Building new in Barclay Downs.

The lot is the project

Every Barclay Downs new build starts with an existing house that has to come down and a set of trees that mostly cannot. Lot selection therefore drives the design far more than it would on a greenfield site: buildable envelope after setbacks, tree-save area, drainage, and the street's existing scale all constrain the plan before a single elevation is drawn.

Sequence

Feasibility and survey. Design and engineering. Demolition and erosion control permits. Building permit through Mecklenburg County. Demolition. Foundation, framing, dry-in. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and low-voltage rough-in. Finishes. Landscape and hardscape. Certificate of occupancy. Eleven to eighteen months is a realistic range for a well-run project.

Cost drivers

Foundation and site work on a flat lot with drainage requirements. Structural spans for open plans. Window and door packages. Millwork volume. Roof complexity. Whether the mechanical and low-voltage systems are designed at framing or retrofitted later — the latter always costs more and looks worse.

Choosing a builder

Ask for addresses of completed work within two miles, not a portfolio of renderings. Ask how they handled a tree-save conflict. Ask who holds the schedule. Ask to see a real, line-item budget from a comparable project.

Peters Custom Homes

Peters Custom Homes builds and renovates in Barclay Downs and the surrounding SouthPark neighborhoods, working with the neighborhood's lot constraints and established scale rather than against them. They coordinate directly with Emerald & Oak on interiors and Peters Audio Video on systems, which removes the usual gap between the framing schedule and the finish trades.