How much does it cost to build a custom home with Walnut & Stone?
At Walnut & Stone, construction starts around $300 per heated square foot, and most projects land between $350 and $450, with complex sites and elevated finishes above that. Those figures are construction only. Land and site work are separate budgets, priced per lot — on mountain lots, site work commonly runs $50K to $250K. So the price per square foot is one of three numbers, not the whole picture. Our cost-to-build guide lays out the real numbers in full.
What does the price per square foot include — and what doesn't it include?
Our per-square-foot figure is construction only — the house itself. It does not include the land or the site work (driveway, the foundation the slope demands, well or water, septic, grading, and utilities). When you compare builders, always compare the total, not the rate, and ask whether site work, garages, and porches are in or out. The same house can be quoted at very different rates depending on what's counted.
What is the three-bucket budget?
A complete mountain home budget is three numbers, not one. The land — buildable lots around Greater Asheville realistically start near $50K and climb with view, acreage, and proximity to town. The site work — $50K to $250K on mountain lots, covering the driveway, foundation, well or water, septic, grading, and utilities. And the house itself — the per-square-foot figure — plus roughly $8K to $30K for design and permitting. Two identical houses on two different lots can differ by six figures in site work alone.
Do you offer fixed-fee or cost-plus contracts?
Both — and you choose. Cost-plus passes costs through with a builder's fee on top; fixed-fee settles the number before ground breaks. Both are legitimate ways to contract a custom home. Whichever you choose, your budget is complete, transparent, and in writing before we break ground. That part isn't a contract type — it's the Walnut & Stone Standard.
What is the Walnut & Stone Standard?
Three commitments hold on every project:
- A complete budget before ground breaks. Every selection and allowance settled, transparent, and in writing, so the number you start with is the number you can trust.
- One point of contact. One person who knows your project end to end and answers when you call.
- Full visibility from anywhere. A private project portal, weekly written logs with photos and video, and drone flights as the views open up.
That discipline comes from a background in commercial and industrial construction, where the budget holds because it has to. You can read more on how we build.
Can you build for me if I live out of state?
Yes — it's a core specialty. Remote builds run on a private project portal, weekly written logs with photos and video, and drone footage as the build progresses, so you can watch your home come together week by week from anywhere. Most out-of-state clients need only about four well-timed site visits across the whole project: the initial site walk, a framed walkthrough, a finish walkthrough, and the closing walkthrough. Our guide on building here from out of state walks through it month by month.
How will I keep track of my build if I can't visit often?
Every project — local or remote — runs on a private project portal with weekly written logs, photos, and video, plus drone flights as the views open up. You have one point of contact who knows your project end to end and answers when you call. For out-of-state clients, that visibility is the whole point: you see what's happening as it happens, not after the fact. See building from afar for how it works week to week.
Do you offer free lot evaluations?
Yes — free and with no obligation. Send us a lot address and we'll give you an honest read on buildability, the best siting for light and views, and a realistic all-in budget range. When a lot earns the next step, a LiDAR drone overflight reads the true shape of the terrain and becomes the design-grade grade plan your home is designed on. (A LiDAR overflight is a grade plan, not a boundary survey.) Learn how we read a mountain lot.
What areas do you build in?
Greater Asheville and Western North Carolina, including Asheville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Fairview, Arden, Fletcher, Mills River, and Hendersonville. We build modern mountain homes sited for views on Blue Ridge terrain.
How early should I involve a builder?
As early as you can — ideally before you buy the lot. The single biggest protection a budget has is settling the full number before ground breaks, and that starts with reading the land. Decisions made on paper are nearly free; the same decisions made mid-build cost more. Bringing a builder in during land selection and design is also where walnut, local stone, and site-built detail get priced into a budget that holds rather than discovered later.
Can you build on a steep lot?
Yes — almost every great lot in these mountains is a sloped lot, and the slope is why you're building here. A steep lot with a stunning view often costs less to buy and more to build on, because the slope drives the foundation, the retaining, and the driveway. None of that is a reason to avoid a mountain lot; it's a reason to price it knowingly, which is exactly what a free lot evaluation does before you commit.
Well or city water? Septic or sewer?
It depends on the lot. Many mountain lots are served by a well and septic rather than city water and sewer, and that choice can swing the site-work budget by tens of thousands of dollars. Septic approval also shapes where the house can sit at all — so never close on a septic lot without the soil work done. We read all of this during the lot evaluation, before you commit.
How many homes do you build each year?
A small number. We deliberately keep the volume low so every project gets the budget-and-schedule discipline of commercial construction, one point of contact who knows it end to end, and the full visibility the Walnut & Stone Standard promises. Fewer homes, built right, is the point.
What materials do you build with?
Our homes are modern in line and timeless in material: walnut underfoot, local stone at the hearth, and glass that opens the living room to the ridge beyond. They're designed to settle into the land rather than fight it — sited for light, for the view you bought the lot for, and for the way weather actually moves across a Blue Ridge slope.
How do I get started?
The first conversation is a site walk — a clear-eyed look at what's possible on your land, with a realistic budget range, no pressure and no obligation. If you're out of state, we start with a video call instead. You can also send a lot address for a free evaluation before you buy. Reach us at hello@walnutandstone.com or 828.722.1520.
What happens after the home is finished?
The relationship doesn't end at closing. The First Years are a phase of the build in our process, with the same one point of contact you had from the first site walk. A home settles into its site over its early seasons, and we stay accountable for the work we put into the ground — the same discipline that built it carries through after you move in.