G.J. Gardner HomesFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $151K – $348K
- 56th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $5.4M
- 50th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 24
- 29th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 21.7x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchised units fell from 24 to 17 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $151K – $348K including a $50K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $5.4M/year (median $4.8M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 42/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Corporate IP Holdings Pty Ltd. (Australian affiliate, holds intellectual property)
- Predecessor
- offered master franchises for G
- 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
- $2.7M
- vs $3.5M 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
G.J. Gardner Homes franchisees operate as residential home builders/developers in protected territories, managing land acquisition, construction project coordination, sales, and customer relationships. Franchisees generate revenue through home sales while paying royalties based on gross sales volume.
- CEO
- Trent Gardner
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 6
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 11 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.
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
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $151K – $348K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $6K – $12K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of 4% of Gross Sales or $3,500 each month
- 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.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $5.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $4.8M
- Item 19 type
- Gross Slab Revenue
- Sample size
- 11 units
- vs category median 25 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.5M→$12.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
Revenue is 21.7x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Home Services averages
How G.J. Gardner Homes Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 24
- Opened
- 10
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 2
- 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 (yr3)
- +41.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +14.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Closed (3yr)
- 3
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- 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
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into G.J. Gardner Homes's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 2 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 42 / 100 rating
- 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Area around an Approved Location |
| 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 |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| 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
- Our office in San Antonio, TX, online, at your location, or another location we determine
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 16 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- 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
8 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 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. 10 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 risk score of 42 out of 100, 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.
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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.