Jesse Durden, founder and co-owner of Kept Classic Homes, joined the Epcon network in 2020, bringing over two decades of experience as a commercial developer. He shares his experience working with the Epcon team and what the future holds for Kept Classic Homes.
“ I mean the floor plans, people rave about the floor plans. The quality of those plans, the desirability of those plans. This is a quality build and it’s a great plan that you can’t get from another builder.”
Host: Jesse, thank you so much for taking this time to sit down and talk. I want to hear a little bit about the history of your career and your home building business. Did you come from home building?
Jesse Durden of Kept Classic Homes: Actually, my first construction job was in home building.
I was a framer in high school and through college, ended up graduating from Texas A&M with a construction science degree. [I] worked [on] big commercial projects and then came back and got an MBA after that and started my real estate and construction businesses for myself.
Host: Can you speak a little bit about your experience as a home builder and what that journey’s been like?
Jesse: So I think what’s important for people to know about Epcon and what’s really kind of been amplified as the years have gone by, is just the fact that before our home building business, I started three other businesses. And you know, I had experience in those. But starting a business was new and there’s challenges that I didn’t expect, mistakes that I made. And so when we started looking for a scalable model and what type of business that might be, we loved 55 plus and the stability of that demographic.
But what really sold me on Epcon was the fact that they’re offering me a playbook that a lot of the mistakes that I had made in those other businesses prior to I could avoid those. And being under 55, and I never think I’m the ultimate consumer, so I really didn’t know what that demographic wanted. And Epcon was able to provide that incredibly valuable information.
I mean the floor plans, people rave about the floor plans. The quality of those plans, the desirability of those plans.This is a quality build and it’s a great plan that you can’t get from another builder.
Host: Let’s talk a little bit about your first Epcon project. I know that you recently held a groundbreaking event. Can you share a little bit about the community that you’re building?
Jesse: Our community is called Lakeside at Millican Reserve. Our property is adjacent to a 42-acre clear water lake. The master development itself has over 40 miles of hiking trails, a community garden, a bunch of the natural amenities that we think will draw buyers. We had our official groundbreaking a couple months ago, February of 2025.
And you know, motors are starting up and we’re getting ready to move dirt and doing all the presale activities and marketing activities that are prescribed along with the Epcon collateral.
Host: What has your experience been like with the Epcon network and how does that compare to what you initially expected?
Jesse: I’m kind of a constant skeptic and so coming into Epcon, I read about it, we did interviews and discussions on the phone, but when I came up here and toured a community, that for me really communicated the lifestyle that was being achieved. It was more than what the facades were, more than even what the floor plans were.
So that was a super important part of me making that decision. You know, the Epcon team, the franchise team, has been a tremendous asset for us. It seems like every interaction that we have, some of our big, big questions, questions that I’ve got to answer with no experience, just represent risk.
Having those accessible professionals that have seen this over and over and over and answered this question and tried the two or three different options, having that available to us has been just phenomenal.
Host: What advice might you give to a builder who’s just starting to research Epcon, who doesn’t know too much about it? What would you tell them about the network and the experience that you’ve had?
Jesse: The experience has honestly been wonderful.
You know, as you’re investigating the Epcon franchise, explore the materials provided, talk to [the] franchising staff. But my number one recommendation would be to reach out to actual franchisees. There’s a handful of them that will really, really be happy to share information with you.
And for me, after seeing the community, you know, talking to a couple of those guys that are working in different markets around the country was what sealed the deal. And it’s been a good decision for us.
Another value that Epcon brings to the table is the experience factor. And so as I go and talk with lenders that are going to finance our projects or finance our home building operation, for me to be able to tell them about Epcon, for them to see the Epcon Communities website and all the activity that’s going on across the country is super valuable in getting them comfortable with that product and with us building that product.
In the market I’m in, that product doesn’t exist. So there’s very much an educational component for the buyer, but also for our trade partners and lenders and things of that nature.
You will buy in if you see this. And so I think it’s just that part of it has made that component of financing a lot easier for me.
To learn more about Jesse’s story, watch Growing with the Epcon Model.