Custom Homes in the DMV
We partner with you to build your custom home. Your vision. Delivered.
On your lot or one we help you find, we build 5 - 10 custom homes a year in DC, Bethesda, Kensington, and across Montgomery County.
On your lot or one we help you find, we build 5 - 10 custom homes a year in DC, Bethesda, Kensington, and across Montgomery County.
When the president of a construction-consulting firm hired us to build his own home, he put his own inspectors on the job to check the work as it went up. They found no shortcuts. His full account is further down this page.
Scrutiny like that is easier to welcome when the owner runs the job. Kevin Slezak has run every Colonial project personally since 2007, on the lot and working directly with the subcontractors, from footings through the final walkthrough. The person accountable for your house is the person on site.
When the Saliaris family decided to build, they already owned the land and had a finished set of drawings from their own architect. They put the project out to bid with 6 local builders and measured every proposal. They picked us, in their words, "due to the proven track record and favorable building contract structure." It was not our first house for the family; we had built his sister's home years earlier.
If you have never built before, that's normal; most of our clients hadn't either. We guide every step, and the documents below are how we keep the project from feeling like a leap.
The two concerns we hear most from people planning a custom build are budgets that grow after groundbreaking and builders who go quiet mid-project. The contract answers the first: the construction contract is agreed only after the design is complete and finish materials and allowances have been discussed, with a detailed budget in writing before work begins, so the number you sign is built on decisions you have already made.
The schedules answer the second. Before the first footing is poured, you hold 2 documents: a construction schedule that maps the build week by week, and a selection schedule that tells you when each decision (cabinets, tile, fixtures, flooring) is due, so nothing stalls the job.
As each selection comes up, the trade partner doing that work walks you through the options in their specialty. Every element in your finished house is something you chose or approved.
We have built in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Potomac, and the District for nearly two decades, on flat suburban lots and on lots that made other builders pass. What the Saliaris family noticed during their build comes up again and again in our reviews: constant communication with the subcontractors on site.
If you are comparing Maryland custom home builders, we are glad to walk you through the contract, the schedules, the completed work, and what makes Colonial uniquely positioned for your project.
Start from drawings, a plan, or a bare lot. All three paths are common.
There is no single starting point for a custom build. You can come to us three ways:
- Your architect, your plans. Bring a finished set and we price it from real subcontractor bids, itemized. The Saliaris build started exactly this way.
- A plan you found. Plans bought online or pulled from a designer's catalog can work. We adapt them to your lot, local codes, and your budget before anyone breaks ground.
- A lot and a wish list. If you have no drawings yet, we take the project from blank paper through design and construction under one agreement. The full mechanics live on our design-build page.
We also evaluate teardowns. If the right move is removing an aging house and building new on the same lot, that is its own discipline, covered on our teardown and rebuild page. We buy lots and build new homes for sale every year, so judging what a property can carry is part of our regular work.
A Kensington build for a construction consultant.
David Hatwell, president of AEGIS Construction Consultants, came to us with a custom home project in Kensington. The lot was difficult, and the requirements were strict: a hard timeline, a fixed budget, and high-end finishes throughout.
He retained his own personnel to inspect the work as it went up.
"I retained personnel to ensure that no shortcuts were being made… I can say with no reservations that Kevin Slezak excelled in all areas." - D. Hatwell, President, AEGIS Construction Consultants
The house finished on time, on budget, and to specification:
"It was not unusual to see Kevin personally working around the house putting in those final touches that makes the difference between good and excellent work product." - D. Hatwell
You are welcome to retain your own inspectors or consultants on any project.
Two schedules from day one. Construction and selections.
- Sit down with us. A consultation covering your lot (or lot search), your plans or plan ideas, your budget range, and your timeline. There is no charge for it.
- Price it from real bids. We take the drawings to our trade partners, long-standing subcontractors who each specialize in their trade, and assemble an itemized cost estimate from actual numbers. You review the full budget before you sign.
- Review and sign the contract. It comes with a detailed line-item budget assembled from the subcontractor bids; the design-build page explains the pricing in full.
- Get both schedules. The construction schedule maps the build from permits to punch list. The selection schedule lists every decision you will make and the date each one is due, so a tile choice in month 4 never holds up drywall in month 5. Our trade partners walk you through the options in their own specialty.
- Watch it go up. A standing biweekly walkthrough, and site visits welcome in between. You will find Kevin on your lot, and you will hear from us regularly: the same on-site communication the Saliaris family wrote about.
- Walk through, move in, and rely on the warranty. The house closes out the county's full inspection process and our own rigorous private inspections first. Every element in it is one you chose or approved; when the Saliaris warranty period closed, the list was minor repairs.
What a custom home costs in DC and Maryland. Based on completed projects.
Custom projects we have completed have historically ranged from $350K to $3M; that span covers everything from major additions to full custom homes. For a new custom home in the Bethesda area, plan on roughly $1.5M and up.
Completed custom projects, additions through full homes.
New custom homes in Maryland & DC.
A construction contract and detailed budget agreed before work begins.
Factors driving prices here:
- The lot. What you paid for it, and what it demands: grading, soils, tree protection, demolition if it is a teardown.
- Square footage and complexity. A simple 4,500 sq ft rectangle prices differently than the same footage with complex rooflines and structural steel.
- Finish level. The spread between builder-grade and the high-end finishes most of our clients choose is wide, and it is yours to set, selection by selection.
- Permitting and site rules. Montgomery County and DC each have their own review timelines and requirements; difficult lots carry engineering costs that flat ones don't.
During construction, costs are tracked against the line-item budget you approved, so the number you watch is the actual cost rather than an estimate reconciled at the end. If you are researching luxury home builders in Maryland, the ranges above come from completed projects, and we put numbers in writing early in the process.
From the portfolio
What clients ask before they hire us. Common questions.
How do you keep cost overruns from happening?
Pricing comes from bids by the subcontractors who will do the work, selections are priced before they are ordered, and you approve every element that goes into the house. If you upgrade a selection mid-build, the change is priced in writing before the work happens, so the budget stays current through construction.
How long does a custom home take?
Design and permitting run first, then construction. As a planning figure, expect roughly 16 to 22 months from finished drawings to move-in, with Montgomery County and DC permit review setting much of the front end. Your construction schedule replaces that estimate with actual dates before we start.
Can we use our own architect?
Yes, and clients regularly do. The Saliaris family came with their own architect and a complete set of plans; we bid the project and built it. You can also bring a plan you bought online, or start with nothing but a lot. All three paths are normal here.
How do you price a project?
Design comes first under a design agreement, which covers complete home design and permitting. The construction contract follows once finish materials and allowances are discussed, with a detailed line-item budget prepared before construction begins. The design-build page explains the contract in full.
How do financing and the draw schedule work?
Most clients build with a construction loan: the bank releases funds in stages (the draw schedule) as work is completed and verified. Our line-item budgeting maps cleanly onto lender draw requirements, and we coordinate documentation with your bank directly. If you are still choosing a lender, ask us which local banks know construction lending well.
Do you build outside Bethesda?
Yes. We build across Montgomery County, including Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, and Potomac, and in Washington, DC. We hold builder and contractor licenses in both Maryland and the District.
What happens if we want to change something mid-build?
Change orders are priced in writing and approved by you before the work happens. Changes are normal on an 18-month project, and pricing them in advance keeps the budget current.
Tell us about your project. We'll tell you what it takes.
Fill out the short form and we will call you to set up a consultation, or skip the form and call us directly: 443-752-5621.