San Antonio Couple Bets on Local Window Shop After $300 Energy Bill Gap
On The Building Texas Show, Justin McKenzie sits down with Gabby and Jonathan of First Choice Windows and Home Exteriors at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show to unpack why a 2,000 sq ft rental cost $400 to $500 a month while their 3,200 sq ft new build runs $150 to $200.
Bulverde, TX (Newsworthy.ai) Tuesday Nov 3, 2026 @ 8:07 AM CST
The Building Texas Show — $400 Electric Bill on 2,000 Sq Ft. He Said It's the Windows
“Just standing next to the window during the summer... if you're feeling that heat come through or if you're feeling that cold front come through, it's probably necessary to get something done.”
The latest episode of The Building Texas Show, titled "$400 Electric Bill on 2,000 Sq Ft. He Said It's the Windows," hosted by Justin McKenzie and published September 15, 2026, features Gabby and Jonathan, owners of First Choice Windows and Home Exteriors. Recorded at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show, the conversation opens with a striking household comparison: a rental under 2,000 square feet running $400 to $500 a month in electricity, versus a 3,200 square foot new build in San Antonio running $150 to $200. Jonathan's diagnosis is blunt. It's the windows.
The episode traces how a husband-and-wife team built a locally owned alternative in a city Gabby calls the home of small businesses, yet where she could not find a single locally owned window shop when she went looking. Listeners get several distinct threads:
The Building Texas Show — $400 Electric Bill on 2,000 Sq Ft. He Said It's the Windows
“Just standing next to the window during the summer... if you're feeling that heat come through or if you're feeling that cold front come through, it's probably necessary to get something done.”
- Why new builds, including million-dollar Toll Brothers homes fitted with Ply Gem, may not deliver the window quality buyers assume.
- How blower door and pressure tests expose air loss through doors and windows.
- Why the company expanded from First Choice Window Solutions into siding, sunrooms, fences, and a roofing partnership with Texas Roof Guardians.
Jonathan offers a homeowner test that requires no tools at all. "Just standing next to the window during the summer... if you're feeling that heat come through or if you're feeling that cold front come through, it's probably necessary to get something done," he tells McKenzie. Gabby describes the moment the math clicked for her after moving into their sunnier, larger new build: "That's like a $300 difference in this bill here. And he was like, it's the windows. And I was like, are you serious?" The couple also warns homeowners away from tackling installations themselves, insisting windows are not a DIY project.
The deeper conversation covers craftsmanship gaps in modern construction, the counterweight-and-rope mechanisms still hiding in 1940s, 50s, and 60s wood windows around San Antonio, and the leak calls that followed heavy rain events, including flooding in Kerrville. Jonathan, whose father has run a fence, patio cover, and concrete business for more than 30 years, explains why First Choice sells name brands like Andersen and Pella at lower prices: no 75-truck fleet, no 20 offices, and lower marketing overhead. Gabby, who left a corporate learning and development role in multifamily property management to build the back end of the company, frames the mission as keeping home improvement affordable for buyers already stretched by a 30-year mortgage.
About The Building Texas Show
The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, spotlights the entrepreneurs, tradespeople, and small business owners shaping communities across Texas. Through on-location conversations at events like the San Antonio Home and Garden Show, the show explores how local operators compete with national brands, serve homeowners, and build lasting companies. This episode is available now wherever podcasts are heard, and more information on First Choice Windows and Home Exteriors can be found at firstchoicewindowsolutions.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who are Gabby and Jonathan, and what company do they run?
- Gabby and Jonathan are a husband-and-wife team who own First Choice Windows and Home Exteriors, a locally owned business based in Bulverde and serving San Antonio. Jonathan came up through construction and window sales, while Gabby left a corporate learning and development role in multifamily property management to build the back end of the company about a year before the recording.
- What was the electric bill comparison that opens the episode?
- Gabby recounts paying $400 to $500 a month on a rental under 2,000 square feet that was shaded by mature trees. After moving into a 3,200 square foot new build in San Antonio that gets both morning and afternoon sun, the bill dropped to roughly $150 to $200. Jonathan attributed the roughly $300 gap to the windows.
- What simple test does Jonathan recommend homeowners use to check their windows?
- Jonathan tells listeners to simply stand next to the glass. If you can feel the heat in summer or a cold front in winter coming through the window, the house is failing to seal out the elements and it is probably time to consider replacement. He also mentions pressure tests and heat tests used by pros.
- Why did Gabby and Jonathan start their own window company?
- Gabby researched the San Antonio market and could not find a single locally owned and operated window business in a city she describes as the home of small businesses. She wrote a business plan, asked Jonathan about wholesale costs and markups, and pushed him to leave the burnout of large companies so they could sell name brands at lower prices.
- Why does the couple say new-build windows can be a problem?
- Jonathan and Gabby note that even million-dollar Toll Brothers homes are being fitted with Ply Gem windows, meaning buyers paying premium prices may not be getting premium glass. They recommend new-build owners run a blower door test as part of a warranty check, because craftsmanship and materials have slipped even at the higher end of the market.
- How can First Choice offer Andersen and Pella at lower prices than national competitors?
- Jonathan explains that First Choice does not carry the overhead of larger competitors, specifically citing no 75-truck fleet, no 20 offices across the state, and lower marketing costs. That leaner structure lets the veteran family business offer the same name-brand windows, doors, siding, sunrooms, and partnered roofing and foundation work at more affordable pricing for San Antonio homeowners.
- Why do Gabby and Jonathan insist windows are not a DIY project?
- Gabby says she has looked at DIY quotes on their own home and decided she would rather hire quality work than attempt it herself, and both stress that windows specifically require professional installation. Poor installation undermines energy performance, safety, and leak protection, which became a real issue for callers after heavy rain events including the Kerrville flooding.
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