...in the media
"When one grows up in southern England living in a 400 year old house, there tends to be a different mindset toward the concept of home. But that’s not to say that Nick Smith of Kensington Estates Custom Home Builders doesn’t thoroughly relish living in Westlake lifestyle in a home with two home theaters, a fabulous outdoor living area, gourmet kitchen and six bedrooms plus five full bathrooms and three and a half baths. Most of all, he enjoys sharing that lifestyle with the clients he builds for.
Nick’s interest in construction began when he was a partner in a property company that specialized in purchasing old and historic buildings in South London and renovating them.
Helping his sister launch a company that made solid pewter cabinet hardware familiarized him with the artistry and craftsmanship, as well as the manufacturing and distribution, of the building products side of the industry.
When a trade show brought him here to Texas, a path that he could have never foreseen was paved for him. At the show, he met his future wife and business partner Tatiana, from Irving. While courting Tatiana, Nick was content to stay in America where opportunity was ripe for establishing distributorships for the pewter hardware company, which by then had already grown into a thriving business. Visitors to the famed Atlantis Resort on Grand Bahama Island can witness Nick’s success at introducing the hardware to this part of the world. Throughout the resort are numerous examples of pewter details custom designed and manufactured in the family business back in England.
Its evident that Nick thoroughly enjoys the process of taking people through the homes he builds, pointing out details that truly do set Kensington Estates Custom Home Builders apart, custom iron doors, lighting fixtures and accents, plaster moldings, cast stone details and of course great attention to hardware selections. His Technology-minded customers also value Nick’s demonstration of the latest in home technology, including home automation products from Crestron and Lutron.
As he showed off an 82-inch AGA cooker with its custom made vent hood to fit, and Robco cabinets with self closing drawers extensively trimmed with Enkeboll moldings and accents, Nick explained that because he personally loves to cook gourmet food, kitchens are probably the highlight of every home he builds. He was insistent about sharing the glory for his award-winning kitchen, giving full credit to the suppliers who made his vision a reality.
Not satisfied just to use the same products that other builders are using, Nick also enjoys the pursuit in finding products that differentiate his homes. For example, he imports solid mahogany and knotty alder doors by the container from Bolivia.
A steady stream of business in Westlake has allowed Nick the luxury of literally being able to travel by golf cart from one job to another. He attributes Westlake’s popularity in great part to the draw of excellent education offered by Westlake Academy and Carroll Schools. Demand from the nearby area in Northeast Tarrant County promises to keep Kensington Estates Custom Homes Builders busy for many years to come. Also, as his son now completes his degree in England, Nick dreams that the successful business created will grow to become multi-generational and attract other members of his family to settle here in Texas."
- Beverly Smirnis, Building Savvy Magazine
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