Hudson Builders was building in 2007 when the housing market collapsed. It is a point of family pride that Jason reported, “Everyone got paid – banks – subs, and while it hurt us financially, we didn’t take that burden and shift it to others.” By 2011 their spec homes and lots had sold and the company was no longer actively building. During that time Jason earned his Master’s Degree, and when he and his wife had their first child, they knew it was time to move back to Myrtle Beach to be with extended family.
Jason decided to build his own home in 2012 and that hooked him. He wanted to restart Hudson Builders and took a year to create the business plan. Since the relaunch, Hudson has doubled their production each year, “It’s a good growth trajectory; we’re really pleased,” Jason said.
Tyran Hudson, Jason’s uncle, a licensed builder and one of the founding members of Hudson Builders, is the Lead Superintendent. Jason’s grandparents handle accounting, and Jason has become the face of the company while managing sales and marketing, setting strategy and directing implementation. While his position requires a lot of office time, Jason loves working with homeowners.
Hudson Builders concentrates on custom homes and to that end Jason said, “There are a number of things that we do differently that I take great pride in.” First, “We only use #2 premium single piece studs. I don’t feel the savings is worth the risk of going to finger joint studs.” Jason continued, “Another big difference is that we do interior blocking on all walls.” This technique cuts the amount of movement in studs, which reduces wall imperfections. “We do that in all of our homes. This is something we really pride ourselves on as very few builders do this as a standard.”
A third distinction is Hudson Builders’ exclusive use of Norbord TallWall® sheathing for exterior walls. Jason views this product as structurally superior to other brands of plywood commonly used in the area. It offers a number of advantages, including structural strength, reduced waste, better installation, and gap elimination in shear walls.
The trim work in a Hudson home is a fourth distinction. Jason said, “As a standard, we trim out all of our doors, windows and openings. Cased windows are standard in every single home.” Hudson Builders has a loyal and talented group of subs who subscribe to the same standards. Jason summed up, “We won’t substitute to a lower quality product, because it puts our reputation at risk.”
Being the third-generation builder, continuity of the family business is important to Jason, who is also a licensed builder. Further, “I wholeheartedly believe in community service as a way to invest in the place you live.” Jason is the current VP of the Horry-Georgetown Home Builders Association, he is a board member at church, has served on three different boards at CCU and was recently appointed to the CCU Board of Trustees, which required approval from the SC Legislature.
Building Industry Synergy spoke with three area homeowners who selected Hudson Builders to realize their dream homes. For all of them it was their first custom home, and each home reflects different tastes and lifestyles.
Mike and Rose Marie Randazzo chose a lot in Highwood at Prince Creek. Rose Marie has a cousin who is building two lots away, and between them they interviewed 8 builders. Rose Marie said, “Jason just stood out to us.” Mike added, “I felt the honesty from him and he was upfront.” For example, the Randazzos asked about spray foam vs batt insulation. Mike continued, “Jason gave me the real reason why he thought we shouldn’t go with foam. He could have just agreed to put it in and charged us more. That’s pretty much how the whole build has been going, he’s been explaining everything.” Rose Marie also liked, “The way he spoke to us compared to other builders.” She and Mike wanted a curved staircase and Jason was happy to work with them on that. Other builders discouraged the idea. Throughout the build Rose Marie said, “Jason told us what could be done, rather than what can’t be done; always in a positive direction.” Their house is a modified Mediterranean style with an Italian-French Country aesthetic. Rose Marie said, “The house is just phenomenal; it’s such a beautiful house, it’s so elegant looking.” Mike, who is the President of the HOA, was on site every day. He noted, “A lot of people get really stressed out from builds, but it hasn’t been that stressful. It’s been a pleasant experience.”
Dale and Kathleen Sihrer opted to build a home on 2.5 acres in the Conway area. Dale said, “Our idea was central living around the courtyard so it’s inside / outside living. We figure we have at least 4 to 6 months of the year to utilize this indoor/outdoor living (a bird cage enclosure keeps bugs out).” Part of the U-shaped house plan included a room large enough for Kathleen’s post-retirement quilting business that requires a 12’ long arm machine. They found that in many communities, builders had set floor plans with no option to deviate. Dale makes leaded and beveled glass windows, four of which are in their new home, so he needed a workshop.
The Sihrers did their building-science research to find products that are energy efficient. Kathleen explained, “We asked for additional insulation value in the main part of the house. We did vinyl siding, but it’s insulated with polystyrene and it’s just phenomenal how little energy we use because of that.” The board & batten siding creates vertical lines, which also makes it easier to wash. The high R-value and high-impact value of the siding also appealed to them. Kathleen continued, “We asked for a Mitsubishi HVAC ducted system, so it’s ducted like a regular system but with Mitsubishi air handlers.” They also went with a Rheem hybrid water heater. The house has a southern exposure to the courtyard. One of Dale’s concerns was proper drainage out of the courtyard, which was addressed and has worked out well.
Kathleen said, “Jason was willing to go out of his comfort zone to put in the things we asked for, and I thought that was pretty cool. The house is beautiful, more than I dreamed. The people that he hired to do the work were amazing. He was picky about who he allowed to work on the house.”
Ken and Teressa Skipper are self-described outdoors people and had the opportunity to build their dream contemporary farmhouse in the outskirts of Georgetown County. They met Jason at the HGHBA Spring Home Show of 2019. The Skippers had started with a local house plan designer, but it didn’t work out. Teressa said, “This is our first time ever building, so we just needed some more guidance and direction. We had a feel for what we wanted and Jason was able to help us put that to reality and got us in touch with his designer. The designer said, “‘Well it must be meant to be, of all the designs I do, I just finished this exact design modifying it for another family.’” Teressa and Ken have found Jason and Tyran easy to work with. Though there is a lot to love about the house, Teressa has a special delight, “I love my pool house. It has a little cupola on top with a deer weathervane that I found in Pigeon Forge. It’s just cute as a button.” The back part was supposed to be used for storage but Teressa thinks now it’s too pretty for that. Perhaps the best testament is that the Skippers recommended Hudson Builders to Ken’s cousin, who is now building a home with Hudson Builders in Pawley’s Island.
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