Jos P Frank

1316 Washington Goes Under Contract!

2012-03-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

The 1300 block of Washington will be welcoming some great new neighbors this summer. Construction is set to begin on a new custom 2400 square foot 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 2 car garage craftsman home in the next 30-60 days. The contracted buyers are set to be in by August.

I am thrilled to be putting up another home in Fairmount. I am proud of all the homes I have built, and every one gets a little bit better than the last. After one last hurdle at the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, we should be two weeks away from breaking ground.

The new neighbors are major contributors to the efforts on Magnolia and we are lucky to have them. I will post progress as we get going.

560 Parker Oaks Complete!

2012-02-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

560 Parker Oaks is now complete! Showings are up and activity is good. We have received some very positive feedback on my first house outside of the urban core of Fort Worth. I am proud of this one, and looking very forward to starting the home next door at 570 Parker Oaks. The home has foam insulation, a 15 SEER AC, water saving double flush commodes, radiant barrier, ridge vent, and a host of other green features. It also has Bosch stainless appliances, custom maple cabinetry, 12x24 Porcelain tile in all the wet areas, granite countertops in all the baths and kitchens, wood floors, and crown molding throughout. I can't wait to do another one like this.

Fort Worth South Inc Dashboard

2012-02-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Fort Worth South Inc. released their 'Dashboard' today. The data is overall positive for the area, especially in the retail side. Apartments are also doing well. There are some adjustments being made in the single family housing side, but anybody who has shopped for a house in Fairmount in the last 3-5 years will tell you that is needed.

Thanks to Fort Worth South for producing this report. While it's not eye candy for most of us, it is for the money lenders that help us get things done over here.

The Grace Building

2012-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to say that we are inching closer to starting our latest mixed use building at 622 Hemphill. This original development concept was produced by Blake Ellis with TCH Design. Design work is by India Briggs with Builders Design. And Architecture is by Tom Malone and Brandon Allen with TMA Architects.

This building, while larger, will be very similar in style and function to our previous two mixed use plans at 1121 5th Avenue and 1130 South Henderson. There will be 2200 square feet of ground floor office, and two 1100 square foot apartments above.

The office space was carefully designed so that it could accommodate a single tenant that needed the larger space and conference room, or could be easily split into two spaces with a shared conference. There will be a kitchenette in each if two tenants should share the space. Finish out will be customized for the tenant(s).

The apartments are some of our best yet. I am targeting medical employees who want to be close to work in a safe, and comfortable atmosphere. I am toying with the idea of offering fully furnished apartments to ease what is already the stressful life of any medical professional. I could use some feedback on that idea.

There are immediate plans to connect Hemphill to Lancaster in downtown Fort Worth. Once this happens, I believe that we will have a new corridor opening up, and Hemphill will become another viable artery of the city. It will directly connect all the great things going on in downtown with the uniqueness of our district.

I hope to have renderings soon. This one should be a good one.

New Lot at 1316 Washington!

2011-12-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

We have just acquired a new residential lot in Fairmount just off Magnolia. Sandwiched right between two new homes, this lot is one of the best I have had in the district. The attached image shows the plan we intend to market. This home will be offered as a custom build to suit. Advertising this lot and plan will begin right after Christmas.

560 Parker Oaks Almost Finished!

2011-12-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

560 Parker Oaks

560 Parker Oaks is wrapping up. I am very pleased with the home. The rectangle brick lay tile, earth tone colors, two step crown moulding, pop-up ceilings, glass back splash, pebble shower floor, and Bosch Stainless appliances marry together to make this one of my favorite homes to date.

570 Parker Oaks Announced

2011-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to be starting a second home in Hudson Oaks at 570 Parker Oaks. The bank approved the deal and we should be underway soon. This home will be right next door to our current Hudson Oaks home at 560 Parker Oaks.

This home will be around 2600 square feet. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, an 3 car garage, and a bonus room upstairs that can be used as a game room, media room, or trophy room. The home should start in 45 days.

560 Parker Oaks Progress

2011-10-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

(I should have made him move his truck-huh)

Our new spec build at 560 Parker Oaks has been decked, sheathed, and the roof installed. We went with ridge vent to maximize attic ventilation, and let the house breathe a little easier. The mechanicals have been installed and inspected.

We are all set to spray foam insulation next week, and then it's on with sheetrock. Masonry starts Monday, so the exterior will start to take shape. I am very excited to see the earthy color selections on the house. The dry-stack stone work will make this the most unique home in the neighborhood.

560 Parker Oaks Progress

2011-10-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Our new spec home in Hudson Oaks has made some real progress over the past couple weeks. This french country home is going to be our greenest home yet. With foam insulation, radiant barrier, double flush commodes, and high SEER air conditioning, it should yield relatively low utility bills. I am hoping the market is indeed willing to pay a little extra to save a lot in the coming years. Framing is complete, decking and cornice is in progress. The homes defining exterior feature is it's dry stack style stone work; which should start in the next couple weeks. I will post more pictures as we progress.

560 Parker Oaks Floor Plan Revealed

2011-09-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

560 Parker Oaks will be our new plan for a single family residence in Parker Oaks. I am very pleased with the flow and livability of the floor plan. Construction should begin in about 2 weeks, and the project should be completed in around 5 months.

New Construction at 560 Parker Oaks

2011-08-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that we are starting a new home at 560 Parker Oaks in Hudson Oaks, TX. This will be an expansion to our traditional product line of bungalows and arts and crafts homes.

This plan is based on the attached elevation, and has a custom floor plan designed by TCH Design- my long time designer. It will feature 4 bedrooms, two and a half baths, a study, and a game room / media room depending on the buyers needs. One of the great things about this home is that it's located in Aledo ISD.

I am also excited to announce this home will be part of our E-Line, or Energy Line. It will feature foam insulation, 15 SEER Zoned Air Conditioners, Low-E Generation 2 Argon filled vinyl windows, Radiant Barriers, Energy Star Appliances, and double flush commodes.

Construction documents will be ready this week, and they will be given to engineers and designers to get us going. We look to break ground in 30 days.

The details: 4 bedrooms. 2.5 bathrooms. 3 car garage. 2849 Square Feet. Price - 314k. The floor plan will be posted shortly.

1121 5th Avenue Getting Close

2011-07-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

We made some significant progress over the past couple weeks on our latest mixed use building in the Hospital District here in Fort Worth.

The masons wrapped up last week, and our trim carpenter completed the James Hardie Artisan siding. The designer and I picked an exterior color that didn't really work, so after a re-paint, I am very pleased with the end result.

We are working on some exterior artwork to bring the building to life. I hope to have some news on that soon.

South Hills Sold!

2011-06-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

3547 South Hills was completed this week, and closed on Friday. Here are a couple pictures of the house.

5th Avenue Mixed Use Progress

2011-06-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Our windows finally arrived this week, and I was very happy to get them installed. We should see some brick going up soon!

1121 5th Avenue Update

2011-05-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our new mixed use office / apartments are about 70% framed. By Friday of this week, we should be wrapped up with that phase, and going ahead with mechanicals. Advertising should start in the next few weeks.

More details will follow.........

5th Avenue Mixed Use Foundation Poured

2011-05-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

This morning at 7:00 am, we poured the foundation on 1121 5th Avenue. This building will be five office spaces downstairs, and two apartments up. I hope to have it completed late September, early October. This will be our second mixed use building of this size and scope. Hopefully, we will have a couple more down the road.

The offices will lease to small companies, like mine, for around 550-650 per office- unless a business comes along that want the whole thing for an office. The apartments will lease for around $950- $1000 for the 775-800 square feet one bedroom, one bathroom spaces.

I am in the process of refining the rendering, I hope to have a new one soon.

More information will follow.......

Westcliff Home Progress

2011-05-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post an update on 3547 South Hills Avenue. We have completed the masonry, and the cabinets have been installed. Painters started yesterday and should be finished up late next week on the interior.

We should be installing countertops and tile floors in no time............

Mistletoe Lots

2011-04-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

A pre-development meeting with the City of Fort Worth yielded information that make the West Magnolia lots in Mistletoe most unmarketable.

W. Magnolia is a very narrow street earning it a city designation of 'limited local access street.' This means no on street parking, and four parking spaces required per home, or residential unit. Additionally, there is inadequate city storm water management in the area, so the city has dubbed that region of Mistletoe 'flood prone' meaning the buyers of at least 3 of the 6 lots would need flood insurance. As if that were not enough, the city will not be paving their platted right of way along the railroad tracks, but said the builder (me) could do that so that a firetruck could circulate. That is not the kind of cost that could / or should be passed onto a homebuyer. Paving city streets is a very expensive undertaking, and most certainly cost prohibitive.

Flood insurance is not cheap, and most of my buyers like to have guests over, so those issues are a deal killer. We pulled our signs this morning, and are in the process of releasing the lots back to the seller.

I am most disappointed in this news. We are currently seeking lots to build these featured homes. I will keep this site updated when we find them........

Proposed Mistletoe Floor Plans Complete!

2011-04-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Preliminary Mistletoe Home Renderings Complete!

2011-03-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Bob Zetnick, with Blue Yucca Studios, just completed these renderings for the proposed construction on our West Magnolia lots in Mistletoe.

We are working on the floor plans for these homes. It took me awhile (too long) to learn that these houses should always be designed from the outside-in. Blake, with TCH Design Studios, has this rendering now. I hope to have floor plans by next weekend.

After the paperwork is all together, I will get with the Mistletoe Neighborhood Association and seek their approval for the construction of these homes. My preliminary meeting with MNA was very promising. They are a most cooperative group that shares my interest in re-capturing this part of Mistletoe. I can't say that this plan is final until the MNA says it's ok - then onto the City of Fort Worth for approval. I hope they like them, because I love them. I would be proud to build these.

3547 South Hills Sold!

2011-03-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

3547 South Hills went under contract last night. The buyer is a young engineer from Lockheed, and recent graduate of TCU.

Plans are in revision and he should be moving into his new home August- maybe earlier.

Congratulations to him on his new home.

I will be pursuing more lots in the area, and hope to have some more offerings soon..........

Mitletoe Heights Lots Secured!

2011-03-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

We have just executed a contract securing 6 lots on West Magnolia in Mistletoe Heights.

I am thrilled to have a pocket to build 6 new arts and crafts inspired homes in this fantastic neighborhood.

With Lily B. Clayton elementary school, the great neighborhood, and all of the attractions in the district - I have high hopes for these homes.

I will be able to build the homes with some great energy features, and arts and crafts detailing. We are currently working to offer green spray foam insulation and whole house fans for more sustainability.

These homes will be all brick, energy efficient, and have the same bells and whistles as our previous homes. They will feature large front porches, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, wood floors, and so on.....

There will be plenty of opportunity for customization as we get going. I hope to have the renderings back soon from our good friend Bob Zetnick with Blue Yucca Studios (blueyuccastudios.com), and floor plans from Blake Ellis with TCH Design. I will post them as soon as they are ready.

More to come....thanks for checking this out.

1121 5th Avenue Mixed Use Rendering Complete.....

2011-02-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

This rendering was just completed by Bob Zetnick of Blue Yucca Studios. Bob is a local designer based in the Fairmount Historic District.

Bob's work can be seen at www.blueyuccastudios.com

2341 Alston Sold!

2011-02-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

2341 Alston has been closed. This home was sold to an engineer from Lockheed Martin on February 8th. I was blessed to have the opportunity to build his new home.

New Mixed Use Building

2011-02-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

I am about to start a new mixed use building in the hospital district at 1121 5th Avenue. We purchased the lot February 9th, and the plans are being appraised. I anticipate construction to begin in 30-60 days.

The building will be two stories. The fist floor will consist of 5 office suites for lease to small businesses like mine who need an office presence, but don't want to spend a fortune on overhead. The second floor will be two one bedroom / one bathroom apartments. Each apartment will be approximately 750 square feet.

More information will follow- including a rending.

New Home by TCU

2011-02-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

I am excited to branch out from our traditional developments in the Hospital District. 3547 South Hills was a site purchased by an oil gas company. They demolished the existing home with the intention of putting a well head on the lot. The neighborhood did a great job of preventing this from happening.

I typically try and compliment the neighborhood by matching the architecture of the adjacent lots. In this case, I opted for a Tudor inspired home. The Tudor style is popular in the TCU area, and is a beautiful type of architecture.

I am excited to bring this home to life and should have it ready late spring, early summer of 2011.