As a Van Trease, I come from a rich legacy of entrepreneurs. In many cases, it is rare for any family business to survive; it's even rarer for it to thrive across four generations. In 2025 we will celebrate 80 years of home building, doing the majority of it right here in Flower Mound.
Before landing locally, The Van Trease family business established its roots amongst the prairie grasses of Deer Park, Texas in 1945. About 25 miles east of Houston, the quiet country community became the beloved heartbeat of Frank and Stuzi Van Trease, the family’s professional pioneers.
Determined to build a structure of integrity for his young family, Frank Van Trease built his first home completely alone. From framing, to electrical and plumbing, to hand mixing concrete – Frank took care of it all.
Improving his craft, Frank upgraded his wife and sons to his first eye-catching home in
1949. It stood at a whopping 2,400 square feet with two baths, an oversized garage and an interior sunken flower garden.
In a post-WWII economy, Frank’s unique designs began to intrigue the minds and wallets of his neighbors. In 1953, he began building large custom homes and by 1965 he averaged building 10 homes a year in Deer Park and around Houston.
Inspired by his father’s handiwork and commitment to excellence, Gary Van Trease, Frank’s youngest son soon followed in his footsteps. Once a college student helping steer crowds at open houses, Gary took over the Van Trease building business.
With a family of his own and the desire to move to a location with a strong market for luxurious houses, Gary settled in North Texas in the early 1980s.
Together, he and his wife Sherra raised their family, and the bar for home building and design in Flower Mound. Pairing Sherra’s interior design business with his own architectural vision, they became a prosperous power couple.
As a result, Gary’s high end custom homes became coveted in Denton County and earned him the role as the original developer of the prestigious Tour 18 neighborhood.
Bringing on his own son Corey, the two have put over 40 years of work and exquisite houses into local subdivisions such as The Oaks of Argyle, Tour 18, Wichita Creek, Point Noble, The Peninsula, The Landing, Chateau Du Lac, Vaquero and more.
Today, Corey is the proud 3rd generation of Van Trease Construction and continues to bring the family name to new heights.
Much of his adult career has focused on glamorous homes exceeding multi-million dollar values, with details impossible to find elsewhere.
Always on the cutting edge of local real estate, Corey is now focusing on his Villas by Van Trease in the Lakeside Village community. Over the next five years he will be building fifty five mediterranean villas, priced between $2 and $3 Million. Additionally, he will embark on his own condo towers overlooking Lake Grapevine.
Bearing the Van Trease name, I consider it an honor to not only be Corey’s daughter but a part of the lineage of such hard-working and entrepreneurial men and women.
Now a real estate agent, I mark the 4th generation of Van Treases in the home business. Working alongside my mother and broker Vanessa, I look forward to celebrating the anniversaries and accomplishments of our family’s work to come.