Est. 2003
Custom home builder in Canton, GA.
Half the custom homes we build in Canton sit on septic on north Cherokee acreage. The other half sit on estate lots in communities with an architectural review board. Each one changes the site work and the approvals, so we walk the lot before plans are drawn.
Custom home builder · Canton, GA
Custom homes built for Canton and Cherokee County lots.
Our office is fifteen minutes south in Woodstock, and most of our new-construction work is in Canton. We build on infill lots off Marietta Highway and on estate lots in Great Sky and Harmony on the Lakes. We also build on raw acreage toward Ball Ground, Waleska and Free Home, where the first job is locating the well and the drain field.
You get one fixed price before clearing starts. We pull the city or county permit under our license and send a photo from the site at the end of each working day. The finished house carries a written one-year warranty.
Custom home lot types
Three kinds of custom home lot in Canton.
Soil, slope, utilities and access set much of the budget before any room is drawn. These are the three lot types we build on most often in Canton.
Septic, well and a long driveway
These parcels are in Ball Ground, Waleska, Macedonia and toward Sutallee. Expect a soil test for the drain field, a well or a long water tap, and a driveway that may need a culvert permit.
Sewer, sidewalks and an ARC
These include Great Sky, Harmony on the Lakes, Riverstone and the newer sections off Sixes Road. Utilities are at the street. An architectural review committee approves elevations, materials and colors before the permit application goes to the county.
Teardown or a leftover lot
These are older parcels inside the city limits near downtown Canton and along the Etowah. The city issues the permit and setbacks are tighter. Some need a demolition permit first, and a lot near the river needs a floodplain check.
What we build
Every part of a Canton custom home.
Lot & Site Work
Design & Floor Plans
Shell, Roof & Exterior
Kitchens & Baths
Outdoor Living
Basements & Bonus Rooms
Included in every custom home
One fixed price for every trade in a custom home.
- Lot evaluation & site plan
- Architectural plans & engineering
- Permit application & inspections
- Clearing, grading & erosion control
- Foundation, framing & roof
- Plumbing, electrical & HVAC
- Insulation & energy code compliance
- Windows, doors & exterior finishes
- Kitchens, baths & interior finishes
- Selections & 3D renderings
- Daily cleanup & job-site photos
- One-year written warranty
Local conditions
Site work and foundations for Canton custom homes.
Land around Canton rises out of the Etowah River valley in every direction, so level lots are rare. Most custom homes here get a walkout basement instead of a slab. The lower level is the cheapest square footage in the house. The foundation is engineered to the slope, and the grading plan is drawn with the house.
Parcels north of the city are on septic. Cherokee County Environmental Health must approve a soil evaluation and the drain-field location before a building permit is issued. The drain field takes up more of the lot than most buyers expect. We place the house, driveway and septic together, since each one limits where the others can go.
Red clay holds water against a foundation and sends runoff downhill to the next lot. Every custom home we build here gets foundation drainage, downspout lines that drain to daylight and a grading plan that keeps runoff off neighboring lots. Disturbing an acre or more also requires the state erosion permit.
Our process
The sequence for a Canton custom home.
Confirm city or county, sewer or septic
The parcel determines whether the city or the county reviews the plans, and whether a soil test comes first. Canton publishes a Do I Live in the City of Canton lookup for this.
Walk the lot with a plan in mind
We walk the lot to check slope, trees, drainage, driveway access and where a drain field could go. The house footprint is set from that walk.
Design to the ARC and the code
In a community with an architectural review board, the board approves the elevations before the building department reviews the plans. We design for both approvals at once so nothing is drawn twice.
Price every line, then permit
One fixed-price proposal covers the foundation, framing, every trade, every allowance and every fee. Then we file with Canton or Cherokee County and pull the permit under our license.
Build with a photo every day
The build runs through footings, framing, rough-ins, insulation, drywall, finishes and the final inspection. Each inspection is on the schedule, and we send a site photo at the end of every working day.
Permits
Who issues your custom home permit, Canton or Cherokee County.
The City of Canton runs its own Building and Safety Services office at 110 Academy Street, with an online permitting portal. A Canton mailing address also covers much of unincorporated Cherokee County, so the city publishes a Do I Live in the City of Canton lookup. Those county parcels go through the Development Service Center on Bluffs Parkway. Either way, a new single-family home gets a full plan review of the site plan, foundation, framing, energy compliance and trade permits.
Outside the sewer service area, Cherokee County Environmental Health must approve the soil evaluation and drain-field layout before a building permit can be issued. On acreage we schedule that step before the drawings are finished. Disturbing an acre or more of land also requires the state erosion and sedimentation permit. We file every application and schedule every inspection.
Inside the city limits
City of Canton Building and Safety Services, 110 Academy Street, Room 219. Phone 770-704-0100. cantonga.gov
Unincorporated Cherokee
Cherokee County Development Service Center, 1130 Bluffs Parkway, submitting through the CityView portal. cherokeecountyga.gov
Septic before the permit
Cherokee County Environmental Health approves the soil evaluation and drain-field location on any lot without sewer. That approval comes before the building permit.
We pull the permit
Application, site plan, drawings, engineering and every inspection are part of the contract, city or county.
Budget
What a custom home costs to build in Canton.
Our custom homes run $170 to $290 per square foot for the house itself. The lot is priced on its own lines: an on-site septic system instead of a sewer tap is roughly $25,000, and grading, driveways, retaining walls, wells and long utility runs depend on the site.
The lot affects the price more in Canton than in any other town we build in. The same house plan costs very different amounts on a sewered estate lot with utilities at the street and on sloped acreage. Acreage can need a well, a drain field, a culvert and four hundred feet of driveway.
We price every line separately, so site work, the foundation, the septic system and each finish allowance show as their own numbers. None of it is folded into a price per square foot. Use the calculator for a starting range. The proposal gives the fixed price for your lot.
What moves the total
Site work and driveway length on acreage, the septic system, a foundation engineered to the slope, and finishing the walkout basement most Canton lots allow.
The lower level
A walkout basement finished during the build is the lowest-cost finished square footage in the house. Price it into the first proposal instead of leaving it for a later project.
Planning guides
Custom home guides to read first.
Why Artistic Construction for a custom home in Canton
How we build custom homes in Canton, for buyers still choosing a builder.
Read the article →Custom home cost per square foot around Atlanta
What a per-square-foot price covers and why it changes from lot to lot.
Read the guide →Fixed price vs cost-plus
How the two contract types differ, and why we build on a fixed price.
Read the guide →How a construction draw schedule works
When the bank releases each payment and which inspections come first.
Read the guide →Custom home cost calculator
A starting range for your square footage and finish level.
Open the tool →Where we build
Custom homes in Canton and north Cherokee.
All remodeling services in Canton · Areas we serve · Custom home building overview
In their words
Reviews from custom home clients.
A whopping amount of ZERO stress. You are in truly good hands from start to finish.
Very responsive, patient with our questions, and made suggestions that improved our project.
Exceptional professionalism, expertise, and a genuine commitment to delivering quality service.
Canton questions
Questions about custom home building in Canton.
Do I permit with Canton or with Cherokee County?+
It depends on whether the parcel is inside the city limits. A Canton address covers much of unincorporated Cherokee County, so the city publishes a Do I Live in the City of Canton lookup. City parcels go through Building and Safety Services on Academy Street, and county parcels through the Development Service Center on Bluffs Parkway. We confirm before the drawings start and pull the permit either way.
We are looking at acreage near Ball Ground. What should we check before buying?+
Check the soil first. A drain field needs a soil evaluation approved by Cherokee County Environmental Health, and a parcel that fails one is very expensive to build on. We can walk the lot with you before you close and look at slope, access and where the septic could go. We then tell you what the site work would cost before the house is designed.
Can you build to our community's architectural guidelines?+
Yes. Great Sky, Harmony on the Lakes and most of the newer communities off Sixes Road have a review committee. It approves elevations, materials and colors before the county issues a permit. We design for that approval and the building code at the same time, so nothing is drawn twice.
Should we plan a basement?+
Yes, on most Canton lots. The slope usually allows a walkout for close to the cost of a crawlspace foundation. Finishing that floor while the framers are on site costs less than finishing it later. We price it as its own line so you can decide.
How long does a custom home take in Canton?+
Your proposal includes a full schedule with every approval and inspection in it. Design, review-board approval where there is one, and permitting come first, and septic approval adds time on acreage. Construction length depends on the size of the house and the site work needed before footings are poured.
Canton & nearby
What will your Canton custom home cost?
Tell us about your Canton lot and the home you want to build. We will send back a line-by-line budget and a realistic schedule.
- ✓ Lot evaluation & site plan
- ✓ Design, plans & renderings
- ✓ Permits, septic & inspections
- ✓ Fixed pricing, line by line