Oakmont Homes
Where smart design meets Texas tough. Discover how we built a relational data engine that handles communities, floor plans, and live inventory with a "single source of truth" architecture, reducing operational friction for a premier homebuilder. That’s exactly what we set out to do with Oakmont Homes’ new website—except instead of tile and shiplap, we
The Data Congestion Problem: A homebuilder’s website is essentially a complex database in disguise. Oakmont was facing a "Scaling Wall":
- Data Fragmentation: Managing relationships between communities, various floor plans, and specific available homes was a manual nightmare.
- Redundancy: Updating a single floor plan meant manually hunting down and changing 17 different pages.
- User Friction: Potential buyers needed a way to filter by price, location, and square footage without feeling like they were navigating a spreadsheet.
Rhapsody Realty Services, Keith Fahey
Marketing Consulting, Creative Direction
One Dog Solutions, Ryan Waterbury
Development Consulting
http://onedog.solutions/
Rhonda Negard
Web Design, Web Development
https://fatdogcreatives.com/about
Project Scope
Complex Data Architecture & System Mapping
Custom Post Type & Relational Database Development
UX/UI Design Optimized for Mobile Conversion
Dynamic Search & Filtering Integration
Performance Tuning for High-Resolution Imagery
The Challenge
Relational Architecture: Inspired by high-performance platforms like Zillow and Redfin, we didn't just design a "gallery"—we designed a relational engine. The strategy was to create a "Single Source of Truth" for every data point. Using William Lidwell’s systems thinking, we built a backend where data lives once but appears everywhere it’s needed.
The Strategy
Relational Architecture: Inspired by high-performance platforms like Zillow and Redfin, we didn't just design a "gallery"—we designed a relational engine. The strategy was to create a "Single Source of Truth" for every data point. Using William Lidwell’s systems thinking, we built a backend where data lives once but appears everywhere it’s needed.
The Solution
Dynamic Cascade Logic: We moved away from static pages and built a custom infrastructure using Custom Post Types (CPTs) and Custom Fields. The "Barbecue" Data Model: We established a hierarchy where Floor Plans, Communities, and Homes are interconnected. If you update the price of a specific floor plan, that change "cascades" site-wide instantly. Cognitive Ease for Buyers: We implemented smart filters and eye-scanning patterns (Z and F patterns) to ensure users find their dream home in seconds. The front end feels like a "linen shirt on a hot Texas day"—light, crisp, and breathable. Operational Autonomy: We built the "Engine Room" so the Oakmont team can toggle a home’s status to "Sold" with a single click, instantly updating every gallery and community page without touching a line of code.
The Result
Built Smart From the Studs Out: The Oakmont Homes website is now a high-performing asset that respects the user's time and the founder's sanity. By eliminating technical debt and manual redundancies, we’ve provided a system that allows their team to focus on building homes rather than battling their website. It is an error-proof environment designed for the long game.