Est. 2003
Custom home builder in Milton, GA.
Milton zoning has kept most of the city at one house per acre since it incorporated. Most custom homes we build here sit on large wooded lots on septic, and many fall inside a design overlay. Each of those adds a review before the city issues the building permit, so we walk the lot before plans are drawn.
Custom home builder · Milton, GA
Custom homes built for Milton's acre-plus lots.
We build custom homes in Freemanville, Hopewell and along Birmingham Highway, on the estate streets off Bethany Bend and around Birmingham Crossroads. The city zoned these lots to stay rural. We have built in this part of Fulton since 2003. Before the city issues a permit, a lot may need a tree conservation plan, a septic approval and a Crabapple design review.
One fixed-price contract covers everything from the lot evaluation to the certificate of occupancy. We pull the city permit, book every inspection and send a photo from the site each working day. The finished house carries a written one-year warranty.
Custom home lot types
Three kinds of custom home lot in Milton.
Milton's zoning keeps most of the city at one house per acre or larger. The lot's location determines which reviews apply and what can be built on it.
Septic, trees and a long driveway
This is the most common Milton lot. A soil evaluation for the drain field comes before the permit. The tree ordinance limits where the house can sit, and a long driveway is its own line item.
House, barn and pasture together
On parcels off Birmingham Highway and Freemanville, the project often includes a barn, fencing and a second drive. We lay out the whole property at once, since the drain field and the pasture both need the flat ground.
Crabapple and Birmingham Crossroads
Lots are smaller and some have sewer. A design review governs materials, massing and how the house faces the street. The elevations are approved before the building permit is reviewed.
What we build
Every part of a Milton 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
Septic and site planning for Milton custom homes.
Most of Milton is outside the sewer service area, so we locate the drain field first and place the house around it. Fulton County Environmental Health approves the soil evaluation and the septic design before the city issues the building permit. A lot with poor soils can need an engineered septic system, which changes the budget before plans are drawn. We check the soils before you close on land.
Milton protects specimen trees and requires a tree survey and a conservation plan with the permit. Protected trees limit the footprint, the driveway alignment and where the septic can go. On a heavily wooded parcel we start the house design from the survey.
Milton lots are rolling piedmont with red clay over rock. Basements are common, and blasting is occasionally a line item. Rolling lots usually allow a walkout lower level. We draw its grading plan to keep runoff off the neighbor's pasture.
Our process
The sequence for a Milton custom home.
Read the zoning and the overlay
AG-1 acreage, an equestrian parcel and a Crabapple overlay lot each need a different set of approvals. We list them before design starts.
Soil test and tree survey first
The drain field location and the protected trees limit where the house can sit. Both are done before the floor plan is final.
Design for every reviewer at once
We draw one set of plans that meets Environmental Health, tree conservation, design review where it applies, and the building code.
Price it all, then apply
One fixed-price proposal covers site work, septic, foundation, every trade and every allowance. We file the application through the city CityView portal under our license.
Build with a site photo every day
The build runs through footings, framing, rough-ins, insulation, drywall, finishes and the final walk. We book every inspection and send a photo from the site at the end of each working day.
Permits
Permitting a custom home with the City of Milton.
Milton has issued its own residential permits since it incorporated in 2006. Its Community Development Department also houses Zoning, Land Conservation and Tree Conservation. All building applications are completed through the city CityView web portal. A new single-family home gets a full plan review of the site plan, tree conservation plan, foundation, framing, energy compliance and trade permits.
Two reviews can come before the building permit in Milton. On any lot without sewer, Fulton County Environmental Health approves the soil evaluation and the septic design first. In the Crabapple and Birmingham Crossroads overlay districts, the design review of elevations and materials comes before the building plans are examined. Disturbing more than an acre also requires the state erosion permit.
We file both reviews and the permit, and we schedule every inspection.
Who issues it
City of Milton Community Development, 2006 Heritage Walk. Permit desk at 678-242-2545. miltonga.gov
CityView portal
All building permit applications, plan review status and inspection requests run through Milton CityView.
Trees and land disturbance
Community Development runs tree and land conservation review. A tree survey and conservation plan go in with a new-home permit on a wooded lot.
Septic before the permit
Fulton County Environmental Health approves the soil evaluation and septic design on any lot outside the sewer area, ahead of the building permit.
Budget
What a custom home costs to build in Milton.
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.
Milton lots are large, wooded and mostly on septic, and each of those is its own line on the proposal. A conventional drain field on good soil and an engineered system on poor soil can differ widely in price. A long driveway through protected trees costs more than a straight one across a cleared lot.
We price every line separately, so site work, the septic system, the foundation 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, written after we walk the land, gives the fixed price.
What moves the total
The septic system, clearing and grading around protected trees, driveway length, and a foundation engineered to rolling ground with rock in it.
Barns and outbuildings
On equestrian parcels the barn, fencing and second drive each get their own permit and their own line. We price them with the house so one site plan covers all of it.
Planning guides
Custom home guides to read first.
Building a custom home in Milton
How we build custom homes in Milton, for buyers still choosing a builder.
Read the article →The pre-construction phase
The soil tests, surveys, design and permits that come before excavation.
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 to choose a custom home builder
Questions to ask a builder before you sign a contract.
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 Milton and north Fulton.
All remodeling services in Milton · 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.
Milton questions
Questions about custom home building in Milton.
Is our lot on septic, and what does that change?+
Probably. Most of Milton is outside the sewer service area. Fulton County Environmental Health must approve a soil evaluation and the septic design before the city will issue a building permit. The drain field location also limits where the house, the driveway and any barn can go, so we walk lots with buyers before closing.
How does the tree ordinance affect a new build?+
Specimen trees are protected, and a tree survey and a conservation plan go in with the permit. On a wooded parcel the protected trees limit the footprint and the driveway. We start the house design from the survey.
We want to build in Crabapple. Is that different?+
Yes. The Crabapple and Birmingham Crossroads overlay districts have a design review of materials, massing and how the house meets the street. That review is approved before the building plans are examined. Lots there are smaller and some have sewer, and we draw the plans to pass the design review and the code together.
Can you build the barn and fencing too?+
Yes. On equestrian land we lay out the house, barn, pasture and drain field as one plan, since they all need the same flat ground. We permit and price the outbuildings as their own lines.
How long does a custom home take in Milton?+
It depends on the approvals and the size of the house. The soil test, tree survey, design review where it applies and the city permit come first. Build time after that follows the size of the house and the site work. Your proposal includes a schedule with all four approvals and every inspection, so the end date includes approval time.
Milton & nearby
What will your Milton custom home cost?
Tell us about your Milton 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