For Sudhoff Companies founder Jacob Sudhoff and brand manager Neal Hamil, it seemed only fitting that they announce the launch of the high-end Hampton Lane Collection of homes at a swank gathering over caviar and champagne in the wine cellar of River Oaks Country Club.

The new concept in pre-designed luxury homes, unlike the proliferation of McMansions across the city, combines architectural precision with the concept of ultimate luxury. "The idea is to change the landscape of speculative building in Houston in pre-designed mansions," Hamil said. "It's never been done on this scale."

Hampton Lane Collection founders represent some of the city's oldest and most established families, who wish to remain behind the scenes. The home builder selected Sudhoff Companies, founded in 2010, to be the face of the effort and to partner in the projects that are being designed by Mirador Group architects.

"We are literally designing these homes to a level that has not been seen before for pre-designed homes in Houston," Sudhoff said. "It's going to raise the bar for River Oaks and Tanglewood."

To date, the partnership has acquired 11 large lots spread across those two elegant neighborhoods with two of the homes nearing completion. To give prospective buyers a realistic look at properties in the works, the team brought in Tim Bogza to create remarkable 3-D images of the homes and a 3-D video that walks you through the mansions. Each house is virtually furnished with actual products that will be available for purchase.

Averaging 10,000 square feet, the houses are priced between $4 million and $7 million. Hamil says they are looking for 10 additional lots for the Hampton Lane Collection, which will eventually include homes priced as high as $9 million.

Noting the attention to detail and extras such as basements featuring in-home movie theaters and wine cellars Sudhoff notes, "I truly believe that when buyers see this in comparison to what is currently on the market, it's going to reset expectations."