Winfield Gate

Gold
New Community
Silver 
Urban Infill
Winfield Gate, Houston
Entrant: Röhe & Wright Builders
Builder/Developer: Winfield Gate Partners
Architect/Land planner: Preston Wood & Associates
Photographer: Rob Muir Photography
Size of units: 3,800 to 8,000 sf
Hard cost, excluding land: $250 to $275/sf
Sales price: $1.55 million to $3.65 million
Density: 15 units/acre
Completion: Winter 2015

These four- and five-level townhomes look as if they were plucked from one of London’s poshest neighborhoods. They’re even named after Winfield House, the residence of the American ambassador to Great Britain. But Winfield Gate, an exclusive 22-unit community, is in Houston’s River Oaks enclave, at the city’s core, tucked between its most renowned high-rise condominium building and its highest-end office tower. Shopping and dining are close by, along with parks, running trails, a golf course, and the Houston Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. 

The target clientele is wealthy empty-nesters from nearby who are downsizing, hope to stay in the neighborhood, and are in search of a luxurious home that offers a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Top security and highest-end materials are evident throughout: hand-hewn beams, stone countertops, Venetian plasterwork, and imported tile. There’s elevator access to all floors. “We worked hand in hand with the buyers and their interior designers to customize each townhome,” says partner Andy Suman, a process he describes as time-consuming and painstaking, but worth it. 

Even before construction began, 14 of the 22 homes were sold, with the remaining eight homes sold prior to project completion. In addition to a Gold award, Winfield Gate nabbed a Silver in the Urban Infill category.

Want to see more winners of the 2016 Professional Builder Design Awards? Click here.