwith a B.S in Kinesiology; hethen followed it up with an M.Edin Exercise Physiology. “During mysummer breaks I’d work with myuncle who owns a constructioncompany. At the end of every summerI’d say to myself, ‘I won’t everbe in construction.’” Of course, fatehas a funny way of working, and aftergraduation, Nunez found himselfbuilding homes. But there wasa significant difference this time.“I was working for myself. Suddenlythe long hours don’t matteras much.”
Although Nunez’s name is onthe company, he acknowledgesthat he is part of a team. “KateGiesy is my office manager. I mightwork with the clients, the sub–contractorsand others, but Kate is theone who keeps me sane and organized.She runs the office for me,and makes sure I make it to all ofmy appointments. I couldn’t spendas much time away from the officeas I do; if I didn’t know she was backthere, keeping everything purringlike a kitten. She keeps me on trackwhich is essential, otherwise it wouldbe easy to be de–railed,” he says.
Other people have impacted Nunez’s life as well. “I owemuch of my success to Ben Barranco. He took me under hiswing when I was young and inexperienced. He showed me avision and focus about business. His wife, Kathy and his daughter,Jenny, do all the interior selections. They put all the finishingtouches in the house for me.” Not only is Barranco his mentor,he is also the developer. As a result, Nunez focuses on theareas where Barranco develops, which has involved largely theGarden Ridge area. “We liken Garden Ridge to Alamo Heights– in fact we call it the suburban Alamo Heights,” Barranco, agenial gentleman says. “We find young families love to settlehere for several reasons — the kids have a safe space to play,and the taxes are markedly less than in the city. Also ComalCounty offers a great school district.”
One of the other reasons Nunezand Barranco like the Garden Ridgearea, and especially the sub–divisionswhere they tend to build, is becauseof the strict architectural directivesthey must adhere to. L. Nunez SignatureHomes will not be issued anarchitectural contract if one homedesign is identical to another. Thismeans there are no tract homeswhere every third or fourth home isthe same with some minor cosmeticchanges. Good news for residents ofthe sub–divisions who are assuredtheir house is truly unique. Goodtoo for Nunez and his team, because“it keeps us on our toes!” Nunezexclaims. “We have to be creativein this industry and custom designeverything from the exterior paintcolors, to the interior details.”
Kathy Barranco, a lovely strawberryblonde chimes in, “The finishingtouches we add to the homemake all the difference. Lupe doeshave some ‘signature’ marks that sethim apart from other builders.” Shepoints to the ceilings — the entrancehall offers a lofty barrel ceiling, andthe dining room presents an imposing14–foot dome. The attention to detail isseen in every aspect of Nunez’s homes;from the positioning of the indoor andoutdoor fireplaces, to the kitchen appliances. “Each one of thecompleted homes has two dishwashers — another Nunez signature,”says Jenny Barranco, the second designer.
Other details set the homes apart as well — Kathy and Jennywork closely with clients to ensure their home is custombuiltdown to the finest point. “All of our homes are EnergyStar rated, but we will always go the extra mile for our clients,”explains the vibrant and personable Jenny. Just recently theyinstalled a bamboo floor in one home, and another client hasevinced interest in buying a countertop made from recycledglass. Nunez even offers to insulate the home with a new insulationmaterial made from recycled paper.
Nunez has an in–house designer who helps the client makeessential changes. “I am always upfront with my clients aboutprice and budget,” Nunez says. “There have been times I have informeda client that they are over budget on everything they’reasking for. I would rather be truthful with them and have themseek alternative options, than deceive them and present themwith an outrageous bill at the end of the build.” Nunez sees thebuilding of a home as a marriage — not everyone is going to bea perfect fit. “If I am dedicating 12 months of my life to gettinga house built for a client, we both have to know that we willbe happy with the end product. I realize that for most people,building a home is the biggest financial investment they willever make in their lives. Therefore it’s imperative I give themmy best.”
When clients approach Nunez they are in different stagesof their home build. “I have some clients who have bought a lot,but that’s as far as they have got. We will go to the lot and giverecommendations on how best to design and build a home.”Other times a client already has their plans and basically says,“Here are my plans, please build this for me.” Nunez will makeas many suggestions as he can, “But at the end of the day, theyare the client, they are paying their money for me to build theirdream home, so I build what they want.”
Josh Maas, Nunez’s superintendent is another valued teammember. He supervises all the job sites, and ensures the subcontractorsare giving their best. “Josh is great at his job.” Nunezsays. “He works well with me and with other people. He is agreat asset to the team. He knows how I like things to be done,and most of all, he knows the standard I expect from him andthe sub–contractors.”
It is apparent that much thought has gone into the creationof the homes. Personal, one–of–a–kind touches are foundthroughout each home Nunez finishes. A stain glass windowadorns the wet bar area, and another stain glass window is inlaidover the door to the study. The master bathroom alwaysfeatures a his and hers vanity and closet. “Of course hers is larger,”Nunez laughs. A shower with two separate showerheadsfinishes off the master.
All of Nunez’s homes have at least four bedrooms, and hebuilds closets into the study so it can be easily turned into a fifthbedroom if necessary. “I built a three–bedroom home once, andit sat on the market for months! In this neighborhood, peopleexpect a four–bedroom home.” Most of his homes also havewhat he calls a ‘mudroom’. “You come in from the garage, removeyour shoes, hang up your coat, drop your keys, and evencharge your phone in this space ,” he explains as he shows thearea, just off the kitchen. “It is out of the way, and allows you tokeep the rest of the house neat and clean.”
Outside living is not a new concept, it’s a way of life herein South Texas, but Nunez has breathed fresh life into an oldidea. The exterior patio is equipped with fans to stave off thehot summers, and a built in fireplace is perfect for those nippywinter evenings. Nunez even builds a ‘nook’ for a plasmaTV. Standing outside, it is easy to visualize a large dining tablewith smaller, more intimate conversation pits angled off to thesides.
The outdoor kitchen completes the look and feel of creatingan entire living space from nothing. French doors lead tothe patio from the main living area as well as from the masterbedroom, another standard feature with a Nunez home.
Nunez lives and works in Garden Ridge. “I love it here,” hesays simply. He and his wife, Tameka moved from the northwestside of the city because they love the community so much.“My three kids (ages 9, 5 and 10 months) go to school here. Webuild where we live because this is the best place to be.”A home by Nunez is indeed unique, and with his great teamworking tirelessly alongside him to ensure that their clients getonly the best, it is no wonder that regardless of the economy,Nunez is as busy as he could ever hope to be. “It’s a good life,”he says, “One I wouldn’t give up for anything.”
