Architectural Digest: Excellence in Design | Orange County

THE INTENTIONAL BUILDER

By OKSANA BRINDIS | badrakart@gmail.com

May 1, 2025 at 3:38 pm

When David Hiebsch started building the luxury custom homes he’s known for, he set out to redefine the experience of constructing a dream home.

“I’d been in the construction industry for quite some time and saw so many ways we could improve the homebuilding process for our clients,” Hiebsch says. “In 2011, I founded Hiebsch Custom Homes, and we’ve been doing just that ever since. We deliver unmatched quality in the homes we build, and we do it through a process that is seamless and worry-free for the homeowner.”

Before founding the company, Hiebsch had spent years as a finish carpenter, honing those final handcrafted details—from elegant balustrades and crown molding to custom wainscoting and trims—that transform an ordinary build into an extraordinary home. It is that carpenter’s eye for fine details that explains the exacting scrutiny he brings to every element of the homes he builds—a quality that extends to the service experience he provides to his clients as well.

“We like to get in on a project as early as possible,” he explains. “From day one, we want to be working with the architect, designers, and engineers to create a transparent and accurate budget, avoiding any surprises. We’ve created an entire software-based ecosystem to make sure that the project management side of the build is as well cared for as the physical build itself.”

BUILDING WITH INTENTION

For nearly 15 years, Hiebsch Custom Homes has served as one of coastal Orange County’s most trusted and respected builders, sought-after by homeowners and architects alike for its trademark craftsmanship and exceptional customer experience. While its portfolio of stunning homes features a diversity of styles, the firm’s contemporary and modern projects stand out as some of the finest in the region.

“Maybe a bit paradoxically, the clean lines and pared back simplicity of a contemporary home are tricky to execute well,” Hiebsch says. “There’s no ornamentation to cover seams or joints—every detail has to mesh perfectly from the foundation upward. We love that challenge.”

Hiebsch and his team’s deft handling of those details as well as an intrinsic understanding of design have earned them a reputation among Southern California’s architects as the go-to company for distinctive contemporary homes necessitating an accomplished and discerning builder. From bespoke luxury renovations to extraordinary coastal estates, Hiebsch Custom Homes counts some of Orange County’s most notable homes among the properties its built. Each home is an innovative and meticulous work of art that blends form and function to meet the vision and day-to-day needs of its owners.

“Architects bring their clients to us because they trust us and appreciate the collaboration we bring to the team,” Hiebsch says. “We are always working with the architect and designer’s intent in mind. We are problem solvers at heart; throughout the process and especially in executing the minute details, we are always looking at intention. ‘How do we make this work in a way that protects the budget and preserves that intention?’”

More than the polished project management process and highly skilled tradespeople Hiebsch brings to every build, it is the collaborative ethos and intention focused mindset that Hiebsch credits with the company’s success.

“Hiebsch Custom Homes is about innovative, outside-the-box thinking from every member of our team,” he says. “Building intentionally is foundational to that approach, and we are passionate about getting it right.”