Custom Homes for Ellis County

For more than thirty years, David Hill Custom Homes has built high-quality, innovative custom homes. Because each family is unique, we have never built the same home twice. Each new home is designed to meet the special needs and desires of its owners, and built to last for generations. As you enter a custom home by David Hill Custom Homes, you'll notice the quality workmanship and attention to detail. 

Groundwork

What makes your new home truly special is the old-world craftsmanship that goes into it long before the finishing touches are added. It all starts with the soil samples and engineering the slab, extra piers, steel, beams and concrete - but it takes more than that to set a foundation that will never fail. It takes experience and dedication. David Hill oversees the pouring and preparation of every foundation. It's not ready until it gets his O.K. No foundation built by David Hill Custom Homes has ever failed!

Foundations

Good foundations make all the difference. No structure can be better than its foundation. The foundation must be right if the house is to endure. We remove undesirable soil and replace it with select fill. If the Plasticity Index is too high the soil can be very expansive and the Potential Vertical Rise could be as much as 6 inches.

When drilling piers we prefer to drill until we are two feet deep into bedrock. In one case that might be six feet deep, and in another case it might be 20 feet deep. Twenty feet is our maximum depth if bearing soil is not reached. The piers are filled with steel and concrete, then trowelled smooth and level with one another so they function like columns under a bridge.

Notice the deep beams under the load bearing walls. The beams are 30 inches deep with six number five rebar. Concrete has great compression strength, but little tensile strength. The tensile strength comes from the steel. The more steel, the stronger the foundation. Additional steel is placed at inherently weaker locations, such as piercings and corners. Most slabs in our area of service are hybrid, post tension cables and rebar beams.

Detail. Detail. Detail. Get it right. Get it right.

After 25 years and hundreds of homes we have never had a slab failure.

Framing

Once we have a solid foundation, we're ready to build a strong frame. Here we are using wind braces in the interior walls and then sheeting the exterior walls with OSB plyboard to produce great wind load strength. Good lumber is important, but beams are absolutely essential. It's awesome what we're able to do with wood.

Long spans are achieved with the use of laminated beams. Often we combine wood and steel. 

If you want it to last and never sag, make it strong.

To keep the wood dry we wrap the house in a water shield. This product allows the house to breathe but stay dry. This is only one of the series of steps we take to produce a healthy home.

A properly built custom home should last for generations - but it takes the finest materials and skilled workers to achieve that kind of quality. David Hill Custom Homes uses only the best materials, along with experienced craftsmen dedicated to building a home that can weather the ages.

Interiors

What's inside a David Hill Custom home? How about accommodating home offices, luxurious bedroom suites, spacious dressing areas, whirlpool spa tubs, scintillating mirrored vanities, separated glass shower enclosures . . . Anything You Want!

Finished homes

A David Hill Custom Home exudes captivating beauty the moment you arrive - and continuing throughout . . . You will find imposing brick and stone exteriors . . . soaring roof-lines . . . We pay particular attention to numerous amenities that reflect the homeowners uniqueness and individual life styles. Landscaped patios, pools and decks provide an oasis for family enjoyment.

Credentials

David Hill is a Certified Graduate Builder (CGB), Certified Green Professional (CGP), and Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS). David is Past President of Ellis County Home Builders Association and is active with the Greater Dallas Home Builders Association.

The Hill Difference

What makes the Hill Difference? Stronger, Healthier, Elegant, and Built to Last. Wall construction behind the paint, reflective surface on the roof decking, foam wall and roof deck insulation, hurricane strapping for strong winds, anchor bolts to the concrete, all designed to resist tremendous wind forces. Tyvek is used to block wind but allow the wall to breathe and it is impervious to liquid water. Low E glass reflects infrared, ultraviolet rays and heat, it also keeps environmental factors out while adding to the insulating value of the envelope. Safety and Security are provided with Safe Rooms and Standby Generators to assist in the protection against inclement weather.