Winston-Salem’s sixty-six neighborhoods are home to over two hundred thousand North Carolinians. Its cityscape is buzzing with business districts, tourist attractions, and recreational parks.
The city’s structures blend well into an aesthetic, organic whole. Winston-Salem’s most prominent architectures are the Gregorian and Greek Revival. Many structures in the city feature exposed brick detailing and Doric or Ionic columns. Even homeowners across the town have integrated columns into their home’s design.
Building your “forever home” can be more taxing if you don’t have any experience to pull from. While you don’t have to do it alone, choosing the wrong partner for the job can be even worse. The right contractor can help you cut back costs and finish the job more efficiently. Due to poor communication, a less than reliable firm might open you up to delays that cost you more than you initially agreed to. Clients often report miscommunication as a leading cause of unmet expectations.
When it comes to remodels, additions, and new developments, your vision must always be understood by those you entrust with fulfilling it. In this article, we have listed eleven of the best-known custom home builders you’ll find in Winston-Salem. Read on to find the one that you think might line up with the ideas you have for your dream home the best.
Ricci Builders & Management
7632 Crossing Ridge Drive, Belews Creek, NC 27009
Ricci Builders & Management specializes in green building techniques. The firm offers sustainable solutions for remodels, renovations, additions, and custom buildings in the residential sector. This general contractor provides clients in Winston-Salem and its surrounding areas with a full-service suite.
Ricci Builders & Management is associated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and its Green Building Program. The NAHB’s environmental program analyzes local and national compliance with various green building initiatives.
Ricci Builders & Management is among the prestigious firms certified with Green Certificates from NAHB’s National Green Building Standard (NGBS). The firm surpasses industry-leading standards in crafting energy-efficient homes by extending its sustainable initiatives into each step of development. Decreasing material waste by reintegrating it into other projects’ components increases cost-effectivity. Clients have often praised this cost-effective approach.
The Craftsman lakehouse perfectly highlights the firm’s environmental inclinations. Its versatile window installations around the lodge’s façade bring in an abundance of natural light to the interior. Large exposed brick and stones envelope the home seamlessly integrate the structure into its natural environment.
D. Stone Builders
2904 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro, NC
A family of custom-home-builders and land developers for single-family homes across Winston-Salem and the Piedmont Triad, D. Stone Builders has been working out of Greensboro since 1982.
D. Stone Builders provides clients with supervisors who ensure the materials and the labor meet the highest standards. The firm’s high-end standards are implemented on each development with strict quality-control protocols led by warranty ensurers. Its standards for quality are transparently accounted for, with all costs available for clients to see. During pre-construction, the firm’s protocols involve reviewing all costs with clients before deploying materials and laborers on-site. Clients may contest certain charges and join the firm’s team in re-evaluating the project to find where costs can be cut without prolonging its schedule or compromising its overall quality.
The firm’s core principles are attributed to Dwight Stone, the founder, who above all prioritizes quality, honesty, and transparency. He believes these elements are critical aspects in partnering with professionals who associate with the firm’s developments, such as subcontractors, suppliers, and developers. His leadership brings together a team of builders whose teamwork delivers clients the home of their dreams.
D. Stone Builders’ work on the edifice above is an archetype of a Gregorian Revival. It features radius windows and straight Mansard roofing. Lavish white Jerusalem stone walls a sense of timelessness by combining traditional Gregorian archetypes with more contemporary themes.
Sonoma Building Company
6220 Shallowford Road, Lewisville, NC 27023
The Sonoma Building Company takes a streamlined approach in providing clients across the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina with innovative and cost-effective solutions to custom-home-building and remodeling.
Preceding typical pre-construction services most contractors provide, the company helps clients find viable options in renowned neighborhoods where they can custom-build their homes. Consulting with the firm includes seeking available land options that suit your vision the best. Finding the right site for your custom home helps reduce expenses before construction even starts.
Rick Tozier, the president and founder, graduated with a bachelor’s in Economic Development and Business Administration. Rick’s multiple degrees and fourteen years of experience in manufacturing and corporate America guide clients on each project.
Catherine Spross, one of the firm’s lead project managers, uses her associate’s degree in Business to procure project materials and labor at more affordable prices. She guarantees quality, precision, and efficiency.
Walraven Signature Homes
6629 Linville Ridge Drive, Oakridge, NC 27310
The family-owned full-service contractor, Walraven Signature Homes, has provided clients around the Piedmont Triad with custom-built homes since 2009. The firm’s efficient and flexible five-phase process helps clients turn their vision into a reality.
Walraven’s Signature Homes takes an average of thirty weeks to go through its process—to visualize, design, finalize pre-construction, complete peri-construction, and attend to post-construction. The firm’s timeframe is an above-average estimate typically given by contractors who don’t include unforeseen delays in project estimations. In prioritizing client satisfaction, the firm puts honesty and transparency at the forefront of all its operations.
Matt and Danielle Walraven, founders, prioritize their client’s experiences. In meeting quality standards, the couple builds an open line of communications with clients and associated vendors, helping fortify their status within their community. Danielle graduated cum laude from Aurora University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She manages the firm’s finances and remains proactive in coordinating selections for developments.
The elevation through simple additions of top-quality materials matched with the firm’s luxurious designs is most evident in the firm’s work pictured above. Its walls are embraced by stone aggregate and adorned with double-hung windows framed by composite wooden shutters.
Lael Homes
2665 Lewisville Clemmons Road, Clemmons, NC 27012
Lael Homes is a firm in Clemmons serving the surrounding area, including Winston-Salem, and led by experts in build and design. Andrew and Kelly Lael, a husband and wife team, bring their expertise together in delivering clients with custom-built homes featuring modern revival archetypes.
Kelly’s extensive experience in interior design helps the firm’s designs remain contemporary, and the firm provides clients with a “see it before it’s done” technology. To better cater to the client and their needs, Kelly acts as a liaison for the firm and makes communication and coordination her strongest priority. Kelly uses specific proprietary programs to allow clients more insight into the development in-process to coordinate and work out any concerns.
Lael Homes’ level of communication extends to all its associates. The firm combines outsourced vendors and builders with its in-house team to provide clients with a streamlined approach to its single-sourced contract.
Custom Homes by Hamrick
5723 Country Club Road, Winston Salem, NC 27104
A custom-home builder affiliated with Energy Star, Custom Homes by Hamrick provides clients across Forsyth County with environmentally efficient custom homes featuring high-end designs. Its affiliations with the U.S. Energy Protection Agency combined with an in-house team of eco-friendly experts have gained Energy Star’s highest possible five-star rating.
Custom Homes by Hamrick believes customizing a house means building a home that provides homeowners with better living conditions. In addition to custom designs, homes are built to protect against outside pollutants and contrasting temperatures. By designing a home that seals its internal atmosphere, energy consumption is easier to manage.
Don Hamrick, the founder, personally ensures clients their homes will feature energy-efficient installations and thus render them more sustainable. Don’s claims are backed by the company’s affiliations with well-known organizations in the green building industry. Custom Homes by Hamrick is a certified Energy Star Partner, a member of the Triad Green Building Council, and a member of the Piedmont Environmental Alliance.
Custom Homes by Hamrick are often designed with large operating windows to maximize solar performance. The abundance of natural light and heat drawn in help minimize the need for artificial lighting and heating.
Mitchco Custom Builders
111 S Marshall Street, Suite 172, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Mitchco Custom Builders has provided clients all over the Piedmont Triad with different customizations since 1979. On top of custom-building residential homes, the firm offers custom-fitting services for offices and other commercial spaces.
Geoff Mitchell, the CEO, conducts the firm’s operations on the values Les Mitchell built them on forty-three years ago. Les believes there would be no project to develop without the clients, and acting on this belief, Mitchco Custom Builders prioritizes client correspondence and experience above all. The firm’s dedication to clients requires greater attention to detail and does not take on an overwhelming number of projects at one time. By focusing on a limited number of projects and managing their workload conservatively, its in-house experts complete each development more efficiently.
The team at Mitchco Custom Builders is comprised of managers and supervisors. Greg Williams, a favorite among clients, has over thirty-five years of construction management experience. Greg specializes in project management and works closely with clients to clarify or modify plans or remedy concerns.
The firm’s troubleshooting techniques matched with its responsiveness allow its repeat client percentage to read higher than average. The firm’s body of work is equally impressive, featuring striking symmetry rooted in the motifs of Colonial architecture.
Kelly Harkey Custom Homes
111 Griffith Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
Kelly Harkey Custom Homes is a custom home builder and recipient of many Winston-Salem Parade of Homes awards. The firm provides the city and surrounding areas with various construction and renovation services.
Kelly Harkey founded the firm in 1975 to carry out developments that produce enduring craftsmanship. The firm’s in-house experts and long-time trade associates formulate cost-effective solutions to deliver clients with top-quality customizations. Kelly is involved in consultations with clients to help draw up their vision and fine-tune components that aid in each project’s efficiency.
Kelly Harkey Custom Homes has extensive experience in the Romanesque architecture used across the U.S. since the mid-19th century. Its designs use various aggregates to construct homes with a timeless, unadorned Prairie motif. The firm’s signature method of elevating a classical composition with impeccable craftsmanship provides clients with designs that stay true to America’s heritage.
Atlantic Builders
959 N Peace Haven Road, Suite 134, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
A custom-home builder out of Winston-Salem and serving clients across the Triad is the Atlantic Builders. The firm specializes in customizations and additions to existing spaces and new construction.
The Atlantic Builders professionals cultivate passion and precision as operative factors in all of its collaborations. The firm’s commitment to providing homes with only top-quality materials and performance calls for deploying extensive vetting techniques. The Atlantic Builders conducts background checks before onboarding team members and finding trade expert partners to ensure clients get dedicated professionals working on their developments.
The Atlantic Builders’ design team procures all the relevant data to produce comprehensive imagery of projects. Its team includes design experts who document every aspect of a client’s vision and relate it to the site’s current configurations. These 3D visualizations, with pricing tier options, help clients see their projects in person before construction. As development moves on to the building process, clients are granted unlimited access to each phase through the personal account manager designated to them by the firm.
Above is an example of the firm’s customization abilities. With a project site on uneven ground, Atlantic Builders used its associations to conduct all pre-construction requirements. The mid-century custom home’s floorplan was laid out as closely as possible to the client’s vision without sacrificing the structural integrity afforded by the site.
