G.J. Gardner Homes Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
G.J. Gardner Homes is a custom home building franchise that designs and constructs new residential homes. Franchisees run local building operations, managing design, subcontractors, permits, and client relationships.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A G.J. Gardner Homes franchise requires a total initial investment of $151K – $348K, including a $50K franchise fee. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $5.4M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $151K – $348K
- 61st pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $5.4M
- 35th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 24
- 32nd pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $151K – $348K including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $5.4M/year (median $4.8M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 75/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG10 units terminated last reporting year (41.7% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Corporate IP Holdings Pty Ltd. (Australian affiliate, holds intellectual property)
- Predecessor
- G.J. Gardner Homes (USA) PTY LTD
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Director and Chief Executive Officer
- Trent Gardner
- CEO experience
- 14 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 1114 S. St. Mary's Street, Suite 110, San Antonio, Texas 78210
- Auditor
- Ryan A. Sawyer, CPA, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.5M
- vs $2.7M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- is
- is Netdeen Pty Ltd
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Trent Gardner
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 6
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 11% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Initial Marketing Spendnot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Rentnot refundable | $10K | $55K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $20K | $50K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $10K | $30K | |
| Local Area Marketingnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Security Deposits and Other Miscellaneous Opening Expensesnot refundable | $4K | $12K | |
| Training Expensesnot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Professional Servicesnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Payrollnot refundable | $24K | $96K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months)not refundable | $6K | $12K | |
| Total initial investment | $151K | $348K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $151K – $348K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $6K – $12K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 4% of Gross Sales or $3,500 per month; excess …
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 4% of Gross Sales or $3,500 each month |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
A 5.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 337% above the home services norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$651K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
252%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one G.J. Gardner Homes unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
252%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 G.J. Gardner Homes units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
26.5%
3.24× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
3.10×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$14.0M
on $27.1M purchase
Total debt
$13.1M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $5.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $4.8M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Slab Revenue (aggregate contract amounts for units where slab was laid or slab payment received)
- Sample size
- 11 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.5M→$12.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 321 Home Services brands
Revenue is 21.7x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $5.4M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 21.7x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 5.0% — below the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 41.2% CAGR over 3 years across 24 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services averages
How G.J. Gardner Homes Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 24
- Opened
- 17
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 10
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 4
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +41.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +41.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 2
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 12.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 12.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 6 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
6
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $2.0M
- Median loan
- $287K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (4 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
High-growth but opaque home building franchise with undisclosed profitability, aggressive expansion trajectory, and minimal system size creating validation and sustainability risks.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ryan A. Sawyer, CPA, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — impossible to validate actual profitability claims against $5.4M average revenue
- 02MINORRapid unit growth of 41.2% YoY suggests either aggressive expansion or high failure rate being masked; sustainability unclear
- 03MINORHigh royalty floor of $3,500/month ($42,000 annually) creates cash flow burden regardless of sales performance
- 04MINORInitial investment range ($151K–$348K) is wide, indicating inconsistent franchise setup costs or territory-dependent pricing
- 05MEDOnly 24 units system-wide is extremely small; limited peer data for franchisee validation and franchisor financial stability concerns
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 60 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 16 hrs
- Training location
- Corporate office in San Antonio, TX, or online, or franchisee location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 16 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, franchisor approves within 30 days
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Required Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Required Software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
7 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
G.J. Gardner Homes · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a G.J. Gardner Homes franchise?
The total investment to open a G.J. Gardner Homes franchise ranges from $151K – $348K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do G.J. Gardner Homes franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the G.J. Gardner Homes FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $5.4M. The median is $4.8M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the G.J. Gardner Homes FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the G.J. Gardner Homes FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is G.J. Gardner Homes's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for G.J. Gardner Homes (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many G.J. Gardner Homes franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, G.J. Gardner Homes has 24 total units in the United States, including 24 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 17 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is G.J. Gardner Homes a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates G.J. Gardner Homes as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 75 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.