Interview with UDC Luxury Homes San Diego

When it comes to building luxury homes in San Diego, the competition is fierce. After all, nothing says "Southern California" like a beautifully crafted home perched on the cliffs of La Jolla or nestled in the hills of Rancho Santa Fe. Our landscape draws the elite from across the country and they rely on their contractors and builders to create their own private escape, a home as picturesque as the views surrounding it. 

When the time comes to build your palace, there is no better choice than UDC Luxury Homes. The team at UDC recognizes that each home, each person living in it, and each plot of land is completely unique.  Rather than build cookie cutter, McMansions, UDC crafts truly custom luxury homes that will remain for generations.  Each home is meticulously designed and built with the individual in mind. We sat down with Rick Schroeder and Russel Kaup, the masterminds behind UDC Luxury Homes, to gain some insight into their creative and practical process. 

Weston Brown: What inspired you to start UDC?

UDC: Coming out of the downturn in the housing market, we realized that the luxury homeowner no longer wanted to have and maintain the Mega–Mansions that became all too stereotypical during the great boom of the previous 10 years. However, this buyer still appreciated the luxury features: the 4–sided architecture and the unique designs that they have become accustomed to. But why not provide the same style and luxury in smaller square footage—hence the term "Move Down Luxury"—that we have become known for? With that we started, knowing that we would also be bringing big corporate builder processes and procedures to a small fragmented industry which would help drive down the cost of a luxury experience for all of our clients. We pride ourselves on using the best quality trades and the best prices in the industry.

What sets a UDC custom home apart?

What sets us apart from our competitors is our depth of industry experience in all aspects of the building industry. Coming from 30 years of big builder experience, we understand all the challenges of the homebuilding process, from the acquisition of the land through the customer service of the home. We have been successful at turning these skills into benefits for all of our clients. Most of our competition is usually single–sided; while here at UDC we can help you from the beginning of finding your lot, lot level financing, design and architecture, construction financing, construction and customer service. We are very flexible and invite anybody interested in building a new home to call for an appointment.

How would you describe your personal design style?

We are not really pinned down by any one style, as very few homes are ever truly representative of a particular style. We live by the motto that "form follows function." It is pretty easy to get architecturally creative, but if the space doesn’t lend itself to livability, then it’s "art." However, if you can combine form and function together, the space becomes a living environment to thrive in. Additionally, every one of our homes is designed specifically to maximize the property’s natural attributes. We never re–use architecture because in our niche no two lots or views are the same and each unique property deserves the extra attention to detail to put our stamp on it.

How would you spend a typical Sunday at home?

We each savor Sunday for family and downtime. While Rick would likely be found in the water in Cardiff or attending his kid’s sporting events, Russell would more likely be found supporting the Chargers and Padres or coaching youth sports. If found driving around town, we may be spotted sneaking into an open house or model complex just to walk floor plans for anything we may find interesting.

What does "luxury" mean to you?

The individual defines luxury. It’s personal to the taste and lifestyle that each of us live by. For us, we would define luxury by the crispness of the details, rather than the mass of the structure; the uncommon feature as opposed to the overdone kitchen. Subtle luxury seems to be more striking than the obvious overemphasized features or details. 

Site: UDC Luxury Homes San Diego