Atlanta’s new home construction market is one of the largest and most active in the United States, with metro Atlanta consistently ranking among the top markets nationally for new home permits and closings driven by sustained population growth, strong in-migration from higher-cost metros, and the region’s relative land availability across the northern, southern, and eastern suburban expansion zones. The market supports over 300 active home builders offering more than 9,000 new homes across 1,000-plus communities at any given time, ranging from entry-level attached townhomes and condominiums priced below $300,000 to premium single-family homes in the $800,000 to $1,500,000 range in the northern suburbs. Atlanta’s production home builders cluster their community development activity in Gwinnett, Cherokee, Forsyth, Henry, Paulding, and Hall counties, where available land, extending road infrastructure, and active commercial development make suburban community development economically viable. The market’s competitive intensity has driven continuous product and design evolution, with current Atlanta production builders offering open floor plans, design center customization options, smart home technology integration, and energy-efficient construction as standard product features in communities across all price segments.
Georgia requires home builders to hold a state residential and general contractor license for new home construction and to carry general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. New construction homes in Georgia are subject to the Georgia New Home Warranty Act, which provides statutory minimum warranty protections covering workmanship, systems, and structural components for one, two, and ten year periods respectively. When purchasing a new home from an Atlanta builder, review the builder’s warranty terms carefully against the Georgia statutory minimums, ask about the builder’s customer service process for warranty claims during the coverage period, and research buyer reviews on platforms including TrustBuilder and Google to assess actual owner satisfaction with both construction quality and post-closing service. Red flags include builders who cannot provide clear information about their warranty claim process, those with consistent negative reviews about post-closing service responsiveness, or any builder whose sales contract contains unusual waivers of consumer protections.
Top Home Builder Companies in Atlanta
1. Chafin Communities
Website: https://www.chafincommunities.com
Founded: 1997
Service Area: Metro Atlanta
Awards & Recognition: 100-plus OBIE Awards from the Sales and Marketing Council of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association; top 10 most trusted new home builder in Metro Atlanta
Services:
- New single-family home construction
- New townhome construction
- Planned community development
- Design center customization
- Warranty and after-closing service
About: Chafin Communities has built over 7,000 homes across Georgia since its founding in 1997, accumulating more than 100 OBIE Awards from the Sales and Marketing Council of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, the highest industry recognition given annually to Atlanta home builders for quality construction, design innovation, and industry achievement. The company’s top 10 ranking among most trusted new home builders in metro Atlanta reflects sustained buyer satisfaction across decades of community development and home construction throughout the metro area. Chafin Communities’ 25-plus year operating history in the Atlanta market provides the community development expertise, subcontractor relationships, and permitting knowledge that new home quality and schedule performance require. The OBIE award volume — more than 100 recognitions — represents a consistent quality recognition that spans multiple building cycles and housing market conditions.
2. Ashton Woods Homes
Website: https://www.ashtonwoods.com
Founded: 1989
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
Service Area: Atlanta metro and multiple national markets
Awards & Recognition: 2023 Builder of the Year, BUILDER magazine
Services:
- New single-family home construction
- Design-forward community development
- Design studio customization
- Multiple floor plan options
- Energy-efficient construction
About: Ashton Woods Homes was founded in 1989 in Atlanta and has grown into a national home builder operating in Atlanta, Austin, Charleston, Dallas, Houston, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, and San Antonio, with its headquarters remaining in Atlanta. The company received the 2023 Builder of the Year designation from BUILDER magazine, the industry’s most prominent trade publication, a national recognition that reflects both construction quality and the overall performance of the home building operation across multiple markets. Ashton Woods’ design-forward positioning distinguishes it from production builders who prioritize volume and price efficiency, providing buyers with more distinctive architectural character and interior design options than standard production construction typically offers. The Atlanta-headquartered operation provides the local market knowledge and subcontractor depth that consistent construction quality in the metro’s diverse development environments requires.
3. Brock Built
Website: https://www.brockbuilt.com
Founded: 1984
Service Area: Greater Atlanta area
Services:
- New single-family home construction
- Craftsman, Traditional, Modern, and Custom-built styles
- Energy-efficient home construction
- Award-winning floor plans
- Intown and suburban community development
About: Brock Built has operated as a premier Atlanta home builder since 1984, building over 40 years of Greater Atlanta home construction experience as a locally rooted company focused on the metro area rather than national expansion. The company’s multi-decade Atlanta focus has produced deep subcontractor relationships, permitting expertise, and community development knowledge across the metro’s diverse development environments, from intown infill sites to suburban master-planned communities. Brock Built’s offer of Craftsman, Traditional, Modern, and Custom-built architectural styles reflects design range uncommon among production builders, providing buyers with meaningful architectural character options in addition to floor plan selection. The company’s energy-efficient construction emphasis aligns with the increasing buyer attention to operating cost and environmental performance that characterizes the current Atlanta new home market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does a new home cost to build or buy in Atlanta?
A: New production home prices in the Atlanta metro area currently range from approximately $300,000 to $600,000 for standard single-family homes in suburban communities, with townhome and attached product starting below $300,000 in many markets and premium single-family homes in north Atlanta communities ranging from $600,000 to over $1,500,000. Entry-level communities in the more distant suburbs of Henry, Paulding, and Hall counties typically offer the lowest base prices, while Cherokee, Forsyth, and East Cobb communities command premiums reflecting school district quality and proximity to employment centers. Base prices typically do not include lot premiums for premium lots, design center upgrades from standard finishes, or add-on features like finished basements, which can collectively add 15 to 30 percent to a home’s base price. New construction pricing has risen significantly since 2020 due to material cost increases, labor availability constraints, and sustained demand in Atlanta’s high-growth market.
Q: What warranty does Georgia law provide for new home buyers?
A: The Georgia New Home Warranty Act provides mandatory minimum warranty protections for new home buyers that include one year of coverage for workmanship defects in materials and installation, two years of coverage for mechanical system defects including plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, and ten years of coverage for structural defects including foundation problems and major structural failures. These are minimum statutory warranties, and many Atlanta builders offer longer or more comprehensive warranty terms beyond the Georgia minimums. Review your purchase contract warranty provisions carefully against these Georgia minimums, and ask the builder’s sales staff to explain the warranty claim process, including whom to contact, what documentation is required, and what response time commitments the builder makes for warranty work requests.
Q: What is the difference between buying from a production builder versus building a custom home in Atlanta?
A: Production builders develop communities with a defined selection of floor plans, lot configurations, and design center options that buyers choose from within the builder’s predetermined system, typically offering faster construction timelines, lower per-square-foot costs due to construction volume, and established community infrastructure including amenities, HOA management, and neighborhood design standards. Custom home builders build on buyer-owned lots to buyer-specified plans, providing complete design freedom but typically at higher per-square-foot cost, longer timeline from design through completion, and without the community infrastructure that production-builder neighborhoods provide. Design-build custom home companies in Atlanta occupy a middle position, offering more design flexibility than production builders with somewhat more streamlined processes than fully custom construction. The appropriate choice depends on the buyer’s priorities for design freedom, timeline, cost certainty, and desired neighborhood context.
Conclusion
Atlanta’s home builder market encompasses some of the most experienced production and design-forward residential builders in the Southeast, operating across a metro area that consistently generates among the highest new home construction volumes in the country. Chafin Communities brings over 25 years of Atlanta market experience, 7,000-plus homes built, and more than 100 OBIE Awards reflecting sustained quality recognition from the metro’s home building industry. Ashton Woods Homes has operated from its Atlanta headquarters since 1989 and earned the 2023 BUILDER magazine Builder of the Year award for design-forward home construction in Atlanta and national markets. Brock Built has provided Greater Atlanta home buyers with quality new construction in multiple architectural styles since 1984, maintaining four decades of local builder commitment to the metro area. Visiting any of these builders’ model homes and community sales offices is the recommended starting point for exploring new home purchase options in metro Atlanta.