A San Antonio couple is challenging assumptions about new construction and energy efficiency after discovering that the windows in their 3,200-square-foot new build were the key to a $300 monthly savings compared to their smaller rental. Gabby and Jonathan, owners of First Choice Windows and Home Exteriors, shared their story on the latest episode of The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie and published September 15, 2026.
The couple’s experience is a cautionary tale for homeowners who assume that a pricier, newer home automatically comes with better components. Their rental, under 2,000 square feet, carried an electric bill of $400 to $500 per month, while their larger new build in San Antonio ran only $150 to $200. Jonathan’s diagnosis was blunt: it’s the windows. Even million-dollar new builds from builders like Toll Brothers, often fitted with Ply Gem windows, may not deliver the quality buyers expect, according to the episode. The couple also highlighted how blower door and pressure tests can expose air loss through doors and windows, giving homeowners a way to verify performance.
For Gabby, the revelation came after moving into their sunnier, larger home. “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?” she recalled. Jonathan offered a simple test that requires no tools: “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 couple also warned against DIY installations, insisting windows are not a do-it-yourself project.
The episode digs into why a locally owned window shop matters in a city Gabby calls the home of small businesses, yet where she could not find a single locally owned window company when she went looking. First Choice sells name brands like Andersen and Pella at lower prices by avoiding the overhead of a 75-truck fleet, 20 offices, and heavy marketing. The company has also expanded from First Choice Window Solutions into siding, sunrooms, fences, and a roofing partnership with Texas Roof Guardians. Jonathan, whose father has run a fence, patio cover, and concrete business for more than 30 years, brings generational trade experience, while Gabby left a corporate learning and development role in multifamily property management to build the company’s back end. Their mission, she said, is keeping home improvement affordable for buyers already stretched by a 30-year mortgage.
The conversation also touches on 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. For homeowners facing rising energy costs, the couple’s message is clear: windows are often the hidden culprit, and local expertise can make energy efficiency more accessible.
