They say an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. For Doug and Bryan Hinkle, sons of longtime real estate investor and developer Gene Hinkle and, with him, owners of Hinkle Quality Homes, such is definitely the case. Says Bryan, president and CEO of the custom home company, “Growing up with a father in land development and real estate was very exciting—there was always a new deal or new project happening.”

Doug, vice president of construction and the general superintendent, agrees. “The hands-on experience gave us a good foundation for owning our own building company. We learned a lot from our dad, not the least of which was the importance of keeping your word, honesty, dedication, and hard work—the real foundation for success.”

More years ago than either Doug or Bryan would probably care to admit, the brothers spent their free time skinning their knees and dirtying their jeans scrabbling amongst the boulders and rocks behind their Albuquerque home in Four Hills.

Now the two are weaving those same boulders into the landscape of their newest model home of Desert Mountain Estates, a development just south of Interstate 40 perched beneath the twin peaks of Carnuel at the mouth of Tijeras Canyon, literally a few minutes’ drive from Albuquerque.
Expansive in size–8,293 total square feet, 5,589 of them heated—the luxurious Hinkle home enjoys a sedate Southwestern environment. The oak entry door surrounded