The Economic Downturn Was Good For The Custom Home Industry, Says Modern Builder Marc Kleinmann

Another exquisite project recently completed by Bauhaus Custom Homes. (Photo: Bauhaus Custom Homes)

German native and President of Bauhaus Custom Homes, Marc Kleinmann, moved to the United States in 1996. His father was a real estate developer so the industry has been in his blood for quite a while.

Kleinmann took a hiatus from the housing/real estate industry, working in advertising for the first few years after immigrating to the US. He slowly returned by flipping a few houses at a time and eventually building spec houses. In 2007, during the economic downturn, he started Bauhaus Custom Homes.

“Downturns are good for any industry. It forces people to rethink and retool how they do things; they learn to do them more efficiently,” says Kleinmann. “Building a house is a team sport,” he continues. Bauhaus started out small but as the economy improved, it has taken on more projects and more staff to collaborate on home building projects from start to finish.

This home has a minimal and serene patio. (Photo: Bauhaus Custom Homes)

Most of the homes Kleinmann builds are fairly contemporary and modern. “These type of homes don’t undergo trends per say,” states Kleinmann, who also serves on the  Dallas Builders Association Board of Directors. Each client wants something uniquely suited to their taste with their own personal touches added, he added.

With that being said, the kitchen counter materials his clients gravitate toward tend to be more quartz than marble or granite as in the past. He’s also using engineered wood flooring due to its very competitive pricing.

This bathroom comes complete with an outdoor shower and an infinity-edge bathtub. (Photo: Bauhaus Custom Homes)

The evolution of the master bathroom is that they are becoming bigger and more luxurious. Bauhaus has two homes under construction right now that have a spa-inspired master baths. Immense in size, with features such as freestanding infinity-edge tubs, super-large showers that also function as a steam room, and attached outdoor shower, they rival any world class hotel spa. Some are equipped with a bench for sitting, and most homes are still using ceramic and porcelain for the bathroom floors.

With the extremely hot weather and drought plaguing North Texas, clients are consistently asking for homes with water conservation in mind. To accommodate this request, Kleinmann incorporates higher end low flow toilets and shower heads into the homes. People used to shy away from these fixtures, but Kleinmann says it was because they were seeing the faults of low-end items. “If you used high-end items, you can’t tell the difference and you reap the benefits still. In Germany these things have been in place for more than 20 years already.”

Bauhaus Custom Homes feature clean lines and plenty of natural light. (Photo: Bauhaus Custom Homes)

High winds and even tornados are commonplace here in North Texas, too,  and several Bauhaus clients are having storm shelters of some sort incorporated into their new home designs. Kleinmann says they can design a closet under the stair case to be a storm shelter. In one case, they’ve also built a whole storm cellar for a client.

Several of Bauhaus’ newer projects include installing generators into homes. There are actually generators tied directly into the natural gas lines coming into the home. The generators are available in different sizes and prices, ranging from one that can run the entire house should the power go out, to smaller ones that can be linked to a separate breaker and only run essentials like one ac/heating unit and the refrigerator. The units can be equipped with a detection switch so when the power fails, within 20-30 seconds the generator will kick on and the house will be back up and running.

For innovative ideas like this and more, discover the Bauhaus Custom Homes and its founder, Marc Kleinmann, at bauhaus.co.