A large part of the home-building journey happens long before construction begins. The process can differ depending on whether you’re creating a fully custom home or selecting a semi-custom plan. No matter your choice, We delivers the same unwavering commitment to detail, quality, and craftsmanship.
You can find a general overview of our approach on the Our Process page—but if you’re looking for a deeper understanding of each step, you’re in the right place. Read on to explore the details behind building your dream home.
1: Start With The Location
Location is the one aspect of your home that can’t be changed, which makes choosing the right site essential. Certain home styles naturally fit specific terrains, and we provide expert guidance to help you make the most of your land—whether you’ve already purchased a lot or are still exploring options. Our team can recommend home designs that complement your property, helping you manage development costs while optimizing the site’s natural contours, views, and light.
Envisioning what’s possible on your land is a vital first step in the home-building process. We’re always glad to meet you on-site to share ideas, explore opportunities, and offer professional recommendations to bring your vision to life.
2: Create Or Select Your Architectural Home Plans
Custom Home
Our Builders has intentionally chosen not to operate as an in-house design builder. North Carolina are home to an abundance of talented architects, and rather than limiting our clients to a single architect or designer, we give you the freedom to select professionals who best understand your design vision and preferences. This allows us to focus on what we do best: crafting homes of exceptional quality with meticulous attention to detail.
The design phase naturally adds time to the overall home-building process. Collaborating with an architect to develop custom plans can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months—or longer—depending on the project’s complexity and the architect’s schedule. Once the architectural plans are finalized, additional layers such as electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and engineering systems must be developed and approved. While this process requires patience, building a custom home is a rewarding personal and financial investment that is always worth the wait.
If you’re unsure how to select an architect, start by exploring our trusted architectural partners, all of whom meet our exacting standards of quality. You can also browse our custom homes gallery to see examples of projects we’ve completed with our partners. Each featured home includes a photo gallery along with details on the architect, community, and home style, providing inspiration for your own dream home.
Semi-Custom Home
For some homeowners, the timeline of a fully custom-designed home may feel too long, or starting from scratch can seem overwhelming—but they still dream of a home. For these situations, we offer established semi-custom home plans created by a select group of trusted architectural partners.
With the semi-custom process, the plans are already complete, but you retain full control over all finishes. Before construction begins, you can also make minor adjustments—such as modifying window sizes or placements, or rearranging bathroom fixtures or kitchen cabinetry. As long as major structural changes aren’t required, this approach helps streamline the process and brings you closer to breaking ground more quickly.
3: We Creates A Preliminary Budget
The preliminary budgeting process runs alongside the development of your architectural plans, as it is based on these initial designs. A more detailed and precise estimate will be provided later in the building process.
4: Sign A Letter Of Intent
The Letter of Intent (LOI) is a non-binding agreement that authorizes our builders to perform specific pre-construction tasks. In simpler terms, it confirms that we will handle certain necessary steps before construction begins. Signing the LOI does not obligate the client to enter into a building contract, but it does agree to cover the costs associated with the pre-construction work performed.
What happens before building starts? we provides a pre-construction checklist outlining all items that must be addressed prior to breaking ground. Homeowners can choose to handle these tasks themselves or have we take care of them. The responsibilities are agreed upon collaboratively and clearly outlined in the LOI, ensuring everyone is aligned before construction begins.
The LOI allows our builders to proceed with essential pre-construction tasks, including:
- Homeowner’s Association submittals
- Site walk with the Homeowner’s Association (if required)
- Coordination of sewer tap placement
- Coordination of water meter installation
- Well and/or septic permits
- Steep slope or protected ridge overlay approvals
- County and city permits
- Development fees
- Signage installation
5: Cost Estimates
Custom Home
Once your architectural plans are finalized, the estimating process begins. For a custom home, this typically takes four to five weeks and provides both a detailed cost breakdown and a realistic project timeline. Our Builders employs a negotiated bidding process, allowing us to partner with high-quality, trusted tradespeople while ensuring homeowners receive the best value for their investment.
Before proceeding, we encourage clients to share any questions or concerns about the estimate so that we can address them collaboratively and ensure clarity before moving forward.
Semi-Custom Home
We keep the estimated costs for our semi-custom home plans up to date with current market prices, which significantly shortens the time needed to produce a final estimate. Your selected custom finishes and other allowances are included in this estimate. However, any choices outside the established parameters may adjust the estimate and extend the timeline. That’s perfectly fine—after all, this is your home—but it’s important to keep in mind if timing is a priority.
6: Sign The Final Contract
For the final contract, we utilizes the reputable AIA Contract, a widely recognized standard in the construction industry.
Once the contract is finalized, we assign a dedicated project manager who will be your primary point of contact throughout the build. At this stage, we also establish a firm construction schedule and set your anticipated completion date—this is when you can start counting down the days until move-in!
7: Breaking Ground – The Building Process
After all the preparation, it’s finally time to start building your home! We take meticulous care to ensure every detail aligns with your needs. Are you an art collector? We’ll add extra wall blocking where you plan to display your pieces. Planning a home office? Custom built-ins crafted to the highest standards will be both functional and beautiful. This is a perfect example of how clear communication before construction leads to impressive results—we want your home to reflect your lifestyle, routines, and personal tastes.
Your dedicated project manager (PM) will be your main point of contact throughout the build. They will know every detail of your home, including plans, specifications, timeline, and budget. Your PM manages the hiring of top subcontractors from our trusted network, oversees the schedule, and provides daily updates on construction progress. They will also coordinate your custom selections to keep the project moving on schedule.
Additionally, our founder frequently visits your home during construction to ensure every aspect meets his exacting standards for quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.
Communication
Many of our clients find the home-building process genuinely enjoyable, and we attribute this largely to our commitment to clear communication. To keep your project on schedule and keep you informed, you’ll receive weekly reports and progress photos. We also provide selection timelines so you know when to make those important decisions on final products, colors, and materials that will shape your home.
We strive to keep you intimately familiar with every aspect of your new home. One way we do this is by capturing aerial drone footage before insulated walls are installed, giving you a lasting record of what lies behind the walls for years to come.
8: Completion
As construction nears completion, there are numerous details to finalize. To ensure nothing is overlooked, your project manager follows a thorough close-out checklist. Once the tradespeople finish their work, our team completes a punch list of any remaining items. Multiple walk-throughs are conducted before handing over the keys—first with our founder, then with the architectural team, and finally with you, the homeowner.
Every our home includes a comprehensive home warranty. We build to last, and our warranty reflects that commitment. Beyond the standard one-year coverage, we offer our Home Care program, designed to ensure our clients remain completely satisfied with their home.
Upon completion, you’ll receive a home warranty, the subcontractors involved, and all manuals and warranties for appliances, fixtures, and mechanical systems included in your home.
Finally—move-in day! After a long and carefully guided process, you are now the proud owner of a our home.
9: Protect Your Investment with Home Care
Once you join the our family, we want to ensure your home—and you—are well cared for. While a our home is built to last, even the best construction can experience wear and tear over time. That’s why many of our homeowners choose to enroll in our Home Care Program.
Our Home Care Technicians conduct thorough inspections using a 200+ point checklist, covering every room, the exterior, and any additional structures such as pools or fountains. From checking light bulbs and appliance function to identifying potential leaks, we work with you to tailor Home Care to your specific needs. Each home and homeowner is unique, so schedules can be customized monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.
Whether you prefer hands-on maintenance or spend long stretches away from home, Home Care provides peace of mind while extending the longevity of your home.
Building a home is an exciting journey filled with decisions and anticipation. Our goal is to make the process smooth, enjoyable, and rewarding. In the end, we hope you join the many satisfied homeowners who proudly live in their own work of art.