Firethorne General Manager Wayne Meyer (center) welcomes Ravenna Homes President Stephen Najvar (left) and Vice President Kenneth Najvar (right) to the Firethorne builder team.
A brand new homebuilder in town is putting down its initial stakes in Firethorne, a 1,400-acre master-planned residential community in Katy/Fulshear. Houston-based Ravenna Homes is launching into the builder team of the top-performing master-planned community this month.
“We’ve got deep-rooted relationships with Ravenna Homes’ founders, Stephen and Kenneth Najvar, and admire the brothers’ integrity, loyalty, hard work and impressive knowledge of the home construction business,” said Firethorne General Manager Wayne Meyer. “We share the same values and are proud to have an association with Ravenna Homes from the ground up.”
The Najvars – Stephen, president, and Kenneth, vice president – have almost 20 years combined experience in homebuilding, including five years building new homes in Firethorne. Each most recently served as Perry Homes Division Presidents for six and one-half years and three and one-half years, respectively.
“The new home market is strong, and we decided it was time to leave to do our own thing,” said Stephen, who earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in aerospace engineering. After seven years designing custom interiors of jumbo airplanes (“flying homes,” as he calls them), he went back to school to earn his MBA degree at Texas A&M University Mays Business School. His ultimate goal: to start his own business.
Ravenna Homes will begin construction on its debut 3,030-square-foot, one-story brick and stone home that includes four bedrooms, three baths and a three-car garage, in the 60-foot program of Firethorne this month. The new plan, designed by an independent licensed architect, draws from the brothers’ experience and knowledge of the home building industry. Specifications include spacious 10- to 13-foot ceilings, formal living and dining rooms, an open concept kitchen as the hub of the house and a large master bedroom and bathroom with separate shower and tub. This new model home also will be built with the optional game room, media room and half-bath upstairs, adding 470 square feet.
Floor plans for the model home will be on view at the Firethorne Taste of Texas Model Home Tour May 4-10.
The brothers chose Ravenna, the town in Italy where their Texan father and Scottish mother first met, as the name of their first business venture together because it exemplifies the life-long values their parents instilled in them – honesty, integrity, good reputation, trust and loyalty.
Stephen said that being a small homebuilder affords them the opportunity to provide a more personalized approach with hands-on, in-the-field quality control. “Kenneth and I will continue to seek feedback from buyers and Realtors to build quality and value into every home constructed to ensure we build what buyers really want” he added.
Ashton Woods Homes, Coventry Homes, Highland Homes, M/I Homes, Perry Homes and Plantation Homes complete the Firethorne builder team.