David Weekley Homes began in 1976 in Houston, Texas, and has grown to become one of the largest privately held home builders in America, spanning across 13 states and 19 markets. We’re passionate about our Customers, building exceptional homes, our fellow Team Members and the communities in which we live and work.
Here, our Leaders know the importance of forever improving and believe in elevating the lives of those around them through their actions and servant leadership styles. With their support, Team Members are provided with the right knowledge and a caring workplace to thrive and shine. When our Team Members are happy and loyal, that leads to happy and loyal Customers, which ultimately leads to the ability to further Our Purpose of Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives.
In 1976, 23-year-old David Weekley started his own home building company. Today, the company has sold more than 120,000 homes and expanded to 19 markets across the nation.
As a result of his progressive management methodologies where people are the primary focus of the organization, the company has been named to Fortune magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For 18 times. David has also received recognition for his leadership talents and many community outreach efforts in addition to building innovative, high-quality homes.
David earned degrees in Economics and Geology from San Antonio’s Trinity University. He and his wife, Bonnie, have three children and eight grandchildren.
Since 2018, Jay Brown has served on the David Weekley Homes Board of Directors before joining the Team as CEO in 2024. Previously, he was CFO and then CEO of Crown Castle, leading the S&P 500 company to double in size while fostering a high-performance and people-oriented culture. As CEO at Crown Castle, his priority and passion was employee engagement and satisfaction. Jay championed numerous growth and change initiatives while cultivating a culture of transparency and trust. This approach ignited innovation, driving substantial organizational growth and the development of leading-edge business capabilities.
Jay serves on several boards, including Baylor University, his alma mater, Baker Institute at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Married to wife Ashley, they have six children. The Browns are devoted to faith and service and enjoy outdoor activities together.
In his role as President at David Weekley Homes, Chris Weekley leverages his expertise in innovation and developer relationships to effectively position the company for growth and expansion. He began his journey with David Weekley Homes in 2007 as a Builder, and then Sales Consultant, for the Austin Division. After transitioning to Houston, Chris worked as a Project Manager, Division President, Vice President of Central Living and Innovation, Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President.
Chris earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from The Acton School of Business. When he is not at work, he can be found spending time with his wife, Sarah, and their five children.
Ladd Fargo, Chief Operating Officer with David Weekley Homes, oversees all division operations for the company. Ladd joined David Weekley Homes in 2004 and carries with him nearly 30 years of home building experience. Influenced by his father’s experience in real estate and residential development, he began his home building career as a builder in 1994. During his tenure with Weekley, Ladd has been awarded Division of the Year as Division President in San Antonio along with Division of the Year as Area President in Dallas.
A native Houstonian, Ladd attended Texas State University and graduated with a finance degree. He is married and has three children, with whom he spends a great deal of time supporting in their various activities. He also enjoys his time outdoors hunting and fishing.
Joe Rentfro joined David Weekley Homes in 2006 and has held several positions, including Senior Builder, Project Manager and Division President and Area President for the Houston Division. He began his career after college working as a sales manager but made the switch to home building after going through the building process with David Weekley Homes and enjoying the experience. In his role as Chief Strategy Officer, Joe oversees the company's five key growth goals, aligning them with our Brand Promise and operational objectives to ensure long-term success. Joe guides the strategic initiatives to complement and enhance the goals of our various teams while positioning the company for sustained growth.
Originally from Tomball, Texas, Joe graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. Along with his wife, Ursula, Joe enjoys spending time outdoors and watching his two children, Cole and Reid, play sports.
David Weekley Team Members will never tell you they are in the home building business. What gets us out of bed every morning is knowing each day is another opportunity for our Team to continue Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives.
When you choose to build a new home, it’s normal to have some questions. Our Internet Advisors are equipped to provide you with any information you need. Whether you’re wondering about floor plan specifics, community features or area amenities, they are here to help you find a home to fit your ideal lifestyle.
There’s a lot to keep track of when buying a new home. The process can be daunting - even for those who’ve been through it before. With a David Weekley Homes Sales Consultant, you’ll have an experienced guide at your side for the entire journey. From site selection to closing contract, through move in and beyond, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing someone is with you every step of the way.
Would you believe there are still builders who don’t allow Homebuyers to talk with the person building their home? At David Weekley Homes, we encourage open communication to keep our Customers informed. Depending on the construction stage of your new home, you’ll meet with your Personal Builder℠ up to four times at foundation, framing, drywall and a Homebuyer Introduction Meeting. After all, the best person to answer questions about your home is the person who’s building it.
When you build a home from the ground up as a David Weekley Homebuyer, you’ll enjoy scheduled meetings with your very own Design Consultant. From floors to cabinets to lighting and more, your Design Consultant will help guide you through the process of choosing the finishes and fixtures that will turn your home into the home of your dreams.
After closing, imagine how well you’ll sleep knowing that your home builder still cares. If you discover any issues after moving into your David Weekley home, we have an entire Warranty Service Team available to resolve matters and keep you smiling.
The most important aspect of David Weekley Homes isn’t home building, it’s Our Purpose of Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives. As a company, we want to make a positive impact in the lives of everyone we touch and in all the communities in which we build. Our commitment to focusing on what’s really important sets us apart as a company, as an employer and as a neighbor.
David Weekley Homes strives to bring out the best in our people and provide a challenging work environment. Our Team Members are encouraged to utilize their potential to positively affect other people's lives, increase their own self-fulfillment and enhance their own lives. Accolades like appearing 18 times on Fortune magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For show us we are on the right track!
A home is much more than shelter — it's a place where families join together to create memories. A David Weekley home is a symbol of Customer Satisfaction and personal attention. Enhancing the lives of our Customers is why we exist. The numerous Customer Satisfaction distinctions and the fact that 93% of our Customers would recommend us to their family and friends show we're living Our Purpose when it comes to our Customers.
David Weekley Homes is about more than just lumber and profits; we’re about community. Over the last 30 years, the Dovetail Impact Foundation (formerly the David Weekley Family Foundation) has given over $275 million to worthy causes and charitable organizations. More than that, our Team is always happy to help, too, through the volunteer and philanthropic efforts of our CARE program. Whether it’s Team Members riding hundreds of miles to find a cure for multiple sclerosis or building numerous bunk beds for children without a place to sleep, to volunteering thousands of hours each year for numerous charities throughout the country, we believe in making a difference in the communities where we live and build.
Becoming a Homeowner is one of life’s greatest achievements… that’s why they call it the “American Dream.” I am honored to have shared this experience with more than 120,000 David Weekley Homeowners and their families.
It is exciting to be a home builder that introduces new and unique product designs – keeping us on the cutting-edge of new home design – and provides a variety of Choices and inspired Service to each and every one of our Homeowners.
But more than just building homes, we exist as a company to serve Our Purpose of Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives for our Team, our Customers and our Community. This means creating a challenging and rewarding work culture, delighting our Customers with an unequaled home owning experience, and positively impacting our community by what we do and how we act. Whether it’s pedaling a bicycle for miles to fight multiple sclerosis or going the extra mile to make a Customer’s experience with us truly memorable, the entire David Weekley Homes Team is making a difference far beyond our offices.
I invite you to join us in our quest to make the world – this home we all share – a better place for everyone.
David Weekley graduated from Trinity University and was in need of management experience to go onto Harvard Business School. Recruited by a home builder as a management trainee, David discovered a passion for home building and quickly rose through the ranks to lead his own Team. But when his supervisor wanted to substitute the use of a company car for the bonus he had earned, David took his case to the company president who told him to take the car or resign. David chose to leave to start his own company – one that would have a culture that was different.
At 23, David teamed up with his older brother, Dick, to establish David Weekley Homes in Houston, Texas, in 1976. David worked as a Salesperson, Purchasing Manager and Builder. To differentiate his homes from competing national companies, he paid close attention to home design. The company was selling close to 600 homes a year in Houston alone, leading David to grow his Team of talented people and earning us recognition as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation by Inc. magazine.
In 1985, Houston was ravaged by the oil bust. Thousands of people lost their jobs and home sales plummeted. To help the company survive, David expanded the company into Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Coming out of the oil downturn and encouraged by the company’s success in Dallas/Ft. Worth, David went on to expand the company into Austin in 1986. To guide the company through the next stages of growth, he hired John Johnson as Chief Operating Officer, who was later promoted to President and CEO, with David becoming Chairman.
The success of David Weekley Homes continued to flourish. In the 1990s, we began building in the markets of San Antonio, Denver, Orlando, Raleigh, Charlotte, Tampa, Charleston, Jacksonville and Atlanta. David Weekley Homes became the first builder in the United States to be awarded the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes “America’s Best Builder,” “National Housing Quality Award” and “National Builder of the Year.” The Walt Disney Company also asked us to build in Celebration, the community outside Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, and we would go on to earn the distinction of being the only builder with the creativity and Customer-driven focus to build in Celebration from start to finish.
In the 2000s, we were spotlighted on NBC’s “TODAY” show in a 12-part segment, focused on developing energy-efficient building techniques and introduced our Imagination by David Weekley Homes product line to give first-time Homebuyers an opportunity to experience the value of a David Weekley home for less. At the end of the decade, we weathered through the recession and launched our Central Living by David Weekley Homes product line to offer new construction in highly sought-after urban areas.
In the 2010s, we soared to new heights. Between 2012 and 2016, we went on to expand to Phoenix, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Minneapolis, Portland and Colorado Springs. We also were honored once again as the “National Builder of the Year” by Professional Builder magazine and started our Encore by David Weekley Homes product line to provide designs that optimize low-maintenance living for 55+ Homebuyers.
Throughout more than 45 years of home building excellence, we’ve earned hundreds of awards for design, quality and Customer Satisfaction, and have established a solid reputation for delivering on our Brand Promise to provide the best in Design, Choice and Service for our more than 120,000 Homebuyers. And over the course of our history, David's formula for providing exceptional Customer Satisfaction has remained the same: hire your industry's best and keep them happy, so they’ll in turn go the extra mile and delight our Customers. This rewarding workplace culture has even been recognized 17 times by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Even though much has changed since 1976, Our Purpose of Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives has never wavered. This mission extends beyond the lives of their Customers to everyone from Team Members and suppliers to those who have never even heard of the company, and we’re excited to continue living out Our Purpose for years to come.
David Weekley Homes has always been financially conservative. We don’t follow the crowd. We don’t take unnecessary risks. And, we never lose sight of who we are. More than 45 years of booms and busts have taught us that if you stick to what you know, you’ll not only survive tough times, you’ll emerge from them even stronger.
As a privately held company, David Weekley Homes is not burdened by irrational pressure to deliver short-term profits at any cost. During the depths of the 1980s recession, many home builders were folding. We sustained some short-term losses but kept our eye on the horizon and persevered. Within a few short years, David Weekley Homes emerged stronger and with an even greater market share.
During the heady days of the real estate bubble, many home builders gambled by increasing their landholdings to unhealthy levels. We did not. Why? Because we have always remembered that we’re a home builder, not a land speculator. As land values have declined, we have not been affected to the degree of other builders.
Our conservative values have led to a significant equity build-up during a time when more aggressive builders have found themselves over-leveraged and under-capitalized. During the recent credit crunch, others are having difficulty obtaining loans while we’ve tapped less than half of our sizeable credit lines.
The real estate market is stabilizing. Thanks to minimal land exposure, sizable equity, vast credit resources and conservative business practices, we are happy to say that the future of David Weekley Homes is brighter than ever.
Throughout the course of our company’s history of more than 45 years, we’ve not only proven to be a top home builder in the eyes of our Homebuyers with our 4.8 out of 5-star rating through our independently-certified Ratings & Reviews, but we’ve also been commended by our peers and industry experts. With more than 1,485 awards, including 850 for product design alone, these accolades are a testament to us delivering on our brand promise to provide our Customers with the best in Design, Choice and Service.
David Weekley Homes was the first builder in the U.S. to earn the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes “America’s Best Builder,” “National Housing Quality Award” and “National Builder of the Year.” We’re also proud to have been recognized as the National Builder of the Year by Professional Builder magazine twice in our history, an honor that is rare for a builder to achieve more than once.
We’ve been awarded numerous times for our thoughtfully designed floor plans and outstanding Customer Service. In addition, we’ve been named a top builder in various markets by their city’s respective builders association, including five wins for Builder of the Year at the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Austin’s MAX Awards, multiple wins for Builder of the Year and People’s Choice Builder of the Year at the Dallas Builders Association’s (DBA) McSAM Awards, recognition as the 2021 Builder of the Year by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (GAHBA), and more.
We’ve been recognized 18 times by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. We believe that happy Customers begin with our Team; therefore, we are committed to providing a rewarding workplace culture so we can truly fulfill Our Purpose of Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives.
Trust in one of the nation’s most award-winning home builders and start your dream David Weekley home today!
Picturing life in a David Weekley home is easy when you visit one of our model homes. We invite you to schedule your personal tour with us and experience the David Weekley Difference for yourself.
Included with your message...