Web Analytics
top of page

Drees Custom Homes in DFW: The Semi-Custom Builder That Lets You Change the Floor Plan — Every Community, the Customization Process, and What Makes Drees Unique (2026)

  • 1 hour ago
  • 5 min read



Drees Custom Homes in DFW: The Semi-Custom Builder That Lets You Change the Floor Plan — Every Community, the Customization Process, and What Makes Drees Unique (2026)

Updated August 2026 | By Nitin Gupta, CRS, GRI, ALHS, CLHMS | Broker Associate, Competitive Edge Realty | 480+ Transactions | 300+ New Construction Closings | $250M+ Career Volume


Every semi-custom builder in DFW lets you choose your countertops, flooring, and cabinet color. Drees Custom Homes lets you change the walls. Room additions, layout modifications, ceiling configuration changes, window placement adjustments — structural customization that Highland, Perry, and even Toll Brothers will not offer within their semi-custom framework.

If you have a specific vision for how your home should flow — a larger pantry, a repositioned study, a different ceiling treatment in the primary, an extra window in the breakfast nook — and you are not ready for the timeline, cost, and uncertainty of a fully custom build, Drees occupies a category of one in DFW: genuine structural customization at semi-custom pricing and timeline.


For Drees compared to Highland and Perry, see Highland vs Perry vs Drees. For the complete builder ranking, see Best Home Builders DFW Ranked.


Where Drees Builds in DFW

Community

City

ISD

Price Range

Lot Sizes

Fields

Frisco

Frisco ISD (A+)

$600K–$1.1M+

70', 80'

Star Trail

Prosper

Prosper ISD (A)

$650K–$1.1M+

70', 80'

Windsong Ranch

Prosper

Prosper ISD (A)

$650K–$1.1M+

70'

Phillips Creek Ranch

Frisco

Frisco ISD (A+)

$700K–$1.3M+

70'+

Select premium locations

Various

Various

$550K–$1.3M+

70'+

Drees builds in fewer communities than Highland (6–8 active vs 15+) but maintains a consistent presence in DFW's most premium Collin County communities. Every Drees community features 70-foot+ lots — the minimum lot width needed for the larger, modified floor plans that are Drees' specialty.


What Makes Drees Different: The "Design Your Drees Home" Process

Structural Customization That Other Builders Will Not Offer

Most semi-custom builders present a catalog of fixed floor plans. You select a plan and personalize the finishes. The walls, rooms, and structural elements are set.

Drees starts with a catalog plan and then asks: "What would you change?"

Modifications Drees routinely accommodates that Highland, Perry, and Toll Brothers typically will not:

  • Room additions: Add a bedroom, expand the study, create a separate exercise room

  • Wall movements: Widen the living room, extend the kitchen, reposition the pantry

  • Ceiling modifications: Add a coffered ceiling, raise the ceiling height in a specific room, change the vault configuration

  • Window changes: Add windows for natural light, reposition windows for better furniture placement or backyard views

  • Structural elements: Add built-in niches, archways, or architectural details that are structural rather than cosmetic

What this means practically: No two Drees homes in the same community look identical inside — even when they start from the same base plan. Your neighbor may have a 272-equivalent plan with a standard layout, while yours has an expanded kitchen, a converted formal dining to wine room, and a raised ceiling in the primary. The structural difference is the Drees value proposition.

The Customization Process

Step 1: Select your base plan. Drees offers 10+ base floor plans in most communities. These serve as starting points, not fixed designs.

Step 2: Meet with the Drees design team. Unlike other builders where you meet a sales rep, Drees pairs you with a design team that includes architectural capability. You discuss modifications — what you want to change, add, remove, or reconfigure.

Step 3: Drees engineers the modifications. The design team produces modified architectural plans showing your specific changes, with pricing for each modification. This step is what separates Drees from Highland or Perry — they have the in-house capability to re-engineer a plan for your preferences.

Step 4: Approve and build. Once you approve the modified plan and pricing, construction proceeds on YOUR version of the plan — not the catalog version.


Who Should Choose Drees

Buyers who have toured multiple builders and keep saying "I love this plan BUT..." If you like a floor plan's overall concept but want specific structural changes, Drees is built for you. Highland and Perry will tell you the plan is the plan. Drees will tell you the plan is a starting point.

Buyers who want custom-level input without custom-level cost and timeline. A fully custom build ($300–$800/sqft, 14–24 months) gives you total design control. Drees gives you 70–80% of that design control at $190–$240/sqft with a 10–14 month timeline. The trade-off is meaningful — and for most buyers, Drees' "semi-custom plus" approach delivers the ideal balance.

For the full custom vs semi-custom decision, see Production vs Semi-Custom vs Custom Builders. For custom home costs, see Cost to Build a Custom Home in DFW.

Buyers who value construction quality. Drees' construction quality consistently ranks in the top tier of DFW semi-custom builders. Because each home is individually engineered (rather than repeated from a template), the framing, mechanical systems, and finish work receive more individualized attention from the construction team.


What to Consider Before Buying Drees

Higher Price Per Square Foot Than Highland or Perry

Drees commands $190–$240/sqft — above Highland ($175–$225) and well above Perry ($150–$195). The customization capability is the premium. If you plan to build a standard plan without modifications, Highland delivers comparable base quality at a lower price. Drees' value emerges when you USE the customization — a standard Drees plan without modifications is an expensive Highland.

Longer Build Timeline

Structural modifications add engineering time, permitting complexity, and construction duration. A Drees build typically runs 10–14 months — vs 8–12 for Highland. If timeline is critical (lease expiring, rate lock expiration, school enrollment deadline), factor the additional 2–4 months into your planning.

Modification Pricing Requires Agent Guidance

Structural modifications are priced by Drees on a per-change basis. Some modifications are surprisingly affordable ($2K–$5K for wall repositioning). Others are surprisingly expensive ($15K–$25K for room additions requiring foundation and roof changes). Your buyer's agent should review modification pricing against the value each change adds — both to your daily living and to future resale.


Watch: DFW New Construction Home Tours

See Drees Custom Homes and other top DFW builders on the Nitin Gupta, REALTOR® YouTube Channel — full video walkthroughs of luxury new construction across Frisco, Prosper, and more.


Why Drees Buyers Choose Nitin Gupta

300+ new construction closings including Drees transactions in Fields, Star Trail, Windsong Ranch, and Phillips Creek Ranch. Understanding of Drees' modification pricing, which changes deliver resale value, and how to negotiate the total package (base + modifications + lot premium + design center) as an integrated budget rather than four separate costs. Established relationships with Drees sales teams that generate concessions the on-site rep cannot offer independently.

Call before you visit a Drees model home. One phone call registers your agent and ensures independent representation — at no cost to you.


Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Drees Custom Homes different from Highland or Perry? Drees allows structural modifications to their floor plans that Highland and Perry will not offer. Room additions, wall movements, ceiling changes, and window repositioning are part of the Drees process. Highland and Perry let you choose finishes on a fixed plan. Drees lets you change the plan itself.

How much does a Drees home cost in DFW? Drees prices range from approximately $550K to $1.3M+ depending on community, lot size, structural modifications, and design center selections. The most active price range is $650K to $1.1M in Frisco and Prosper communities. Structural modifications add $5K to $50K+ depending on scope.

Can I see Drees and Highland in the same community? Yes. Fields in Frisco and Star Trail in Prosper both have Drees and Highland model homes. Walking both builders back-to-back in the same community is the most efficient way to compare quality, floor plans, pricing, and the customization difference.





 
 
bottom of page