1 of 2
Supplied
2 of 2
Supplied
BUILD Nashville has been building homes for Nashvillians with the motto “We build homes as if our families are going to live there,” and it shows.
The company has taken home the Best Builder award from At Home two consecutive years.
“Our minds were blown when we won in 2018,” co-owner Jamie Duncan said. “ Our company was just over 3 years old at the time and the fact that people took time to vote for us was amazing.”
Co-owners Shaun Burroughs and Jamie Duncan worked together at another Residential Development and Home Building company for 4 years and decided to form BUILD Nashville in December 2014. Shaun and Jamie are the perfect partnership because each brings a unique perspective to each project and they balance out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. In 2019 alone, Build Nashville built 37 homes, pushing the boundries of style and delivering high quality. As of March, the company has 53 homes on the books for 2020.
“This is amazing growth for us and on top of that, we have recently launched our Renovation and Addition division,” Duncan said. “We hope to be Best Builder for a 3rd year in a row too. I promise you that we will keep doing everything we can to earn that title.”
1 of 3
Supplied
2 of 3
Supplied
3 of 3
Supplied
Read on to learn everything you need to know about one of Nashville’s favorite home builders:
QUESTION: Tell us how you got into modern homes?
ANSWER: Until recently, we both lived in traditional homes in the suburbs of Nashville with their families, but each of us found a uniqueness that wasn’t being delivered inside the city in the modern-style homes. We decided to push the “safe” boundaries in neighborhoods such as Wedgewood Houston, Woodbine and Green Hills by bucking the trend of craftsman and bungalow style homes that are so common in Nashville. While we excel at building every style of home, we stumbled into being known as the “It” modern builder in Nashville.
Each day, interested buyers contact us asking about modern builds that may be available. BUILD Nashville created an entire development in Green Hills called “The Modern Collection” and the project was more than 50 percent sold out before it ever broke ground. We now both live in Green Hills in modern homes that we designed and the inspiration for The Modern Collection was taken from our personal homes.
Q: Many associate you with modern homes but you build all types of homes. Talk a bit about the mix of work you do.
A: We have built many different styles. Ranging from Tudor to Craftsman to Bungalow to Farmhouse and Historical. We strategically consider the area that we are building in and decide what fits best while still creating something a little different. Right now we are planning several traditional / transitional style homes in West Meade and Green Hills and Sylvan Park.
1 of 2
Supplied
2 of 2
Supplied
Q: What separates you from other custom builders?
A: Honestly, it may sound cheesy or cliché, but our company motto is “We Build Homes as if our families were going to live there.” What this means to us is that there is no room for “cookie cutter” design, cutting corners is not an option and we always spend a little more than we probably need to in order to make someone walk away with a lasting impression of something that they haven’t seen in every other house they have viewed. We get told so many times that our homes are very recognizable from the competition because they are “different” and have unique trim details, etc. It is extremely important to us to hear that feedback and know that it is not going unnoticed. There are a lot of great builders in Nashville but we want to be building here for years and years to come so we have to ensure we are memorable and people associate us with quality and attention to detail.
Q: What trends do you see coming in houses today?
A: We are seeing a much needed return to warm, natural materials and elements such as stained wood, rattan textured lighting and color. Color...we have missed you! Specifically dark greens, navy and blush tones. Black is really hot right now, too (yes, black is most definitely a color)! Warm tones are taking over as the new trend... plumbing fixtures that are light gold, warm “greige” paint colors and stained cabinets. We are using a lot of unique granite and quartz and quartzite pieces too... ones that make an art statement.
1 of 3
Supplied
2 of 3
Supplied
3 of 3
Supplied
Q: Tell us about some of your favorite projects?
A: Every project brings different challenges and excitement. Being an “in-fill” builder where every lot is different requires a unique house plan or design to work with existing conditions and surrounding homes. Our favorite projects are probably the ones where we are able to offer a completely different vibe and the buyers and neighbors respond with overwhelming support. One specific project that comes to mind is one of our first multiple home developments.
Back in early 2015, when Wedgewood Houston was still transitioning to what it has become today, we took a big risk and developed the corner lots on Rains and Hamilton Avenue. Per zoning, we could have built more than the 6 single family homes that we designed and built but we knew we were setting the tone for making a name for our company and that corner was such a visual staple in WeHo that deserved something different. We actually set a significant record price point on all 6 of those homes and pre-sold all but one prior to construction finishing. The happy ending to that story is that one of those homeowners decided to go into Real Estate after he built with us and he is one of our strategic Realtor partners and every one of the owners have experienced a great deal of appreciation on their homes considering the continued growth in that area. It really is one of our favorite areas in Nashville and it just keeps getting better! We actually built our first modern homes in WeHo on Moore Avenue (and they were painted black...that was definitely not expected back then).
Darion Barnhart
BUILD Nashville team
Q: Why do you think Nashville is such a hot market? Do you see that continuing?
A: What is not to love about Nashville?! The cultural diversity, the expansive healthcare industry, the ever increasing IT presence, the wonderful higher education insitutions that call Nashville home and let’s not forget the music scene! We are no longer the “Country and Bluegrass” capital, we are the “Music” capital. All genres of music is written, recorded, produced and performed here. Then, throw in the expansion of the International terminal at the airport, the upcoming RiverNorth project and the ridiculously cool Nashville Yards project that will be the home to Amazon... oh, and the great job that the Music City Convention Center does with bringing groups to our city and the awesome sports teams. We definitely see the hot market continuing but we are positioning ourselves for the future by recently announcing the start of a Renovation and Addition division to our company! There are so many wonderful older homes in this city that deserve to be preserved but just need a little facelift or expansion.