Green Brick Partners, the No. 27 company on the 2025 Builder 100 list, broke ground on its first Houston-area community earlier this month.
The groundbreaking at the Riviera Pines community in Huffman, Texas, marks a strategic expansion several years in the making. It also introduces Green Brick’s subsidiary, Trophy Signature Homes, as a new builder in the second-largest new-home market in the U.S., according to Zonda’s Local Leaders data.
The first model homes at Riviera Pines are expected to open in December 2025 with the first homes in Phase 1 of the community available for sale in Spring 2026, Ryan Jerke, Austin and Houston division president for Trophy Signature Homes, tells BUILDER.
Green Brick Partners first announced plans to expand into the Houston market in late 2019, but those efforts were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company resumed expansion efforts in 2023.
During Green Brick Partners’ fourth quarter earnings call for 2023, CEO and co-founder Jim Brickman shared that the company closed on its first land acquisition in Houston in Huffman, Texas laying the groundwork for Riviera Pines.
“We believe Trophy is in an excellent position to capture the demand for entry-level and move-up homes with their value-rich products,” Brickman said during the company’s fourth quarter 2023 earnings call. “As demonstrated with Trophy’s meteoric growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area the last five years, we believe Trophy has the scalability in the Houston market as well.”
Riviera Pines consists of 920 homesites and will feature one- and two-story homes on 40-, 45-, and 50-foot lots. The community has access to the recently constructed Grand Parkway (Texas State Highway 99), which provides proximity to employment centers in the oil and gas industries, such as the Exxon corporate headquarters. Riviera Pines will offer premium amenities, including open green spaces, parks, and a resort-style pool for homeowners.
Jerke says the type of land deals Trophy Signature Homes will target in Houston moving forward will be similar in structure to Riviera Pines within “sought-after neighborhoods.”
“Our expansion strategy is deeply intertwined with our parent company, Green Brick Partners,” Jerke says. “Facilitated by Green Brick Partners’ financial strength, land acquisition, and development expertise, we can accelerate our entry into new markets and grow more rapidly as a builder by focusing on what we do best: designing and constructing homes.”
Moving forward, Jerke says Trophy Signature Homes plans to launch 10 new communities across the Dallas Fort-Worth, Austin, and Houston markets in 2025, offering homes at accessible prices for first-time home buyers.
“Our business model is centered on a ‘more is always included’ philosophy, which bundles upgrades and energy-efficient features into the base price of the home, a key differentiator that attracts value-conscious buyers,” Jerke says. “We are targeting first-time homebuyers and families by offering upscale living through community amenities at attainable prices.”
