Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1468549
R ound Top is undergoing an unprecedented real estate boom. Texas Monthly has dubbed it "the Aspen of Texas" for the way well-heeled Texans are snapping up land and houses there and in surrounding Fayette County — and it shows no signs of slowing. Urban dwellers from Houston, Austin, and Dallas who want to build a second or third home near Round Top are finding plenty of headache-inducing delays in new home construction, with builders backed up a year or two before they can start on new projects. That's where Boxprefab and Starred Sky Development come in. Boxprefab, an off-site construction company founded by Houston architects Rame and Russell Hruska, designs and UNDER THE STARRY SKY ROUND TOP IS BOOMING, AND WITH IT COMES PLENTY OF HOME-BUILDING DELAYS. TWO COMPANIES JOIN FORCES, PROMISING FASTER CONSTRUCTION AND GREAT DESIGN. BY REBECCA SHERMAN Duo Visa Boxprefab's split-unit Aria model with a main house and guest suite builds elegant, clean-lined prefabricated houses in a fraction of the time it takes to build a house by traditional methods — just three to six months. Boxprefab is an offshoot of the Hruskas' 21-year- old award-winning Houston firm, Intexure, and is the result of decades of research into better ways to build. Their prefab houses are built to code in a controlled environment, without exposure to water and weather elements, and without many of the labor shortages that can plague traditional construction companies. Sections are produced off- site using top-quality building materials and techniques, then assembled on- site. "The process is half the time of conventional construction, a lot more reliable, and produces almost no waste," Russell says. "But beyond supply and demand issues, if you want cleaner lines and a little more sophistication, we're a good choice." The Hruskas have teamed with Round Top-based Starred Sky Development, founded by Jim Kastleman, real estate veteran and co-chairman and president of PaperCity and Round Top to develop homes in the countryside. Starred Sky, the exclusive developer of Boxprefab in Round Top and the surrounding areas, has already developed 30 acres between Round Top and La Grange. One house and another lot, with a build-to-suit home, have already been sold. Starred Sky is about to develop a 135-acre tract halfway between Round Top and Brenham and has also generated significant interest among those who have bought land with no house. For more information, visit starredskydevelopment.com. 26