What James Engle Custom Homes does

James Engle Custom Homes (JECH) is a privately held, single-family custom home builder founded in 2000 by Jim Engle and headquartered in Olathe, Kansas. The company designs and constructs custom homes for affluent residential buyers in Johnson County and the broader Kansas City metropolitan area, including Overland Park, Prairie Village, Leawood, Mission, Fairway, Lenexa, and select Kansas City, Missouri neighborhoods. JECH operates through a catalog of approximately 25 pre-designed floor plans — including ranch, reverse, 1.5-story, and two-story configurations — with base prices ranging from $315,000 to $765,000, complemented by finished inventory/spec homes priced from $450,000 to over $1.6 million. An in-house architect (Sarah Baird, 14-year tenure) provides customization of stock plans, and a Director of Selections oversees buyer design choices. The business model is one-time direct sales to end-buyers through model home showcases (e.g., The Fresco Model at 5021 West 72nd Street, Prairie Village), personal consultations, and a referral network including realtors and past customers. The company also operates a 'We Buy Houses' program acquiring properties in desirable Johnson County neighborhoods for renovation or lot inventory purposes.

JECH's core technology is conventional residential construction augmented by CoConstruct, a third-party project management portal that provides homeowners personal online access to download and print plot plans and floor plans, sign change orders, and track project costs in real time. The company's bundled 'Advantage Program' includes a 600-item quality assurance checklist, written homeowner manual, third-party HVAC ductwork cleaning and plumbing inspections at closing, oversized sump pit with radon mitigation option, builder-provided whole-home inspection allowance of $550, and a 1-year warranty with 24-hour emergency service. Quality assurance walk-throughs occur at 60 days and 11 months post-closing. The company builds within multiple master-planned and established communities including Cedar Creek (Hidden Lake Estates and Valley Ridge), Century Farms, Chapel Hill, Fairway, Leawood, Enclave at Manchester Park, Mission, Prairie Village, The Sanctuary, and select Kansas City, Missouri areas.

The organization employs 11-50 people across construction management, sales, design, warranty operations, accounting, and purchasing. The leadership team is long-tenured and family-influenced, with founder Jim Engle (Owner/President, MBA, 26 years) supported by Erin Cooper (COO, 16 years), Kevin Schneider (Director of Construction, 13 years), Sarah Baird (Architect, 14 years), and multiple family members in operational roles including Lauren Engle (Director of Sales) and Eli/Davis Engle in construction assistant positions. The company has received regional recognition including First Place Distinctive Plan Design awards (2019) and First Place Design Award (2018). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the firm has no external investors, parent company, or institutional funding.

Name

James Engle Custom Homes

Legal name

James Engle Custom Homes

Website

https://jamesengle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

James Engle Custom Homes is a privately held, Olathe-based custom home builder founded in 2000 that designs and constructs single-family custom homes for affluent buyers in Johnson County and the Kansas City metropolitan area, selling through direct sales, community partnerships, and in-house architectural customization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Residential Home Building

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Home Building (IMAFABAC)

Keywords

• Custom home building
• Residential construction
• Floor plan design
• Home building services
• Master-planned communities

Headquarters

HQ city

Olathe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Home Sales: One-time custom home sales where buyers select from floor plans and customize through in-house design services. Base home prices range from approximately $315,000 to $765,000 depending on floor plan, plus lot and community fees. The company also operates a 'We Buy Houses' program purchasing existing homes in desirable neighborhoods for renovation or lot acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

James Engle Custom Homes is a custom home builder that designs and constructs single-family homes in the Johnson County, Kansas and Kansas City metropolitan area. Buyers select from a catalog of pre-designed floor plans (priced from approximately $315,000 to $765,000) and customize them with an in-house architect. The company also sells finished inventory/spec homes and operates a "We Buy Houses" program to acquire lots in desirable neighborhoods.

Product overview

James Engle Custom Homes is a custom home builder offering pre-designed floor plans (The Princeton, The Hartford, The Aurora, The Berkley, The Berkley II, The Bristol, The Catalina, The Chesapeake, The Emery II, The Emery Reverse, The Fresco, The Hamilton, The Jameson, The Jameson II, The Jameson Reverse, The Laurel Expanded, The Leòn, The Madison, The Norfolk, The Pembrook, The Pembrook Expanded, The Prairie Village Custom 5010, The Princeton Reverse, The Province, The Waldo, The Waldo II) that customers can purchase and customize, paired with homes for sale in various communities across Johnson County, Kansas. The company operates through established communities including Cedar Creek, Century Farms, Chapel Hill, Fairway, Kansas City Missouri, Leawood, Enclave at Manchester Park, Mission, Prairie Village, and The Sanctuary. Their Advantage Program provides buyers with warranty coverage, quality assurance processes, and ongoing support services including personal online access through a customer portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Floor Plans
• Inventory/Spec Homes For Sale Completed inventory/spec homes available for immediate purchase in communities across Johnson County, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, ranging from approximately $450,000 to over $1.6 million depending on location, size, and features.
• Furnished Model Homes Fully furnished model homes that prospective buyers can visit to experience the builder's design, finishes, and floor plan layouts in person. Currently features The Fresco Model at 5021 West 72nd Street, Prairie Village, KS 66208.
• Home Community Developments Master-planned and established communities in which the builder constructs homes, including Cedar Creek, Century Farms, Chapel Hill, Fairway, Kansas City Missouri, Leawood, Enclave at Manchester Park, Mission, Prairie Village, and The Sanctuary. Buyers can select lots within these communities for new home construction.
• We Buy Houses Program A property acquisition program in which James Engle Custom Homes purchases existing homes in desirable Johnson County neighborhoods at fair market value, with no fees or commissions, for renovation or lot acquisition. Targets home sellers seeking a fast, straightforward sale without repairs, inspections, or contingencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 families have chosen to live in Cedar Creek communities where James Engle builds
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cedar Creek Master-Planned CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Engle Custom Homes is an active builder in Cedar Creek, Kansas City's largest resort-style master-planned community spanning over 1,200 acres. The partnership involves building in specific neighborhoods including Hidden Lake Estates and Valley Ridge, with lot prices starting at $500,000-$600,000+. Jeff Sheppard and Linda Cahow serve as community contacts.
• Century Farms Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Engle builds in Century Farms, an exclusive new home community developed from original Verhaeghe family farmland established in 1919. Phase I (Estates) opened April 2019 with spacious homesites in Overland Park with Blue Valley schools. Phase II (The Ranch) released December 2019 with 32 home sites. Community contacts include Michael Perry and Rachelle Moley.
• The Sanctuary CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Engle builds in The Sanctuary community located at 173rd St & Quivira in Overland Park, KS 66221. The company has inventory homes available in this community.
• Enclave at Manchester ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Engle builds in Enclave at Manchester Park located at 101st St and Prairie Creek Rd in Lenexa, KS 66220.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• D.R. Horton: Largest U.S. homebuilder with active Kansas City operations including master-planned community build-outs. Competes for the same lot pipeline and buyer pool, though at broader price points and much greater scale.
• PulteGroup: National homebuilder with Centex, Pulte, and Del Webb brands operating across the Kansas City metro. Overlapping customer base at lower price points and broader product mix.
• Toll Brothers: National luxury homebuilder with a strong move-up and custom home product line, serving affluent buyers in select metros including Kansas City. Comparable in targeting premium price points and offering design customization, but operates at national scale versus JECH's single-metro footprint.
• Lennar: One of the largest U.S. homebuilders, with significant Kansas City operations including master-planned community developments. Competes for buyer demand and lot supply at national-builder scale.

Direct peers

• Summit Homes: Kansas City-area homebuilder offering new construction in master-planned communities across Johnson County, with overlapping geographies and customer base at slightly lower price points.
• Rodrock Homes: Kansas City-area custom and semi-custom home builder active in several of the same master-planned communities (including Cedar Creek-adjacent developments). Most directly comparable local peer in product type, price band, and community partnership model.
• J.S. Robinson Fine Homes: Johnson County, KS custom home builder focused on luxury homes in the same Leawood, Overland Park, and Prairie Village submarkets as JECH. Directly comparable in target customer, price band, and relationship-driven sales motion.
• Don Julian Builders: Long-standing Kansas City custom home builder operating in similar Johnson County neighborhoods and master-planned communities. Comparable in product, customer profile, and community-development partnerships.
• Lambie Custom Homes: Kansas City-area custom home builder serving similar affluent Johnson County clientele with comparable custom design and build services.
• Bickimer Builders: Established Kansas City-area custom home builder serving Johnson County and surrounding metros with similar relationship-focused design and build services. Comparable mid-size regional competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JamesEngleCHKC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 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 James Engle Custom Homes