Custom Homes Showcase: Outstanding Designs in Atlanta
Brad Ballard
We’re looking forward to the rest of 2022, but before moving forward, we thought we’d reflect back on some of our favorite projects and homes from a very eventful year.
Brand Vaughan is proud to work with some of the industry’s most innovative custom homebuilders, especially here in the Atlanta area. Let’s take a look at a few of their most impressive projects — these are designs that you don’t want to miss! Loudermilk
Modern Homes + Atlanta Lifestyles
Jim Hershey, Brand Vaughan’s VP of Sales, has seen some impressive projects come through his department in the last few years. “We’ve worked with some great builders,” says Jim, “I’m immediately thinking of the work we did with Loudermilk in the area.”
Loudermilk Homes is a family-owned luxury homebuilder group, and the Atlanta-based business has worked with Brand Vaughan to source materials for a few recent projects. Jim immediately remembers the craftsmanship — and size — of Loudermilk’s custom homes.
“With COVID, there’s been a shift. It seemed like everyone was downsizing, but this year, we saw a massive increase in space,” explains Sherwin Loudermilk, founder of Loudermilk Homes.
Outdoor spaces automatically give homeowners more room to work within their designs, and Loudermilk focuses on creating homes that will meet all of a customer’s criteria. A custom home project isn’t always the most predictable or easy to plan, however.
“BVL helps meet the wants and needs of the homeowner while keeping in mind what is actually possible,” explains Jim. “Custom homes have a lot of change orders. Homeowners are building their dream home.”
That means builders today need the right materials to bring that dream to life, but the demands of the market and supply chain issues haven’t made that easy for anyone in the industry. “We try to help by constructing what can be built,” says Jim. That kind of knowledge and support has helped Loudermilk successfully build several impressive Atlanta residences.
“It means everything — how we get POs processed, getting materials when we need them and being competitively priced,” says Sherwin Loudermilk. “When you have a salesperson working with you, who also has the backing of a solid back and front office, that makes a big difference.”
Lessons in Style: Atlanta Custom Homebuilders
Some of the builders we work with at Brand Vaughan are leaders in the custom homebuilder market here in Atlanta, including Principle Builders Group. PBG customers range from young professional couples to empty-nesters, and the small but robust Atlanta firm builds eight to 10 custom houses a year.
“We work in affluent areas with some of our builders,” explains Steve Nolte, who manages Outside Sales at Brand Vaughan.
These higher-end homes often come with a higher amount of “touch” when it comes to customer service — but that’s the nature of custom homes. “We want to meet their budget,” says Steve. “Some projects might call for bamboo siding, and it costs more. So homeowners have to make hard decisions, and the projects can change on the fly, based on that.”
That kind of attention to detail and the current building climate means that many projects can take longer than expected. “Where we are today, you can increase the timeline by 20-25%,” explains Jim Hershey with BVL.
But Brand Vaughan’s customer service and consistently going the “extra-mile” have made an impression on builders and businesses like Principle Builders Group. “BVL really makes sure we are taken care of,” Tony Bondhus with PBG told Brand Vaughan. “They’ve gotten to know us as clients and treat us almost like we are cherished family members. We’ve never had another company treat us as well as BVL.”
Even with a pandemic and rollercoaster of a housing market, Jim and Steve are optimistic about the current economy and what’s going on in construction today. Jim suggests that builders stay focused on “being diligent [and] not over-extending because we’re still seeing plenty of opportunity,” he says.
Looking Ahead in Custom Homes
Reports from the National Association on Homebuilder indicate that we’ll see more shifts in the industry with many people looking to move to suburban and lower-density areas in the next few years.
“The most recent analyses of NAHB Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) showed that home building activities have shifted from higher density core areas to low-density and low-cost markets since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” writes Jing Fu for the NAHB.
We can’t predict the future of housing in the Atlanta area, but by partnering with builders like Loudermilk Homes and Principle Builders Group, we think the years ahead look brighter for the construction business.
Brand Vaughan Lumber is proud to work with some of the most innovative builders in Georgia to create some of the most stunning custom homes around. Learn more about working with us — whether you’re a remodeler, roofing contractor or custom home builder — by contacting us about your project today.