Who We Are
Bicycle Bungalows is a family owned, award winning custom home building company in Houston, TX. We work directly with customers from start to finish to execute the desired vision for their homes.
Specializing in renovation, Bicycle Bungalows has over two decades of experience with handling the spectrum of issues that can arise from working with old houses. Our background and knowledge allow us to provide a painless process in handling any potential problems.
Our goal is to bring each client’s dream to life in the custom homes we build. We believe in frequent and effective communication, honest and transparent budgeting, and we welcome creative collaboration with our customers.
Our Story
My name is Bill Riley and I am the founder of Bicycle Bungalows. My first job after graduating from the US Merchant Marine Academy had me working as an engineer on a passenger ship making 7 day cruises around the Hawaiian islands. This was before cruises became so popular and the passengers were primarily newlyweds or “nearly-deads”. I had a bicycle on the ship and most afternoons when the ship was in port, I would take long rides to see as much as possible on each island we visited. I liked looking at the different types of architecture from simple metal roof plantation houses to ultra-modern homes around Oahu. I would dream of purchasing land and building a house on Kauai.
Before that could come to fruition, I got a job working on an oil tanker owned and operated by a Houston based oil company. This was a salaried position with a work schedule of 72 days on and 72 days off. To stay busy during vacation times, I bought a two bedroom Heights bungalow which had a large garage apartment in back. I spent my free time completely remodeling both units and rented them out. It was a real learning experience to do everything myself. This was before HGTV and the internet. Ideas came from magazines and skill from trial and error.
After I earned a chief engineer license, I was maxed as far as shipboard positions go and didn’t want to make a career of going to sea. I quit sailing and committed to two summers as a volunteer wilderness guide at Young Life’s Wilderness Ranch. During the other 9 months of the year, I went to University of Texas for their MBA program. During this time, I met my wife, Cathie who was my boss at Wilderness Ranch.
Upon graduation I took a job with the same Houston based oil company working in their marine department. Cathie was 8 months pregnant when we moved to Houston. We moved into the bungalow that I had previously remodeled and spent a year looking for a project house in the Heights and surrounding areas. We looked all over the Heights, Timbergrove, Garden Oaks and smaller neighborhoods in between. We found a house on Houston Ave. but were threatened with being disowned by parents worried about their grandchild being raised in such a dangerous area (this was 1991).
At the end of a year, we had found a relatively large house on one and a half lots on Harvard. The house had been in the same family since it was built in 1902. The last resident had died and his daughter was selling it from California. The house was in original condition with no sheetrock, no HVAC, no insulation and broken windows… it was perfect! The first winter was spent huddling around space heaters with a 1 year old baby. Many Heights residents understand this situation. The first big project was to build a garage and shop. I found a truck load of rough cut cypress boards that I planed to the proper thickness then ran them through a shaper to match the profile of the old cypress siding on the house. Inside the house, there were four different styles of door and window casing and two styles of baseboards. We picked one we liked best and had shaper knives made to run their own casing. The old casing was scraped and primed. The house had 32 old windows! The upstairs windows ran floor to ceiling. I rebuilt every window and attempted to insulate around them as well.
I hired a local architect to come up with plans to expand the house with a 2 story addition. We hired a framing crew to build the addition plus the licensed trades for HVAC, plumbing and electrical. The rest of the work was done, by me, after work and on weekends. Eventually the house was 95% completed. Three children were raised in the house.
In 2000, the oil company that I worked for was purchased by another energy company that was striving to be like Enron. It was great for a few years with a lot of opportunity for advancement and professional growth. However by 2004, it was clear that the party was coming to an end. I took a severance package and worked with a few other former employees with the intention of building an oil terminal and owning and operating tankers. Fortunately this never got off the ground since it would have been swept up in the 2008 economic downturn. To have something to do while figuring out the next steps, I purchased a small bungalow in the Norhill neighborhood. I found good trade partners to do all of the actual work. The house turned out well and was sold right away. I purchased two more houses and lost money on one and made a decent return on the other. Every project was a learning experience.
People started seeing the houses that were being remodeled by Bicycle Bungalows and wanted them to do their projects. I started out doing design-build project and also picked up projects where the clients provided plans.
During this time I joined the Greater Houston Builder’s Association to take advantage of the education available through the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). I didn’t know what I didn’t know. It was a great opportunity to get to know other builders. The NAHB has a program called 20 Clubs where approximately 20 similar sized builders from around the country are grouped together and meet twice a year to go over financials, best practices and have sounding boards for ideas. Bicycle Bungalows is a part of a club that was formed in 2016.
Bicycle Bungalows currently serves as a leading custom home builder in the Greater Heights area in Houston, Texas
Testimonials
“Bill, Kathy and the Bicycle Bungalow team helped remodel our 1920s, Brooksmith Bungalow. We had a 3-1 and they helped transform our current floor plan to a 2-2, giving us a dream master bedroom, master bath and a rare master custom closest (rare for the Heights)! Bill is an effective communicator and listened to me and my wife’s functional needs for the remodel. She even requested a vanity which Bill and his carpenter didn’t hesitate to construct. The heart of the house is the kitchen and Bill didn’t disappoint, while we walked through the shell contemplating designs we were able to spitball the kitchen on the spot while giving our feedback to his professional opinions; see pics and the result of this modern farmhouse look which Bill nailed!
Moreover, in the world of contractors and broken promises, Bill is far from it, he stayed true to his word, completing our home in the agreed time he allocated. We have been so pleased with he and his teams work, that we plan to rehire Bicycle Bungalow for future additions to our home.”
“I own the first home that Bill remodeled in 2008. I love this house! He did a meticulous job on the redo — the design, layout, carpentry, paint, tile, built-ins, everything was a quality job. Everyone who sees it for the first time comments on what a nice job he did. Unfortunately, we needed more space after 9 years so the house is on the market and we have moved — I still miss the house and have some regrets about moving! Bill also backs up his work and was available for questions later; he even served as a docent when the house was on the Norhill home tour in 2014! I’ve seen some of the other homes he has worked on — all very nicely done. He is easy to work with, really takes pride in his work, and listens to any concerns that pop up. If I have another project in the future he will be the first person I call.”
“We have now lived 3 ½ years in a new construction home built by Bicycle Bungalows in the Historic District of Houston Heights. Bill Riley is such a pleasure to work with. His workmanship is top, his vision is clear, he doesn’t cut corners. He just builds a quality house. I recommend Bicycle Bungalows without hesitation.”
“We have had the pleasure of working with Bill at Bicycle Bungalows on a few remodeling projects and he is great to work with . He likes to ‘think outside the box’, just like we do! He is organized, knowledgeable, and stays on the ‘cutting edge’ of building. We have a great relationship with him when designing new spaces. Bill’s quality of work is superior and he stays on budget and on time. His job sites are neat and efficiently ran. WE thoroughly enjoy working with him and his team . Building/remodeling with Bill is as good as it gets!!! We HIGHLY recommend him. He is laid back and just a cool guy too! Remodeling is stressful, picking the right contractor is essential…let Bill be on your short list, for sure!!!”
“I bought my home from Bicycle Bungalows in late 2017. I was a first time homebuyer and a bit a nervous about the process in general. Bill and his team were fantastic to work with: professional, responsive and fair. After purchasing the home, they continued to help with minor adjustments / fixes / questions. Overall great experience working with a local company who cares about their customers.
As for the house... the workmanship is excellent. They managed to keep the look and feel of the original bungalow while incorporating high-quality built-ins, fixtures and appliances. In addition, they added over 1000 sq ft. of additional living space to the back of the house. Their design was great with large closets, bedrooms and bathrooms.
I would highly recommend Bicycle Bungalows.”
“Bill and Bicycle Bungalows are an absolute dream! We had been renovating our 1935 bungalow for years, and our last big hurdle was fixing up a poorly constructed addition and turning a laundry room into a porch. We had numerous contractors come out to take a look, and Bill was the only one comfortable with the “quirks” of an old house and the rough condition of the existing structure. And after years of dealing with shady contractors and subpar work, Bill put our minds completely at ease. He checked in frequently and came by to see how work was going, his crews were fast and extremely professional, and the results look better than anything I had imagined based on what we started with! I’ve recommended Bicycle Bungalows to MANY friends and coworkers. It’s not often you have such a positive experience working with someone!”