Tilson Homes

What Tilson Homes does

Tilson Homes is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned custom home builder headquartered in Houston, Texas, specializing in the design and construction of new homes built on customer-owned land throughout Texas. The company has been operating since 1932 and has delivered over 40,000 homes across Gulf Coast, Central, North, South, East, and West Texas regions, with a portfolio of customizable floor plans ranging from approximately 793 to over 5,000 square feet. Tilson differentiates from typical production builders through its build-on-your-lot (BOYL) model, the proprietary EasyBuy financing program (offering no interest and no fees during the construction period), and energy-efficient construction practices such as spray foam insulation and management of water, air, and heat to produce tight, high-performing building envelopes.

The company operates a physical sales and design network of 12 design studios across Texas, staffed by sales representatives and supported by functional leaders in construction, design and drafting, cost management, and site evaluation. The GTM motion is sales-led, anchored by in-person design-center visits, free in-person seminars, and the Tilson Live weekly content show broadcast on YouTube and Facebook, which functions as a top-of-funnel education and lead-generation channel. The MyTILSON customer portal, interactive online floorplan tools, and virtual/video tours extend the sales motion to remote and pre-visit buyers. Pricing is quote-based on floor plan, square footage, customization, and land preparation requirements, and is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through one-time custom home sales transactions with no recurring or contract-based component.

Tilson is led by fourth-generation family member Eric Alarid (Senior Vice President) alongside an executive team that includes the VP of Marketing & Customer Experience, SVP of Construction, VP of Design & Drafting, and VP of Cost Management, and is supported by an ecosystem of strategic partners including McCoy's Building Supply (materials), Wagon Hill Home Loans and AmCap Home Loans (financing), and Kent Moore Cabinets (interior finishes). The company employs 101-250 staff, has no institutional or private equity ownership disclosed, and shows no M&A, funding, or external capital activity in the input data. The business is a regional, customer-funded, family-controlled operation whose growth is tied directly to the Texas residential housing cycle and the operational capacity of its 12 design centers.

Name

Tilson Homes

Legal name

Tilson Homes

Website

https://tilsonhomes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tilson Homes is a fourth-generation, family-owned custom home builder in Texas (since 1932) that designs and builds new homes on customer-owned land through 12 design studios, supported by the proprietary EasyBuy financing program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Home Building

NAICS

New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236115)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Home Building (IMAFABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Custom home building
• Build-on-your-lot
• Residential construction
• Custom home design
• Home construction services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Home Sales: Tilson Homes generates revenue through the sale of custom homes built on customers' land in Texas. Customers select from floor plans and customize features, with pricing based on home size, design choices, and land preparation requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tilson Homes designs and builds fully customizable new homes on customers' own land throughout Texas, including rural areas. The company offers an extensive library of floor plans ranging from approximately 793 to over 5,000 square feet, complemented by 12 in-person design centers for selecting finishes and materials, energy-efficient construction practices, and the exclusive EasyBuy financing program that waives interest and fees during the construction period.

Product overview

Tilson Homes is a custom home builder operating in Texas since 1932, offering a single unified product: building fully customizable homes on customers' own land. The core offering centers on an extensive portfolio of floor plans (Abilene, Angelina, Arlington, Barton Springs, Bexar, Brazoria, Breckenridge, Canyon, Casita, Cedar Creek, Cisco, Crockett, Fayetteville, Floresville, Fredericksburg, and others) ranging from 793 to over 5,000+ square feet. These floor plans are complemented by the EasyBuy financing program (no interest/fees during construction), 12 Design Centers for selecting finishes and materials, quality construction services, energy efficiency features, and the MyTILSON customer portal. The company operates a robust content and community engagement program through Tilson Live weekly events and maintains a network of design studios across Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyTILSON: Customer portal/account system for managing favorites, preferences, and personalized recommendations.
• EasyBuy
• Tilson Live

Products and services

• Custom Home Building Design and construction of fully customizable new single-family homes on customer-owned land throughout Texas, including rural locations. Homes range from approximately 793 to over 5,000 square feet based on a library of pre-designed floor plans (Abilene, Angelina, Arlington, Barton Springs, Bexar, Brazoria, Breckenridge, Canyon, Casita, Cedar Creek, Cisco, Crockett, Fayetteville, Floresville, Fredericksburg, and more) that customers can configure with selected finishes, materials, and exterior styles.
• EasyBuy Financing Program An exclusive construction financing program offered by Tilson Homes that charges no interest and no fees during the construction period, designed to save customers thousands of dollars compared to traditional construction-to-permanent loans. Available to qualified Tilson home buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• No interest and no fees during construction through EasyBuy program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McCoy's Building SupplycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with McCoy's Building Supply for building materials. McCoy's SVP of Operations and Merchandising appeared on Tilson Live to discuss their partnership and supply chain collaboration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tri Pointe Homes: Public homebuilder with a meaningful Texas footprint focused on premium and move-up custom segments. Competes with Tilson on customization, energy efficiency, and design-center customer experience.
• Highland Homes: Plano, Texas-based custom and semi-custom home builder operating across the Dallas-Fort Worth region and other Texas metros. Closely aligned with Tilson on custom floor plans, design-center sales, and Texas-centric buyer segments.
• M/I Homes: Public custom and move-in home builder with significant Texas operations. Comparable custom product offering, design-center-driven sales motion, and overlapping customer demographic with Tilson.
• David Weekley Homes: Houston-based, family-founded custom and semi-custom home builder operating across multiple states including Texas. Closely comparable to Tilson in custom single-family focus, design-center sales model, and mid-market Texas buyer orientation.
• Meritage Homes: Top-10 U.S. homebuilder with a strong Texas presence and explicit energy-efficiency positioning that overlaps with Tilson's tight-envelope and spray foam approach.
• Drees Homes: Family-owned custom home builder with a strong Texas presence (Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston). Comparable to Tilson in build-to-order custom homes, design studio model, and family-ownership ethos.
• Perry Homes: Houston-headquartered custom home builder serving Texas metros and select other regions. Direct competitor in custom single-family construction with comparable design-center distribution and customer profile to Tilson.

Broad incumbents

• D.R. Horton: Largest U.S. homebuilder with the most extensive Texas footprint. While primarily a production builder, its Express Homes and Emerald segments push into custom-adjacent offerings, partially overlapping Tilson's buyer base.
• Lennar: Largest U.S. homebuilder with broad Texas presence including a Village Builders brand focused on premium buyers. Overlaps with Tilson in Texas metros but typically serves more centralized suburban subdivisions.
• PulteGroup: One of the largest U.S. homebuilders with extensive Texas operations across Centex, Pulte, and Del Webb brands. Competes with Tilson on multiple buyer segments and metros, though at much greater scale and broader product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=_t4PJacMWII
• Facebookfacebook.com/tilsonhomes
• Xx.com/TilsonHomes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tilson Homes