According to a study by United Van Lines Annual National Movers Study, there is a high percentage of movers going to North Carolina. No surprise, given the attractive nature of the bustling city life and the lively beaches. Whether it’s the leaf-green landscape in the background, the roar of the engines from the race cars, or the appeal of the breakthrough history of the fathers of aviation, there’s plenty of reasons to consider North Carolina for a perfect vacation, or even for permanent relocation.
Within North Carolina is the Triangle region, which refers to the eight-county region named Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. Durham takes center stage in the triangle: the city’s known for having a thriving economy and a welcoming community. With the southern allure of the city, many home builders have capitalized on its healthy reputation and housing market. Many of these home builders boast exceptional customer service and reliable principles and have completed exceptional homes. Take a pick and don’t break a sweat, for Durham’s best home builders are here to make your dream home a reality.
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 Durham, check out our cost guide article.
15) Zinn Design Build
903 Hillsborough Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27516
For forty one years, Carol Ann Zinn has been working closely with her clients to design and build the home, remodel, addition of their dreams. Known for her refined sense of modern elegance, Zinn projects are marked by practical and inspiring spaces with unique timeless details. From design through construction completion, the ZDB Team is dedicated to client satisfaction.
14) Scott Daves Construction Company
305 Pond Bluff Way, Cary, NC 27513
One look at the firm’s portfolio will tell you how dedicated Scott Daves Construction Company is. The firm has been building houses for the Triangle region since 1998. The owner, Scott Daves, has gained a reputation for his hands-on approach, coupled with his years of experience in the construction industry, and his ability to grow solid relationships with his clients.
For consistent quality, Scott only builds a handful of homes each year to ensure that their time and money won’t be wasted by unfulfilled promises. Each of the firm’s featured homes is unique, showing a style that feels luxurious, yet simple. Many of the distinguished house styles the firm uses include Greek Revival, Colonial, Transitional, and Manors.
13) Riverbanks Custom Home Builder
13200 Croasdaile Dr. Suite #201, Durham, NC 27705
David Parker formed Riverbank Custom Homes back in 2005, fueled by the desire to create beautiful homes with his knowledge and understanding of the local housing market. Riverbank employs a team of professionals to serve clients with a diverse set of needs, whether it be historic restorations, renovations or custom homes. They believe that trust is the key to any successful working relationship.
For its professionalism, service, and communication, the firm was granted several honors, including Best of Historic Remodel from the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Durham, Orange, and Chatham, and Best Contractor in Durham County by Indy Week. A home from Durham exhibits graceful craftsman style with ample space in its living room walkway.
12) Hurst Home Company
6912 Holly Springs Rd., Raleigh, NC 27606
Hurst Home Company builds grand custom homes that use timeless design concepts and intricate detail. The company penchant for older styles makes it unique in North Carolina. The firm follows a process that appeals to the comfort, taste, and style of bygone generations. Its founder, Philip Hurst, has built custom homes for the Triangle area of North Carolina since 1985. Many of Hurst’s home designs were inspired by the historic architecture of European and American homes and churches.
Philip’s approach to design earned his firm numerous Parade of Homes awards in Wake County, all within the $1 Million – $2 Million range. One such home from Hurst’s collection is Jacob’s Station, a beautiful home with elegant luxury interiors and diverse room compositions.
11) Snyder-Hankins Custom Homes
8368 Six Forks Rd. Suite #202, Raleigh, NC 27615
Snyder-Hankins Custom Homes is dedicated to providing clients with beautifully crafted homes. The firm’s 20 years in the home building business earned them copious praise and recognition, including a perfect score and several Gold awards from Parade of Homes.
Snyder-Hankins Custom Homes started with Tom Hankins and Dan Snyder. The two have nearly 40 years of combined experience in the industry and are dedicated to building the finest homes with teams of trusted craftsmen and workers. The two earned business-related degrees, the former graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, while the latter has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice and a Masters Degree in Business Management. The firm’s wide variety of homes often feature elegant brick exteriors and gracious, spacious interiors.
10) Trinity Design Build
213 N Gregson St., Durham, NC 27701
Trinity Design/Build specializes in full-service residential projects, historic preservation, and eco-friendly green building. In 2016, they were awarded the highest honor for the firm’s historic preservation projects in North Carolina, the L. Vincent Lowe Jr. Business Award.
Trinity Design/Build oversees every project from start to finish, planning the development of the project thoroughly and implementing sustainable green building that uses cutting-edge innovation such as geothermal heat pumps, solar systems, and other insulation-related technologies. The firm has also been recognized with several other honors, including the 2010 Golden Leaf Sustainable Properties Award, the 2012 Neighborhood Conservation Award, and a platinum rating by Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
9) Robuck Homes
6131 Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh, NC 27609
With nearly a hundred years in the industry, Robuck Homes has built over 5,000 residences in several North Carolina cities, and offers an impressive portfolio of diverse styles all built with durable quality. Robuck Homes has been operated by four generations of Robucks.
The firm is self-funded and has built its reputation through carefully maintained goodwill and remarkable customer service. For decades, the firm has won regional awards for its homes, including several Parade of Homes Gold and Silver Awards, and recognition by Habitat for Humanity. One of the firm’s best homes is a stylish green transitional craftsman, complete with wide rooms and a polished front porch.
8) Homes by Dickerson
| 7101 Creedmoor Rd. Suite #115 Raleigh, NC 27613
Homes by Dickerson has 44 years of experience in custom home building, creating stunning designs in some of the most prestigious and centrally-located neighborhoods throughout The Triangle. In recent years, they have also added the Pinehurst and the Charleston, SC markets to their repertoire. Every home that Homes By Dickerson builds is to Energy Star standards, crafted to the National Green Building Standard, and voluntarily built to the NC HERO code to offer their clients healthy, sustainable living at an affordable cost. Homes by Dickerson has earned acclaim for its custom, high-performance homes, earning gold, silver, and bronze for several Parade of Homes projects across The Triangle.
Brant Chesson, president and CEO, leads Homes by Dickerson with his passion and vision for high-quality building. His company has earned recognition through Professional Builder and the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Lists, amongst others. The firm’s gold-winning home, The Fairfield Cottage, offers a beautiful stone mantle with lovely flooring and effective exterior design.
7) BuildSense
502 Rigsbee Ave. Suite #201, Durham, NC 27701
BuildSense is an award-winning firm that has been building for areas in North Carolina since 1982. The firm knows that delivering the best custom home requires careful planning to bring the client’s vision for the project into reality. BuildSense works with excellent designers and construction staff who ensure that clients are getting the best for the proposed budget.
The firm’s work has been recognized by numerous online publications for its home building and remodeling projects. Dezeen featured the award-winning Horseshoe Farm in December of 2017. And rightfully so, that project married a rustic farmhouse design to a contemporary home. Another featured work is BuildSense’s Historic Lawson House, which was covered by Chapel Hill News.
6) Wilson Homes
1345 Coppergate Trail, Burlington, NC 27215
When you look at the firm’s first custom home back in 2008, it’s clear the superb quality and innovative style has been consistent from the start. Wilson Homes is a custom home building firm with a father-son duo of principals with more than 25 years of industry experience. The full-service firm has built a variety of house styles, including colonial and transitional architectures that fuse cozy traditional styles with modern features.
The firm offers a 1-year warranty, promising customer support after work construction. They operate in most areas of the state of North Carolina. Wilson Homes has received a Parade of Homes GOLD award for ‘Best Overall.’ They are members of the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce and the Alamance/Caswell HBA.
5) Will Johnson Building Company
600 Market St. Suite #102, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
With over 20 years in the industry, Will Johnson Building Company has impressed clients with its impeccable work quality, building custom homes with excellent designs throughout North Carolina. The firm makes it a priority to foster healthy communication with its clients, keeping them up-to-date with the latest news on their project. They want to ensure clients that everything is going smoothly and relieve them of stress and worry.
The firm’s custom homes emphasize beauty and scale, with estates emphasizing grand elegance. The company ’s dedication to the high quality of work earned them recognition from Chapel Hills Magazine as Best Construction Builder back in 2016, along with several awards from the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham for home renovations.
4) Loyd Builders
2501 Reliance Ave., Apex, NC 27539
At a young age, Tripp Loyd learned about the industry from his father, who was a custom home builder. Years working with his dad fueled his passion for the profession. Loyd Builders proudly works on beautiful estates that stand out thanks to its masterful craftsmanship.
The firm dedicates itself to providing a smooth experience for its clients. The work done by the firm and its sophisticated designs earned them consistent recognition, including multiple Parade of Homes Gold Winner Awards and MAME awards for “Best Custom Home Design.’ Tripp himself was awarded ‘Builder of the Year” by the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham in 2017. The home they showcased in the 2018 Parade of Homes is a white traditional house with two garages, a stylized roof, and interiors with expansive room space.
3) Bold Construction
50211 Governors Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27517
From a beautiful Tuscan Villa to a grand Mediterranean Masterpiece, there’s no question that this firm’s confident artistry matches the company’s name. Bold Construction had its start in 2003, formed by owners Chris Ehrenfeld and Jason Dell, who have been friends since preschool. The two brought years of experience to the table: the former, a background in real estate, and the latter, his deep experience in electrical engineering. Bold Construction flourished.
Its reputation continued to grow years after its conception, with GC Magazine naming Bold Construction as one of its top ten general contractors in North Carolina and Triangle Business Journals ranking them #13 in its Fast 50 list, recognizing Bold Construction as one of the fastest growing private companies in the area. The firm was also featured in numerous other publications, such as Entrepreneur, Money, and Fortune magazines.
2) Bost Custom Homes
1941 Evans Rd., Cary, NC 27513
For the past 30 years, Bost Homes has been putting together an impressive repertoire of green homes and estates built across a wide swath of North Carolina. The firm is adamant about using environmentally sustainable processes and resources for its projects, committing itself to build homes with high energy savings, all while reducing the property’s carbon footprint. The firm’s experience on the matter ensures clients that despite the steps they will take for a home to be energy-efficient, the overall quality and design will not suffer.
The founder, Rex Bost, started in the business by working with his father, who was a masonry contractor. Rex would later go into the stone masonry business before discovering his passion for custom home building. He promotes the benefits of masonry framing for its efficiency in thermal massing and sound absorption.
For Bost Custom Homes’s efforts and wonderful output, the firm garnered several awards, including a Best Custom Home Builder in 2018 by Raleigh/Wake MAME, a Judy Richardson Lifetime Achievement award, 2 time recipient for Building company of the Year, and they have also won numerous Gold Awards in both Raleigh-Wake County and the Durham-Orange-Chatham county Home Builders Associations..
1) Collins Design-Build
117 Farm Gate Dr., Hillsborough, NC 27278
In the early ’90s, Chad Collins worked part-time with homebuilders, earning both experience and connections before even acquiring his general contractor’s license. Eventually, he would use that experience to establish a firm that would build homes for the cities of the Triangle region. For the past 20 years, Collins Design-Build exceeded expectations and built a solid reputation for client satisfaction. The firm’s clients are assured by the founder that they’re getting the best, with Collins personally developing processes, leading teams, and deciding what is best on every project. He employs talented workers who share his passion for quality construction.
The firm has earned recognition from the industry for its support for green building, and its excellent customer service record. Chad Collins himself received a Builder of the Year award from the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham. The firm’s featured homes sport simple, elegant designs, such as you can see here, in the firm’s 3400 square foot home ‘The Courtland 3-Car.’
How can I find a home builder near me?
Read our latest articles on the best custom home builders near Charlotte. If you don’t see your city below, just let us know – we are happy to create a tailored recommendation list just for you.
Custom home builders in Charlotte
Custom home builders in Greensboro
Custom home builders in North Carolina
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.
