Nestled in the stunning foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Bright’s Creek is Western North Carolina’s premier private gated community that sits within reach of it all. Calling our oasis home, or even the perfect vacation escape, means enjoying world-class amenities, pristine mountain views, a renowned Tom Fazio-designed golf course, and the best in custom NC real estate options.
This month, we’re continuing our Builder Insider Series, which features exclusive spotlights on the builder partners that bring Bright’s Creek to life. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Sean Sullivan, President of the award-winning firm, Living Stone Design + Build, to discover more about their inspired vision for the proposed 41 Deep Gap Farm Rd homesite plan at Bright’s. Learn all about the 2023 National Custom Home Builder of the Year’s sustainable approach to leading clients through the building process, fulfilling their mission of building happier, healthier lives one custom home at a time.
Sean, the proposed 41 Deep Gap Farm Road plan is stunning. Walk us through the backstory of this lot choice and construction plan.
We really believe in the Bright’s Creek community. The site speaks for itself and the amenities are just spot on. This homesite is centrally located overlooking the golf course and features great topography and really incredible views. It’s about 3,700-square feet and what we’d call a mountain contemporary style. It features huge windows for great natural light, varied ceilings, and glass across the back of the house to maximize those views. There will be an open stairway, an office, a hidden butler’s pantry, a cooking deck with another great view, and an oversized garage—plus a dog shower! There’s an expansive primary suite, a great room, plus a lot of privacy between each floor for when guests come over. It’s going to be amazing, and of course, it’s all customizable based on the needs of the client.
What makes the Living Stone Design + Build unique?
Our mission of “building happier, healthier lives” really guides everything we do here at Living Stone. We believe in quality over quantity and ensuring that we connect with clients when they have a dream so that we can partner with them to develop a custom plan based on their unique needs and wants, along with their specific budget.
A really important part of our DNA is whole living and sustainability. We discovered that even though we can work with clients to design and build homes that are NC Green Built Certified and use sustainable materials and practices, oftentimes clients are underserved and need the right education and access to resources that will help them to actually live green. When we build a custom home, we like to say to clients, “notice what you don’t smell,” meaning there are no toxic chemicals or fumes in the air. So, while we always build safe, healthy spaces, we really embrace a “whole living” approach.
In fact, we believe in this approach so much that we created our own green furniture studio, Atelier Maison & Co. We wanted to give clients a choice between filling your green home with toxic furniture or opting for thoughtfully made, organic options that don’t impact your indoor air quality or health. Studies have shown that people who live in certified green homes are happier, healthier, and more productive; so we’re proud to help empower people to live their best, healthiest lives with no regrets.
Tell us about the process of building a custom home with the Living Stone team.
Custom homeowners need guidance to bring their dreams to fruition, so we really hone in on the details and the lifecycle of a home. We saw an opportunity to educate clients on process and costs so that we could tightly align from the beginning. Each of our projects has elements that are really imperative, including needs and wants, plus budget. We partner with clients to really understand what’s important to them and these aspects are carefully considered throughout the entire build.
Our process is unique in that we bring a fully integrated team to each project from the start, including the builder, a degreed interior designer, an architect, and a landscape architect. We saw a gap in the traditional home-building process where a space is built without any consideration of the importance of interior design. So, we filled that gap by opening our own green interior design studio in Western North Carolina called ID.ology Interiors & Design, which is offered to clients as part of the Living Stone program. It’s a first-of-its-kind builder-led design + build firm. Our approach blends the science and artistry behind curating healthy, beautiful spaces—rather than viewing interior design as an afterthought. We believe that space planning and design decisions need to be considered early in the process as part of the overall budget and flow. Elements like hardware style, windows and doors, colors—even elevated touches like, do you want a towel warmer or heated floors? We consider all of the details with a holistic approach that sets everyone up for success from the start.
All projects begin on day one because we don’t have a backlog. Given our 30 years of experience, everything about our process is very efficient. Here, we begin designing, concepting, surveying, seeking approvals—and once we break ground, we’re extremely well prepared. Our team has weekly phone calls with the client, daily logs, plus provides written reports every two weeks because communication is key. Our goal is to make the process seamless and clear—clients always know their actual budget because of our thorough pre-build process.
At Living Stone, we’re known for our meetings and our checklists, which ensure quality control across all phases of construction. It’s important to have a handful of focused sessions with the team—and then we’ll schedule up to 19 meetings from project start to finish to specifically address milestone decisions throughout the process. We also work through highly detailed pre- and post-meeting checklists to keep tight alignment every step of the way. Our goal is to instill a sense of confidence and calmness in our clients during the custom home building process.
It all comes down to trust and relationships. A client could always move into someone else’s dream home in another community—or, you could take the time to partner with the right home builder to create your one-of-a-kind dream home at Bright’s Creek. Learn more about the Living Stone Design + Build approach here.
From the 41 Deep Gap Farm Road plan to more custom North Carolina mountain homesites, Bright’s Creek is the perfect place to call your forever home.
Contact our real estate team directly at (828) 600-5132 to start your journey today.
