Atlanta’s custom home building market serves buyers seeking homes built to their specifications on lots they own or select, providing design freedom and personalization that production builder communities with defined floor plans and design center selections cannot match. Custom home construction in Atlanta spans the full range from semi-custom designs built from architect-drawn plans with client input on specification and material selections, to fully bespoke luxury homes where the design and building process begins with a blank site and a client brief. The Atlanta market supports over 1,800 custom home builders across the metro area at varying scales and specializations, from boutique local builders who construct a handful of homes per year with direct principal involvement, to established luxury home builders operating in the metro’s most prestigious residential communities in Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, and the lake communities of north Georgia. The city’s architectural heritage, particularly the Craftsman bungalows and Tudor revivals of the early twentieth century and the Georgian and Federal style homes in established intown neighborhoods, informs the design vocabulary of Atlanta’s custom home market and creates demand for builders with specific expertise in traditional residential architecture alongside those serving the contemporary and modern design market.
Georgia requires custom home builders to hold a state residential and general contractor license and carry general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. The Georgia New Home Warranty Act provides statutory minimum warranty protections for new construction including one year for workmanship, two years for systems, and ten years for structural defects. When selecting an Atlanta custom home builder, review their completed project portfolio for homes similar in scale, style, and complexity to your intended project, verify insurance and licensing, and check references from clients whose homes were completed in the past two to three years. Red flags include builders who cannot provide a fixed-price or transparent cost-plus contract structure, those who cannot provide a construction schedule with milestone dates, or any builder who resists providing direct contact with recent clients for reference checks.
Top Custom Home Builder Companies in Atlanta
1. Benchmark Homes
Phone: (770) 949-3006
Website: https://www.benchmarkatlanta.com
Founded: 1971
Service Area: Metro Atlanta
Services:
- Custom home construction
- Luxury home building
- New neighborhood and community development
- On-site design consultation
About: Benchmark Homes was founded in Atlanta in 1971 by Larry and Elizabeth Boggs, establishing a family-rooted building philosophy centered on constructing the highest quality homes and neighborhoods that has been sustained over more than five decades of Atlanta custom home construction. The company’s 50-plus year operating history in the Atlanta market is exceptionally rare in the custom home building industry, where most operations change ownership or cease operations within a generation, and the continuity of the Boggs family founding values reflects the institutional quality commitment that multi-decade client relationships and referral business require. Client reviews describe Benchmark’s construction quality as “unmatched compared to anything else in Metro Atlanta” and characterize the building experience as “unparalleled,” reflecting the client satisfaction standard the company has maintained across decades of custom home delivery. The combination of family founding values, 50-year longevity, and documented client satisfaction positions Benchmark among Atlanta’s most trusted custom home builders.
2. The Dernehl Company
Website: https://www.dernehlco.com
Founded: 1972
Service Area: Atlanta metro and national luxury projects
Services:
- Luxury custom home construction
- Estate and mega home construction
- Home additions
- Custom home remodeling
- Commercial construction
About: The Dernehl Company was established by Bob Dernehl in 1972 and has built its reputation over more than 50 years as one of Atlanta’s most recognized luxury custom home builders, with expertise in luxury estates, mega homes, and high-specification custom construction across the Atlanta metro and national markets. The company’s portfolio includes over 75 custom homes alongside hundreds of home additions, custom remodels, and commercial buildings, providing a depth of completed project experience that reflects sustained demand from Atlanta’s luxury residential market over multiple decades. The Dernehl Company’s specialization in luxury estates and large-scale custom construction reflects the technical complexity and organizational management that projects at this scale require, from complex structural engineering through high-specification material procurement and luxury finish installation. The 50-plus year operating history and luxury market positioning make Dernehl a relevant resource for Atlanta buyers undertaking complex custom home projects where proven track record matters most.
3. Longo Custom Builders
Website: https://www.longocustombuilders.com
Service Area: Atlanta metro area
Awards & Recognition: Two national awards at the 2024 Best in American Living Awards (BALA) by the National Association of Home Builders, including Gold award for whole home remodel; Silver award for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home (5,001-6,000 sq. ft.)
Services:
- Fully custom home design and construction
- Luxury custom home building
- Whole home remodeling
- Design-build services
- Natural site-integrated design
About: Longo Custom Builders received two national awards at the 2024 Best in American Living Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, including a Gold award for whole home remodel and a Silver award for Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home in the 5,001-to-6,000-square-foot category at Serenbe, the award-winning planned community southwest of Atlanta. The Best in American Living Awards are nationally competitive recognitions judged on design excellence, innovation, and construction quality, and receiving two awards in a single year reflects a design and construction standard validated at the national level. Longo Custom Builders’ award-winning work at Serenbe, a community known for its commitment to design quality and natural integration, reflects the design sensibility and construction precision that distinguish custom home builders capable of executing complex, site-specific architecture. The combination of national BALA recognition and Atlanta market presence positions Longo as a relevant resource for buyers seeking custom homes with distinctive design ambition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does a custom home cost to build in Atlanta?
A: Custom home construction costs in Atlanta vary significantly based on design complexity, material specifications, site conditions, and builder overhead. Basic custom home construction in Atlanta typically runs $150 to $250 per square foot for builder-grade custom construction on a standard lot with standard specifications. Mid-range custom homes with higher-specification finishes, custom millwork, and upgraded systems typically run $250 to $400 per square foot. Luxury custom homes with premium finishes, complex architecture, natural stone and custom wood detailing, and high-performance systems typically run $400 to $700 per square foot or more. Site costs including lot purchase, site clearing, foundation engineering for sloping sites, driveway, and utility connections are not included in these per-square-foot figures and can add $50,000 to $300,000 or more depending on lot characteristics. A complete, turnkey custom home project in Atlanta including land, construction, and carrying costs typically requires a minimum investment of $800,000 to $1,500,000 for a quality mid-range custom home on a desirable lot.
Q: How long does it take to build a custom home in Atlanta?
A: The custom home construction timeline in Atlanta includes a design and permitting phase and a construction phase. Design and permitting for a custom home typically takes four to twelve months depending on project complexity and the local jurisdiction’s plan review timeline, with complex projects in municipalities with longer permit queues potentially extending to a year or more. Construction once permitted typically takes ten to eighteen months for a standard custom home and eighteen to thirty months for complex luxury homes with intricate architectural and structural elements. Total project duration from initial design engagement through move-in typically runs eighteen to thirty-six months for most Atlanta custom home projects. Material lead times for custom elements including custom cabinetry, architectural hardware, specialty tile and stone, and custom windows can affect the construction schedule, and experienced Atlanta custom builders build these lead times into their project schedules to avoid construction delays.
Q: What is the difference between a custom home builder and a semi-custom builder in Atlanta?
A: A fully custom home builder builds from a blank architectural design created for the specific client and lot, with no predetermined floor plan, with client involvement in every design decision from site planning through fixture and hardware selection. A semi-custom builder typically offers a defined selection of floor plans that can be modified within constraints, with design center selections providing customization of finishes but within a predetermined structural and layout framework. Semi-custom typically produces faster construction timelines and greater cost certainty than fully custom, as the builder’s experience with the base floor plans creates construction efficiency that blank-sheet custom construction cannot achieve. For Atlanta buyers who want meaningful design input but do not require complete architectural originality, semi-custom builders who offer significant plan modification capability may provide the right balance of customization and project predictability. Fully custom construction is appropriate when site conditions, design vision, or program requirements fall outside what any existing floor plan can accommodate.
Conclusion
Atlanta’s custom home building market includes builders with decades of sustained excellence in luxury and custom residential construction, operating across the metro’s diverse custom home neighborhoods from intown Buckhead through the north Atlanta suburbs and lake communities. Benchmark Homes has built custom homes in Atlanta since 1971, maintaining over 50 years of family-rooted construction quality across the metro area with client satisfaction described as unmatched by comparable construction in the market. The Dernehl Company, established in 1972, has built over 75 luxury estates and custom homes across Atlanta and national luxury markets in its 50-plus years of high-specification custom home construction. Longo Custom Builders earned two national Best in American Living Awards from the National Association of Home Builders in 2024, validating design excellence and construction quality at the national competitive level. Contacting any of these builders for a portfolio review and initial design consultation is the recommended starting point for Atlanta custom home projects.