Drive through the gates of our Western North Carolina community and a sense of serenity washes over you. Lush mountain greenery. Grazing horses. Majestic Blue Ridge views. Hear the swing of golf clubs on our award-winning Tom Fazio golf course and the laughter of families enjoying our state-of-the-art amenity center. There’s nothing like life here at Bright’s Creek.
As we continue our featured spotlights on the preferred partners who help bring our community to life, we’re introducing you to a talented team with deep roots in our beloved neighboring city of Asheville. This month, we had the pleasure of chatting with Max DeHoll, founder of Modern Mountain Builders, and Joe Archibald, architect and founder of Narwhal Design | Build. Learn more about their stunning shared vision for a new Bright’s Creek listing and discover how they partner to bring sustainable luxury homes to life in beautiful Western North Carolina.
The proposed 2140 Harm Creek Loop plan for Bright’s Creek is amazing. Walk us through the plan and the backstory of this lot choice.
The topography of this lot is really special and unusual for the mountains. While there’s definitely a gentle grade, it’s more level than most while still offering exceptional Bright’s Creek views. It presented a special opportunity to do something a little bit different with the main living level being more grounded, while also giving quick access to all of the amazing outdoor amenities. The convenience of having the majority of the living space on the main floor, from the primary bedroom and kitchen to a dining area, living room, screened porch and deck, and even a guest bedroom, allows for so much versatility. The plan also features two bedrooms upstairs with an office nook and bathrooms. Plus, the lower level features a space that can easily be tailored to the buyer’s lifestyle, whether that’s a rec room, movie theater, or a basement. It’s an ideal aging-in-place design, but also perfect for larger families, too.
Because of the slight sloping lot, there’s also a real connection to the ground and a sense of being immersed in nature here. It sits in one of the more wooded high valleys of Bright’s Creek, and although it has a flatter topography, it still captures views overlooking the golf course. There’s also a nice clearing where you can see up into a cliff base, which is really amazing.
Tell us more about how a potential buyer can customize this home to make it truly special.
We really want clients to create a space they absolutely love, so most everything is customizable from the finishes and fireplace to styling and surfaces. A buyer can even customize their connection to the outdoors with the landscaping and exterior elements as well. Plus, the basement area can be finished to add even more living space and square footage.
So, while the foundation is in place, it’s really up to the homebuyer’s vision to transform this plan into a home—and we can definitely help with that process to avoid decision overload.
What’s your relationship with a buyer like from start to finish? Walk us through the home-building process.
There can be a lot of fear around custom home building, so we work to make things as manageable and transparent as possible.
When the new Bright’s Creek neighbor purchases this lot, infrastructure like the foundation and utilities will be in place. We’ll have an initial meeting with the buyer to review the design, but of course, they can always make adjustments.
We use a software that gives clients access to their own portal so they can manage their level of involvement. They can see daily logs, follow their weekly schedule and budget, and stay engaged along the way. Our team requires a monthly progress meeting, whether it’s in person or on video, to make sure we’re all aligned. We like to stay close and tailor our communication to each buyer.
A lot of our clients are “custom curious” and are learning about the custom home-building process as we go. We really work to make the process manageable, so we’ll provide them with selections in a doc, along with deadlines to keep everything on schedule. We even go with them to choose their fixtures since we’re really in tune with pricing, design, and what will be the most functional for their space and needs. Additionally, each of our sites has a Project Manager who is required to visit the site every day to ensure that everything is running smoothly and meeting the expectations of our clients. We also have a team of trusted sub-contractors in place early in the process, which really helps put everyone at ease and keeps us all on the same page.
What makes your custom home-building approach unique?
We really focus on caring for the quality of life of everyone touching our homes—that includes people from our staff and trade partners to our clients. At Modern Mountain Builders, our team is really the heartbeat of every project. We truly value our people and are Living Wage Certified, which translates to superior quality and service for our clients.
There’s also no price shopping here. We’re experts in market pricing, so we know how to navigate the best value for our clients. We’re never willing to sacrifice our high level of standards, so we work toward finding the perfect balance of budget and excellent quality.
You both have a spirit of sustainability that really drives your design and building process. Tell us a little bit more about why being eco-conscious matters in your work.
We both believe in wise building and design practices that are smart and sustainable. Building something up to code is simply not enough—we need to do more. The things that you don’t see are far more important than the things you do see. Our focus is building with a great team energy so that we can create the best outcomes together. Narwhal Design is a longtime member of the Green Built Alliance and Modern Mountain Builders maintains the highest levels of environmental standards in the industry. We help to educate our clients on green building while always balancing the budget—it’s about making small steps forward.
When all aspects of your project tie to a great quality of life, it’s good for everyone involved. Bright’s Creek has so much great energy and a ton to offer potential buyers. The lots and different areas within the community are all wonderful. We’re both just excited to be a part of it.
If you’re ready to call 2140 Harm Creek Loop home or are searching for luxury mountain homes for sale in NC, contact our real estate team directly at (828) 600-5132 to start your journey today.
