The mountains are high, the air is clean, the people are friendly, the skiing is internationally famous, and yes, the famous potatoes make the french fries crisp. On top of all that, the cost of living is cheap. These are just some of the reasons Boise is one of the country’s fastest growing cities, and consistently ranked as one of America’s best cities to live in. It’s healthy to live in Boise, and people come here at a variety of life stages: to start a family, to go to Boise State University, and to retire. The economy is still driven by agriculture, but that economy is not limited to potatoes: tourism increasingly contributes. Just one example: a couple of hours down the road in the Sawtooth National Forest, Sun Valley’s skiing has been bringing in some of the planet’s brightest lights for decades.
So if you’re moving to Boise, and want to build a custom home, you’ll find builders that can handle a surprising range of homes, from small Craftsman-inspired residences to impressive Tudor, Victorian, and the Mediterranean influenced mansions. After looking carefully at the region’s custom home builders, and taking into consideration the variables of client reviews, media accolades, and project portfolios, we put together this list of 12 custom home builders putting up homes in a city that just might be one of America’s best-kept secrets.
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work. On the other hand, if you want to learn more about the cost of building a custom home in Boise, check out our cost guide article.
12) Syringa Construction
1782 E State St., Eagle, ID 83616
Syringa Construction extends its services throughout Boise, Eagle, Star, Meridian, and Treasure Valley, and the firm has built homes in some of the best communities in the area. Syringa offers clients the option of choosing among an extensive selection of floor plans or constructing a new custom-built home from the ground up. Over its two decades in the industry, the firm has been the recipient of several Parade of Homes Awards. The firm also brings its experience in real estate and development to all of its projects, and the results are beautiful custom homes made to fit each client’s lifestyle that also retain considerable resale value.
Syringa’s portfolio demonstrates the range of home styles they are capable of handling: bungalows, modern homes, eclectic houses, and even classic Mediterranean-themed homes. You’ll find several traditional houses as well, which highlight the firm’s woodwork and stucco finishing.
11) Seidl Home Company
1610 W Bannock St., Boise, ID 83702
Established by John and Sarah Seidl, Seidl Home Company has been constructing homes around the Treasure Valley area since 1993. Together with their team, this brother-sister tandem has built over 200 homes. And the homes have drawn attention, having received numerous Parade of Homes awards. Seidl’s work is often characterized by the details of their custom interiors: fine cabinetry, luxurious walk-in pantries, and full trim windows. The firm’s elegant woodwork can be seen across several of its favored design-styles, including Cape Cod, ranch, and contemporary. Seidl has also built several modern takes on classic farmhouses and traditional homes.
The photo below is an example of one of the firm’s custom Cape Cod homes. The firm used blues and whites to complete the classic New England look. The firm’s exquisite custom finishing can be seen in the windows and beam work.
10) Flaherty Custom Homes
Eagle, Idaho 83616
Flaherty Custom Homes is a boutique builder known for its contemporary and Mediterranean themed bungalows. Led by John Flaherty, the firm’s work is often distinguished by its wonderful curb appeal and beautiful custom interiors. The firm collaborates with some of the area’s best decorators and works only with leading providers of top-of-the-line building materials. The firm provides floor plans for clients, interior design services, and exterior and finishing work. It uses a design-build approach and provides each home it constructs comes with a one-year warranty.
The project below is the firm’s take on a classic French cottage. The firm used neutral tones and a gorgeous stucco exterior. The French window shutters are underlined through the use of earth tones, and the classic shingled-roof completes the Old European effect.
9) Clark & Co. Homes
Eagle, ID 83616
Founded in 2011, Clark & Co. Homes is known for its traditional, Cape Cod, and craftsman designed houses. Dan and Emily Clark, a marketing major and a designer, lead the firm. Dan’s career began in 2004, working for a building company where he was in charge of the construction of over a hundred residential homes throughout Treasure Valley. Eventually, he took on jobs as a consultant and a project manager for local production builders and developers. Finally, he established Clark & Co. with Emily, who came on in a role as the company’s lead designer.
Since then the firm has been recognized for its green building efforts and its exterior work with several Parade of Homes and Best in American Living awards.
8) Culpan & Company
2200 N Ballantyne Ln., Eagle, ID 83616
Culpan & Company provides service throughout Boise, Eagle, Meridian, and the whole of Treasure Valley. Those services include custom home building, interior design, and decorating services. The firm specializes in modern, contemporary, and traditional European designs. You can see a mix of these designs in the photo below, which features a strong example of the firm’s favored Spanish villa and Mediterranean styles. The firm also does historical renovations and creative special projects which you can find in its portfolio. These projects include intricate custom finishes, metalwork, trimmings, stucco finishes, personalized wood carvings, and whimsical rooftop figurines.
The firm’s process keeps each client directly involved, ensuring that their lifestyle shapes their new homes. The firm sets budget goals and strictly adheres to the plan that budget outlines. And the firm provides schematic solutions, provides preliminary costs analyses, and conducts professional surveys for improved documentation.
7) Heinz Built Homes
6261 W Founders drive Eagle, ID 83616
Heinz Built Homes specialize in the details. Whether it is a traditional, craftsman, Tuscan, or modern contemporary themed home, when the details matter, people choose Heinz Built Homes. Michael Heinz has been a designer and builder with over 4 decades of experience working on residential and small commercial structures. He assures clients that each project the firm takes on will receive the benefit of his experience. Michael, along with his son Chris, personally oversees each building process with Michael providing designs, planning and contract services with Chris managing the day to day construction site operations. Michael is a long time Professional Member of the American Institute of Building Design. He has designed and built hundreds of homes in the finest developments in the greater Treasure Valley of Idaho, Seattle area of Washington, and also Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley in Arizona, with designs in other states as well. Heinz Built Homes has completed residential projects ranging from Multi-Million dollar estates to efficient entry-level homes for first time home buyers. The firm’s work has been featured in Design Line Magazine as well as Dimensions Magazine.
A sample of the firm’s work is shown above. It shows an “empty nester” home. This is very popular once the children have moved out and you want to downsize without sacrificing the quality you have come to expect. Heinz Built Homes is known for their woodwork and their details and meeting your budget in the process.
6) Northern Construction
1250 E Iron Eagle Dr., Eagle, ID 83616
Northern Construction is proud of its in-house design center and its numerous Parade of Homes accolades. The firm’s portfolio showcases an extensive array of sprawling modern homes, French estates, lake houses, inviting colonial mansions, and Tudor-inspired homes. The firm also offers its clients custom furnishing, lighting, and accessories through its showroom in Eagle. And clients can consult with the firm’s in-house designers for any specific features that they may have in mind. The firm also offers real estate lots for potential clients seeking the best neighborhood for their dream home.
The pictured home is a fine example of the firm’s more modern, contemporary work. With this project, the firm generously emphasized straight lines through its use of large floor-to-ceiling windows. Neutral tones emphasize the stark minimalist lines.
5) Tradewinds General Contracting
9165 W State St., Garden City, ID 83714
With over three decades of experience, Tradewinds General Contracting incorporates green building practices in all of its projects. It offers both residential and commercial construction service, and it specializes in an extensive range of designs. The firm has built many bungalows, modern homes, Cape Cod themed houses and Mediterranean-inspired estates. It has been recognized as Local Builder of the Year, State Builder of the Year, and State Company of the Year on three separate occasions in addition to its long list of Parade of Homes accolades.
For the project we see here, the firm used pitched and shingled roofs, reminiscent of the classic French countryside home. There are also hints of stucco exteriors. And note the firm’s exquisite woodwork in the finer details of the windows and doors.
4) Paradigm Construction Company
1301 E State St., Eagle, ID 83616
Paradigm Construction Company was founded in 2000 by Jim Larkin and Matt Knickrehm, two friends who got their start in the industry framing houses together while they were still in high school. After earning his college degree, Larkin established one of the area’s premier framing firms. Eventually, he reconnected with Knickrehm, collaborating to create Paradigm Construction. Since then, the two have secured the firm as one of the area’s top high-end custom home builders. The firm has earned numerous Parade of Homes awards, most in the Best Overall category, and they have had the privilege of being named as the exclusive builder of some of the area’s best neighborhoods.
The firm has built a wide array of architectural styles, and the project depicted here gives you a glimpse of their penchant for Mediterranean themed homes. This gorgeous villa uses a classic, neutral white to set off the roof and windows, and its generous use of striking arched doorways are both romantic and inviting.
3) Summit Log and Timber Homes, Inc.
As its name implies, Summit Log and Timber Homes is known for its inviting log homes. The firm handles residential and commercial projects and has been recognized several times in the industry for its extravagant work. One of its grand, picturesque lodges made its way into the pages of The Wall Street Journal. You can tell you’re looking at a Summit project when you find its intricate custom carving, its millwork, its moldings, and other fine finishes. The large-diameter logs used for all of the firm’s projects are harvested directly from its own farm. The homes also often feature beautiful hearths and fireplaces, large floor-to-ceiling windows encased in exquisite logs, and extravagant archways lined with luxurious trimmings.
The firm primarily classifies its designs into seven categories: Full-scribe, Piece en Piece, Post and Beam, Hybrid, Dovetail, Hybrid Log, and Milled. The designs are differentiated based on difficulty and the way they are constructed based on its specific origins. The firm, however, has worked on several variations of these styles for clients looking for more personal touches.
2) Thompson Homes, Inc.
1970 E Handel Ct., Meridian, ID 83646
Thompson Homes is a Registered Master Builder, the firm has numerous Parade of Homes accolades, and, perhaps most importantly it has 50 years of experience guiding day-to-day operations. Throughout its years in the industry, it has been recognized for its exterior work, interior finish, and its high-performance design and engineering efforts. Thompson Homes is led by founder Jeff Thompson, a proud recipient of the 2013, 2016, and 2018 Builder of Integrity Award, which aims to recognize his excellence in customer service management and top-of-the-line construction services. Thompson oversees every construction aspect of each project and even works as the firm’s Chief Designer.
Under his leadership, the firm has become known for its fine architecture and superior quality. Its portfolio contains traditional homes, European homes, modern farmhouse homes, timeless transitional homes, and modern takes on the classic craftsman home.
1) Tresidio Homes
13999 W Wainwright Dr., #203, Boise, ID 83713
Tresidio Homes is award-winning custom home builder often hailed as one of the area’s leading premier construction firms. It is led by its two founders, Jon Hastings, and Russ Van Wagenen, who established Tresidio in 2009 during a turbulent period in the housing market. Since then the two have led the firm to numerous Parade of Homes wins, including recognition for interior and exterior work, as well as green building techniques. Hastings has also played an active role in several contractors’ associations: he served as president of the Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho, and as a chairman of the Parade of Homes Committee. Both he and Van Wagenen were also featured on Professional Builder Magazine’s annual “40 Under 40” list for their leadership of the firm.
The firm’s in-house design center allows clients to select all the materials that will go into their new homes in one easy place, with the guidance of a selection manager. Clients may also visit some of the firm’s model homes to get a better idea of the firm’s designs and craftsmanship.
How can I find a home builder near me?
Read our latest articles on the best custom home builders near Boise. If you don’t see your city below, just let us know – we are happy to create a tailored recommendation list just for you.
About Our Rankings
This list takes a range of ranking criteria into consideration, including but not limited to: work history, customer satisfaction, awards and recognition, geographic area of work, cost, building permits, and clientele. We spent over 40 hours researching local contractors before calculating the final ranking for this post. If there is additional information about your business that could affect these rankings, please fill out this form and we will take it into consideration
Get Bids For Your Build
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
