Design Meets Reality: A Tariff-Savvy Custom Home Case Study in Austin’s Barton Hills

Talk is cheap—but budgets aren’t. In this final part of our series, we’retaking you behind the scenes of a real Rivendale Homes project in Austin’sBarton Hills, where collaboration and cost strategy turned a volatile marketinto a luxury success story.

The Project at a Glance

·       Location: Barton Hills, Austin

·       Square Footage: 4,000 sq ft

·       Target Budget: $550/sq ft ($2.2 million total)

·       Key Players: Architectural Firm, Rivendale Homes, InteriorDesigner, Structural Engineer

How It Worked The client brought in both the architect and RivendaleHomes from day one. With Rivendale serving as a building consultant, weprovided a full line-item budget, highlighting vulnerable areas due to tariffimpact.

Strategic Iterations Across three design rounds, our team:

·       Flagged tariff-sensitive materials

·       Recommended substitutions early

·       Locked in prices where possible

·       Proposed value-engineered alternatives that retained thehigh-end look and feel

The Outcome What could have been a budget-busting project became astudy in smart design and builder collaboration. The result: a beautiful,highly customized home delivered within budget, without compromising vision.

Want similar results on your next project?

Contact Ben Goudy at ben@rivendalehomestexas.com or call (512) 363-9050 to learn how we help architectsbuild smarter every day.