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Jonathan's Story
My Story
These days I can frame a wall, run the whole project, and inspect the result against code myself — and there aren't many builders in San Antonio who do all three. I didn't come up that way, though. I didn't grow up in construction at all.
My dad was in it, but I never spent much time on job sites, and honestly, I never pictured myself in the industry.
Then in 2013 I walked into an interview with Gehan Homes for an assistant superintendent job with zero experience. I didn't pretend otherwise. I told them I'd outwork anybody, figure it out as I went, and take it seriously.
That was enough to get a shot.
The guy who gave me that shot, Lee, is still a mentor and friend today.
He put me in a neighborhood under another builder named Steve, and between the two of them, they shaped how I approach this whole thing. That’s where I learned what building homes actually looks like day to day — not the polished version.
The real one.
It didn’t take long to get humbled.
My first closing was with a young couple buying their first home. They had a lot of questions, and I didn’t have most of the answers. I watched their confidence slip, and at one point they were about ready to walk away from the deal completely — and I knew it was because I couldn’t give them what they needed.
That one stuck with me.
Because this isn’t just construction.
For most people, it's one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions they will ever make. And I figured if I couldn't sit across from somebody and confidently walk them through it, I had no business being in the room.
So I went all in. I started asking the questions other supers wouldn’t bother asking. I walked frames with framing crews. I read code books on the weekends.
Whatever it took so I'd never feel underwater in front of a client again.
In 2016
I went over to PSW Real Estate to see a different side of the business. Then in 2018, I started my own framing company, and over the next several years we framed more than 1,000 homes across the greater San Antonio area. That's the thing that changed everything for me. I’d already seen the polished side. Now I was seeing what's behind every wall — and I understood how a decision you make in the first few weeks of a build ends up showing in every month after.
In 2021
I took it a step further and earned my B1 Residential Building Inspector certification through the International Code Council, for the 2021 IRC. I wanted to understand the home from every angle — not just how to build one, but how it gets judged, inspected, and signed off at every level.
That's how
I ended up being one of the few builders in San Antonio who can frame the wall, run a project, and inspect the result against code.
That’s the lens I bring to every Swan home.
One of my first Swan projects actually started as a remodel. I walked the property and told the client the truth — the house just wasn’t worth saving. So we tore it down, designed a new one from scratch, and built her something far better than the remodel ever could’ve been. The first time she walked through the finished house, she looked at me and said, “I can’t believe it. It’s perfect. I love it.”
Another client I met completely by chance, down at the Development Services office. They'd spent months trying to find a builder they could trust, had finally given up, and were there to pull their own permit. They were overwhelmed. Stuck. About ready to walk away from the whole project. So I stepped in, took it over, and got their build moving. When permits finally cleared, I could see the weight lift off their shoulders. Months later, the husband told me we hadn’t just helped build their home — we’d helped save their sanity. And their marriage.
That right there is the part of this work I care about.
Off the clock
I’m a husband and a dad first. My wife Norma and I have three kids — Roman, Isabela, and Natalie — and most of my time away from work is spent with them. Practices, birthday parties, games, all of it. And when I’m not doing that, I’m probably out grilling steaks, watching the Spurs, or catching baseball highlights.
I played college ball at St. Mary’s University, and that mindset still shows up in my work. In baseball, you’re either getting better or you’re falling behind — there’s no staying the same.
I build the same way. Every project is a chance to do a little better than the last one. Materials change, technology changes, and what worked twenty years ago doesn’t always make sense today. So when a client comes to me with an idea, or wants to try something new, I don't brush it off.
I figure out how to make it work.
When it comes down to it, that's what I'm here to do. Give people clarity when the whole thing feels overwhelming. Help them move forward when they're stuck.
And build something they’re proud to call home.