On July 19th, 1902, Johannes Riedel, a 16 year- old German immigrant stepped off the SS Zeeland onto Ellis Island, New York. He eventually settled in Wichita, Kansas where he became a successful master plumber and established one of the largest plumbing businesses in the Midwest.

After his passing, his oldest son, Robert, moved to southern Kansas where he met his wife, Gail, and established a productive cattle and wheat farming enterprise and where together they raised their four sons. In 1969, the Robert Riedel Family migrated from Kansas and eventually settled in the Texas Hill Country on a ranch near Spring Branch. The ranch was named the Flying R, which had been the family cattle brand since the early part of the century. Robert Riedel, Sr. knew that his four sons needed to learn a trade other than farming, so he employed a master craftsman from Finland, Atte Oranen, to teach and mentor the necessary skills and craftsmanship to build fine quality homes.

The sons’ first home was built for their parents in 1976 on the Flying R Ranch. The home sits high upon a hill in the middle of the ranch and is still visible from Hwy. 281. The second eldest son, Gil Riedel, continued training at the side of his mentor for several years and became a master craftsman in his own right. Gil and his wife, Vicki, home schooled their 5 children who all participated in the building of their family home located near the Flying R Ranch. Gil likes to share that the project was part of the children’s educational curriculum.

The moral values instilled during the early years on the Kansas farm, along with the skills and respect for quality craftsmanship mentored by the master craftsmen, are reflected in our homes and the conduct of our building team. For 30 years now, Riedel Custom Homes has continued to build distinctive custom homes in the Texas Hill Country.