Dunning Custom Homes

Partnering with Dunning Custom Homes is a truly special experience.

Let's be honest, there are two major things that make home building awful: 1) the unreliable sub contractors 2) sub-par delivery and partnership from your run-of-the-mill general contractor. We chose the Dunnings to transcend those fears, and boy did they deliver for us! We had the best time collaborating and creating our little dream home with their whole crew: John Lucas, John Sr., Marner, and Lexy, as well as their World Class sub contractors (not an oxymoron). Somehow they’ve managed to secure every best in NC framer, plumber, electrician, roofer, etc. We were able to enjoy the whole process because we trusted them all.

We also knew Dunning wouldn't gouge us, always showing cost options across the spectrum, including high quality warranting some higher cost at times. It was worth it! Other times, we kept decisions under budget and felt good. They are Craftsmen, diligent business leaders, and caring members of our community.

If only we needed a second dream home, we’d hire them in a minute!

Outstanding in every facet.....from concept/design to completion/move-in. Communication and responsiveness were phenomenal; progress status and engagement on adjustments were timely and frequent; very open to customer suggestions and requests; all of the subs were helpful, friendly, and efficient as well. Home was completed much faster than originally agreed, and is even better than we had anticipated. Our new home is simply amazing! We HIGHLY recommend Dunning Custom Homes.

We are absolutely thrilled with our beautiful new home and can’t imagine a better home build experience than with dunning custom homes. Every step of the way they listened and implemented our visions down to the smallest detail. They are truly a custom home builder that can deliver high end, professional work and have the flexibility that larger builders can’t deliver. John Lucas was so easy to get in touch with and communicate with- I always felt like he prioritized my thoughts, questions and concerns. Their design coordinator, Marner, walked us through every detail when it came to making all of the selections (whether it was tile, lighting, plumbing fixtures, etc) and her organization and insight was invaluable. It was such a smooth and easy build process with them, I would highly recommend!

My husband and I had dreamed of and talked for years about building our forever home, but the reality is so much better than we imagined.

The Dunning team was a pleasure to work with, which is important when you're going to be together for a year. Not only is our home high quality in its construction, they worked so hard to make all of my detailed / extensive / difficult requests come to life. I'm so appreciative of the time and effort it took for John, John Lucas and Marner to get all the finishes and selections *just right*.

A custom build is no small undertaking, and DCH was the best choice for us.

The build photos they have on their site are gorgeous, so these pictures (I think) show the joy we've felt in living here the past few months as well as some of my favorite details. From empty rooms to slowly making it our own.

Building a custom home especially in today’s time is a daunting task, so selecting the right builder is a critical decision. Prior to choosing Dunning Custom Homes, we interviewed and spoke with several custom builders in the triangle area. When we met with John Dunning and his team, we were immediately impressed with their attentiveness and ‘hands-on approach’, and decided they were the builders for us. They instilled a high confidence and comfort level immediately. John Dunning listened to what we wanted in our dream home, and helped guide us through the process of picking a design as well as an architect to work with. When it came time to decide where to build our home, John Dunning and his team actually came with us to inspect and pick the ideal homesite from the three properties and sub-divisions we narrowed our search to. Once the project began, they expertly navigated the unexpected ‘curve ball’ thrown their way with the extensive rocky terrain of our homesite.
Their ‘homeowner centered’ approach is what makes them distinctive. It was always about what we specifically wanted in our dream home, and if it wasn’t feasible as requested, they made alternative suggestions to make it work. No sales teams or layers of management to deal with, just John Dunning himself. There was always full transparency on budgeting and costs.
Communication was great throughout the building process as they regularly kept us updated on progress, often sending us pictures of the building stages. Since we moved from out of state this was very much appreciated. They were very accessible and responsive to our texts, calls and emails when we had questions or concerns. When we did fly down to visit and inspect the homesite, they always made themselves available.
John is extremely meticulous, and knowledgeable, and was very flexible and amenable to design changes we requested along the way. In fact, he made suggestions to enhance the house that were not on the original design plan, that we loved and implemented. It is important to note that the entire Dunning team was highly professional, skilled, attentive, and honest. We chose to consult with their recommended professional home designer in making many of our interior selections, which we valued, although it was not required. The final product was magnificent and we couldn’t have been be happier with the interior and exterior of the house, the landscaping, the outdoor living spaces, the golf pitching hole, and our custom inground pool. Even after we closed, they were attentive to the punch list every new home has.
Our overall experience was excellent from beginning to end, and Dunning Custom Homes delivered what they promised, a beautiful, high quality, custom designed dream home.
We highly recommend them to anyone that wants a high quality custom home, and a personalized, ‘homeowner centered’ building experience.
Quality speaks for itself, and that is exactly what we got, a five star plus experience.
David and Diane BenEliyahu