Planning a custom home involves decisions about land, design, budget, construction and who you trust to manage the process. These are some of the questions we hear most often from clients considering a luxury custom home, major renovation or addition in Charlotte and the surrounding area.
Whether you are still looking for property, already working with an architect, have completed plans or simply have an idea you want to explore, you do not need to have everything figured out before contacting us.
No. You can contact Artistic Contractors before or after purchasing a property.
Getting a builder involved before you buy can be helpful because the property itself can have a major impact on what can be built and what the project may cost. We can help evaluate factors such as topography, drainage, access, utilities, setbacks, views, tree coverage and the orientation of the home before you move too far into design.
Yes.
Daron Gaon and Andrew Parker are licensed North Carolina real estate brokers, which gives our team experience looking at property from both a real estate and construction perspective.
We can help evaluate whether a property makes sense for the type of home you want to build and consider issues such as access, slope, setbacks, drainage, utilities, views, orientation and overall buildability.
For serious prospective clients, we are generally happy to walk a property once at no charge. If more detailed analysis is needed, that work can be handled through a preconstruction agreement.
No.
Artistic Contractors can work with clients through our own design-build process, collaborate with an architect selected by the client or build from plans that have already been completed.
The right approach depends on how far along you are and how much design and preconstruction help you need.
Yes.
If you already have an architect, we are happy to work with them.
Bringing the builder into the process before the drawings are completely finished can be useful because we can provide construction, engineering and budget feedback while the design is still developing.
If your plans are already substantially complete, that is fine too.
Learn more about building from your architect’s plans.
Ideally, before the plans are completely finished.
Early builder involvement allows construction methods, structural complexity, materials, site conditions and budget to be considered while changes are still relatively easy to make.
That can help prevent a situation where a client completes an entire set of drawings only to learn later that significant changes are needed to bring the project within budget or make certain details practical to build.
That is completely fine.
If your architectural and engineering plans are substantially complete and you do not need broader preconstruction services, Artistic Contractors can review the plans and provide a preliminary construction price to help determine whether the project, budget and builder are a good fit before moving forward.
During that initial review, we can also identify obvious construction, scope or budget issues that stand out in the plans.
If the project requires more detailed analysis, engineering coordination, design development, site evaluation or extensive estimating before a construction agreement can be prepared, those services can then be handled through a separate preconstruction agreement.
A preconstruction agreement allows Artistic Contractors to become more deeply involved in a project before the final construction contract is prepared.
The scope and fee depend on the needs of the individual project.
Preconstruction services can include property identification and analysis, evaluating how the proposed design fits the site, reviewing construction details, coordinating engineering considerations and developing realistic budget parameters.
This is especially useful for clients who are using an outside architect but want Artistic Contractors involved before the plans and construction budget are finalized.
Yes, when detailed preconstruction work is needed.
The fee is based on the scope and complexity of the project and the amount of work required from our team.
A simple initial conversation or one preliminary property walk does not automatically require a preconstruction agreement. The agreement is intended for clients who want meaningful design, engineering, site or budgeting involvement before construction.
New luxury custom homes built by Artistic Contractors typically range from approximately $400 to $750+ per square foot of heated living space.
Highly customized homes can cost substantially more depending on architectural complexity, structural engineering, materials, finish level, large expanses of glass, specialty systems and site conditions.
This range applies to new luxury custom homes only. It should not be used to estimate the cost of renovations or additions.
The cost of the land is typically separate.
Other property-specific or specialty items may also be separately scoped, including extensive grading, retaining walls, unusually long utility runs, swimming pools, docks, major landscape packages, furnishings and other work outside the primary home.
That is one reason comparing builders only by a cost-per-square-foot number can be misleading. The scope behind the number matters.
Yes.
Once the plans, scope, specifications and allowances are established, Artistic Contractors provides a fixed construction price.
That price generally changes only if the homeowner requests work outside the original plans and scope or selects allowance items that exceed the amount budgeted for those selections.
For example, if a countertop, plumbing fixture or appliance selection costs more than its established allowance, the difference would be added to the project cost.
If an allowance is not fully used, the remaining amount can be applied toward another allowance category or credited back to the homeowner.
We develop the budget from the actual project rather than relying only on a general cost-per-square-foot estimate.
That means reviewing the plans, site conditions, structural requirements, materials, selections and project scope in detail.
As the design becomes more complete, detailed takeoffs and realistic allowances allow the pricing to become more accurate.
Our goal is for clients to understand the true anticipated cost of the home before construction begins rather than discovering major budget problems halfway through the build.
For new custom homes, Artistic Contractors generally works with construction budgets beginning around $1.2 million, excluding the cost of the land.
For major renovations and additions, projects generally begin around $500,000.
These are guidelines rather than rigid rules. The location, scope, complexity and type of work all factor into whether a particular project is a good fit.
Most Artistic Contractors custom homes take approximately 12 to 18 months from groundbreaking to completion.
Very large or unusually complex homes can take longer.
Design, engineering, budgeting, permitting and other preconstruction work occur before construction begins, so the total time from the first design conversation to move-in will generally be longer than the construction timeline alone.
Our process is organized around four major stages:
Land Analysis
We evaluate the property and how the home should relate to it.
Design
The home, floor plan and architectural details are developed, with detailed 3D visualization used on many projects.
Budget Development
The design is translated into realistic construction pricing, allowances and project scope.
Construction
The plans move through permitting, trade coordination, inspections, quality control and completion.
The goal is to keep design, cost and construction connected throughout the process.
Artistic Contractors is intentionally a small, hands-on company rather than a high-volume production builder.
Clients work directly with the owners and an experienced Project Manager.
Tim Price brings more than 35 years of construction experience and maintains a strong on-site presence coordinating subcontractors, monitoring schedules and construction progress, and overseeing quality control and craftsmanship.
Daron Gaon and Andrew Parker also remain actively involved in the company and its projects rather than handing a signed contract off to an unrelated construction team.
Artistic Contractors coordinates the permitting and required inspection process associated with construction.
We also coordinate the subcontractors, project scheduling and construction sequence required to carry the project from approved plans through completion.
No.
Contemporary and warm-modern architecture are important parts of our portfolio, but we also build traditional and timeless homes.
The architectural direction should come from the client, the property and the character of the home rather than forcing every project into a particular style.
Detailed 3D modeling and photorealistic visualization are used on many Artistic Contractors projects to help clients understand the home before it is built.
3D modeling can help evaluate proportions, sightlines, spatial relationships, exterior massing, natural light, material relationships and how spaces connect.
For many projects, it becomes more than a presentation tool. It is used as part of the actual design and problem-solving process.
Yes. Daron personally designs many of Artistic Contractors’ homes and remains involved in design development, construction planning, material selection and the execution of complex details.
Not every Artistic Contractors home is designed by Daron. We also regularly work with outside architects and are happy to build from client-supplied architectural plans.
That flexibility allows clients to choose the design path that makes the most sense for their project.
Yes.
In addition to new custom homes, Artistic Contractors completes substantial whole-home renovations, additions and structural transformations.
Projects can include major floor-plan changes, additions, second-story expansions, structural work and extensive interior and exterior reconstruction.
Renovation pricing is project-specific and should not be estimated using the $400–$750+ new-home cost range.
Yes.
Renovations often involve existing structural conditions, selective demolition, hidden conditions and integration between new and existing construction.
For that reason, the scope, pricing and preconstruction process are evaluated individually.
Warranty terms for renovations and additions are also confirmed as part of each project’s specific scope.
Artistic Contractors is based in Charlotte and builds luxury custom homes, renovations and additions throughout Charlotte and surrounding communities.
Our work and service area include neighborhoods and communities such as Myers Park, Eastover, SouthPark, Dilworth, Lake Norman, Davidson, Lake Wylie and Weddington, along with other locations in the greater Charlotte area.
Every project is evaluated individually based on its location, scope and the level of involvement required.
Daron Gaon has been a licensed North Carolina General Contractor since 2006, and Artistic Contractors was founded in 2010.
Since then, the company has completed luxury custom homes, residential developments, major renovations and additions throughout the Charlotte area.
Yes.
Daron Gaon has been a licensed North Carolina General Contractor since 2006, and Artistic Contractors maintains insurance appropriate for its construction operations.
Daron and Andrew Parker are also licensed North Carolina real estate brokers.
Every new Artistic Contractors home includes our comprehensive one-year builder’s warranty. Optional 2-10 warranty coverage is available at an additional, separately quoted cost.
Warranty coverage for renovations and additions is determined by the specific project scope and the terms of the written construction agreement.
Artistic Contractors intentionally operates as a small, hands-on team.
Clients can work directly with the owners from early property and design decisions through budgeting and construction.
Our team combines residential design, detailed 3D visualization, construction experience, real estate knowledge and dedicated field management within one company.
For clients who already have an architect, we bring the same construction planning, budgeting and project-management approach to externally designed plans.
Our focus is not on building the largest number of homes. It is on taking on distinctive projects where design, craftsmanship, structural execution and attention to detail matter.
You do not need to wait until everything is figured out.
Clients contact us at many different stages: while searching for land, after purchasing a property, with an early design idea, while working with an architect, with completed architectural plans, or when considering a major renovation or addition.
The earlier we understand the property, goals, design and budget, the more useful we can be in helping determine the right path forward.
Start by contacting our team and telling us what you are considering, where the property is located and where you are in the planning process.
If you already have a survey, architectural plans, property address or preliminary design information, you can share those as part of the initial conversation.
From there, we can determine the most appropriate next step for the project.
Phone: (704) 293-9362
Email: info@artisticnc.com
We're here to help you with every step of your custom home journey.
