Last updated on July 8th, 2024 at 05:00 pm
With a deep roster of experienced custom home builders and a low cost of living, Kansas is an ideal place to build the home of your dreams. The U.S. News & World Report ranks Kansas #18 for cost of living and #7 for housing affordability. This literal center of the nation is thus an ideal location for home buyers compared to the rest of the country. Whether you’re looking for a retirement home on a lake or a family home in Wichita, you’ll find plenty of Kansas construction companies willing and able to design and build your new home.
This list is meant to help you sift through the crowd to find just the right home builder for your project. These are the best 15 custom home builders in Kansas — award winners from the state’s many Parades of Homes and firms that build in the best and most popular neighborhoods and developments. These are also the residential builders who construct the most complex and luxurious homes, have the skills and training to handle the largest and most upscale projects, and have earned accreditations and plaudits from local and national home builders associations.
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
15) Fountain City Custom Homes
7030 W. 107th Street, Suite 210, Overland Park, KS 66212
Kansas custom home builder Randy Dalrymple is a highly experienced construction expert with a degree in construction science from Kansas State University. He worked as a project engineer for commercial construction companies before starting his own company. The builder founded Fountain City Custom Homes in 1981 and has since built more than 500 custom homes in Kansas. The company also works on home remodel projects, including kitchens and bathrooms.
Fountain City has embraced green building techniques, building eco-friendly and sustainable homes that are highly efficient and Energy Star rated. The company also builds smart homes with the latest technology and offers custom moldings and interior design services. The company’s interior design head is Terrie Dalrymple, a graduate of the University of Kansas with more than 25 years of experience in residential and commercial design. Fountain City typically builds homes from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, with three to four bedrooms and two to four bathrooms.
14) First Choice Custom Homes
20863 Cottonwood Circle, Spring Hill, KS 66083
In business for some 30 years, First Choice Custom Homes leader John Jamison has a Class A construction license. He is thus one of the few residential contractors in the area who can build or remodel any structure, regardless of the size and cost of the project. This gives First Choice the freedom to take on complex and high-end custom home and remodel projects.
The residential contractor has built and remodeled more than 100 custom homes in greater Kansas City. They also build in Liberty, Kearney, Parkville, Shawnee, and Overland Park, KS. The First Choice team uses advanced green and sustainable materials for its projects and is dedicated to constructing lasting, efficient, and healthy homes. The firm won the 2015 Grand Award from the Kansas City Parade of Homes, as well as the Kansas City Homes & Style Magazine 2016 Top Homes of the Year Award and 2017 Star Award. First Choice is a member of the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City (HBA).
13) B.L. Rieke Custom Homes
14352 W. 96th Terrace, Lenexa, KS 66215
One of the leading custom home builders in greater Kansas City, B.L. Rieke started in 1989 and has since built more than 1,000 homes and won nearly 500 awards for their work. Owned by husband-and-wife custom home building team Bruce and Toni Rieke, the company builds throughout the metro area, as well as in Lawrence, the Lake of the Ozarks, Overland Park, Shawnee, and Lenexa. Bruce Rieke grew up in the residential construction industry. A native of Kansas, he began when he was just a teenager working for his father’s concrete company. Toni Rieke is an award-winning interior designer.
Photo Courtesy of Tony Thompson of Thompson Photography
The new home builder has won many awards from the Kansas City Parade of Homes, including the Grand Award for Pick of the Parade, Distinctive Design Awards, and the 2017 Gold Award for Best Model Home $750k to $1M. B.L. Rieke is a member of the HBA, the Kansas City Area Council, and the NAHB.
12) Don Julian Builders
15521 W. 110th Street, Lenexa, KS 66219
Since 1974, Don Julian Builders has constructed more than 2,000 custom homes throughout greater Kansas City. The custom home builder in Kansas has built long-lasting, elegant, mid- to high-end homes in Lenexa, Falcon Valley, Olathe, Cedar Creek, Overland Park, Chapel Hill, and elsewhere. The company both designs and builds custom homes, and works with each client closely to make sure they get exactly what they want in a new home. From the very first ideas to the gorgeous finished project, Don Julian Builders helps clients with lot selection to choosing windows, doors, and colors, and also helps with interior decorating and landscaping.
The company has long-term relationships with the area’s top subcontractors. Professional Builder Magazine named the company among the top 400 builders in the country. Additionally, Builder Magazine named Don Julian one of the top five builders in the top 50 custom housing markets in the country. A wonderful family home constructed by Don Julian Builders in Overland Park won a Pick of the Parade Award during the 2017 Fall Parade of Homes in Kansas City. The builders at Don Julian have won more than 150 other awards for their work.
11) Forner-La Voy Builders
14009 Reeder Street, Overland Park, KS 66221
Forner-LaVoy Builders started in 2005, when longtime local builder Rick Forner built a home for James La Voy, and the two decided to form a partnership. Forner had been a well-known and respected custom home builder and remodeler in the area since 1994. Before teaming up with Forner, La Voy worked in business management and information technology for Fortune 500 companies.
The company completes custom home and remodeling projects in upscale towns, neighborhoods, and developments, such as Leawood, Overland Park, Olathe, and Loch Lloyd. They specialize in remodeling and revitalizing homes in older Kansas City neighborhoods. Offering a full range of building and remodeling services that include lot prep, foundations, framing, interior finishes, the company builds homes according to sound building science and the dreams and wishes of the client. The construction company builds in an array of styles, including transitional, Old World, mountain, Arts and Crafts, and Mediterranean.
10) Tri-M Construction
7601 S. 103rd Street, East Derby, KS 67037
A family owned and operated custom home builder that has been building in Kansas for more than 40 years, Tri-M Construction works on new homes and remodels throughout the Wichita metro area. They build spacious and beautifully designed homes in some of the area’s top communities and developments, including Cambria, Shadow Rock, Central Park, and The Paddock at 127th.
Miles M. Millspaugh founded the company in 1975, and in the beginning he concentrated on residential and commercial remodeling projects. The company moved into home design and new home building in 1989. Millspaugh’s son, Miles D. Millspaugh, learned the construction trade from his father and became a managing partner in the firm in 1993.
The company’s work has been featured in Splurge Magazine and the Wichita Business Journal. In an effort to build smarter, Tri-M Construction has embraced green building techniques and strives to construct healthy, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient homes. The company helps its clients conserve natural resources by offering Energy Star-rated homes, engineered wood flooring, and energy-efficient furnaces.
9) Braklow Custom Homes
6950 W. 152nd Terrace, Overland Park, KS 66223
Braklow Custom Homes builds high-end residences in upscale neighborhoods throughout the greater Kansas City area. The company’s team has more than 45 years of combined experience in the construction industry and builds custom homes ranging from $600k to more than $2M.
The company’s president and CEO is Jerry Braklow, a Kansas native from Overland Park. Braklow has a degree in international marketing from Kansas State University, and he is currently the Executive Treasurer and Board of Directors Member for the Homebuilders Association of Kansas City. Braklow’s wife, Kristen Summerson Braklow, is the company’s vice president of new home design. She has a degree in marketing from Kansas State University and is a native of Overland Park. A Broker/Real Estate Agent, she has closed more than $220M of residential real estate in the Kansas City area. The company also works on major home remodeling projects in Kansas and is a member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Braklow Custom Homes won the American Dream Award during the HBA’s 2017 Spring Homes Tour.
8) Lambie Custom Homes
8712 W. 151st Street, Overland Park, KS 66221
In 2016 the Kansas City Star stated that Lambie Custom Homes, a well-known and leading Kansas custom home builder, “has become synonymous with quality and personalization.” Jim Lambie started building when he was just a kid, gathering up scrap wood to build a clubhouse. After graduating from Kansas State University, Lambie started out as a remodeler and builder of spec homes.
Now some 40 years later, the company builds sought-after homes throughout greater Kansas City and southern Johnson County. They build homes ranging from mid-$300k to more than $4M in popular towns and neighborhoods, such as Lenexa, Olathe, Prairie Village, and Shawnee Mission. Lambie Custom Homes also builds in upscale and exclusive planned communities where homes start at around $1M, including in Highlands Creek, Loch Lloyd, Meadowbrook Villas, and Prairiefire Villas. The firm has won many local and national awards for its custom home and remodeling projects and is an active member of the HBA.
7) Cornelius Homes
11021 S. Glenview Lane, Olathe, KS 66061
A third-generation custom home builder in Kansas, Kirk Cornelius, owner of Cornelius Custom Homes, grew up around the greater Kansas City construction industry. Cornelius’s grandfather, father, and uncle were all local home builders, and they taught Cornelius how to build the right way. After doing remodeling work for 14 years, most of it with his own hands, Cornelius entered the custom home industry in 1987.
More than 30 years later, he is still a hands-on contractor and is directly involved in every phase of his custom home and remodel projects. He works on high-end projects from $800k to more than $3M and builds in Olathe, throughout Johnson County, and all over greater Kansas City.
Clients have praised the company’s superior workmanship and communication, as well as Cornelius’s construction and design acumen. The company also does major remodels and specializes in home offices, workout rooms, outdoor living spaces, and entertainment areas. Cornelius Homes’ work has been featured in Kansas City Home & Garden and won the magazine’s Home of the Year award in 2011 and 2014.
6) Nies Homes
10333 East 21st Street N, Suite 303, Wichita, KS 67206
Custom home builders in the Wichita area for more than 50 years, Nies Homes was founded by Clifford Nies. It is now run by Cherie Nies-Cowgill, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Nick and Curtis Cowgill are also part of the family-run company. Nies Homes builds custom homes throughout the greater Wichita area, including in Derby and Rose Hill, and in upscale developments such as Emerald Bay and Sandcrest.
Typical of the company’s stunning custom homes is a lakeside project in the Northwest Wichita development The Reserve at Sandcrest. One of many Nies Homes featured on the 2017 annual Wichita Area Builders Association Parade of Homes, the home is located on a ski lake and features a contemporary style and exquisite finishes. The home includes a large kitchen and pantry, a gorgeous master suite, a guest room above the garage, and an office|library. The 4,370-square-foot home has five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms.
5) Willis Custom Homes
6855 W. 151st Terrace, Overland Park, KS 66223
Custom home contractor Willis Custom Homes has been building in Kansas for more than 50 years. The company, which also does remodel work, has constructed custom homes throughout greater Kansas City and Johnson County, KS. Headed by father-and-son team Bob and Patrick Willis, the company works with top area design firms to build contemporary, traditional, and Old World-inspired homes. The company builds in some the area’s best neighborhoods and developments, including Loch Lloyd, Villas of Ironwoods, Tuscany Reserve Village, and Glen Abbey of Leawood.
The firm has won numerous awards from the Kansas City Parade of Homes, including the 2017 Distinctive Plan & Design and Pick of the Parade Gold Awards. An award-winning home was built in The Enclave at Highland Villas, an upscale planned community where Willis Custom Homes is the exclusive builder. The firm has received certifications from the NAHB, including Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist and Certified Green Professional. The Kansas City Business Journal named Willis Custom Homes a Top Area Home Builder, and the company won the prestigious Kansas City Home & Garden Magazine Gold Home of Year Award.
4) Larson Building Company
10346 State Line Road, Leawood, KS 66209
Lance Larson, CEO and president of Larson Building Company, told the Kansas City Star that his firm is dedicated to “unique home designs and distinctive architecture that fit within and maintain the original ambiance and character of the communities in which we build.” The company started as custom home builders in Kansas in 2012. They build large, high-end, luxury custom homes in Kansas City, Leawood, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Westwood Hills, and elsewhere. The company’s homes typically range from $700k to $2M.
Larson is a graduate of the University of Kansas and also owns the development company BenchMark KC that grew from 5 Rental Properties to over 500 in three and a half years. He has won many local awards for his custom homes, including the Parade of Homes Pick of the Parade Grand Award Winner 2013, the American Dream Award First Runner-up 2014, the KCH&G 2014 Home of the Year, the KCH&G Gold Best Model Home over $750,000, the American Dream Award Grand Prize Winner 2015, the American Dream Award Grand Prize Winner 2016, the Parade of Homes Distinctive Plan & Design First Place 2017, and the Parade of Homes Pick of the Parade Gold Award 2017
3) Reed Fuller Construction
14636 S. Halsey Street, Olathe, KS 66062
Reed Fuller has been building distinctive custom homes in Kansas for more than 35 years. Fuller has been in the residential home building industry since he was 18, holding jobs as a subcontractor, framer, and carpenter beforing starting his own company. Even though he has owned his firm for more than three decades, he still pays attention to every detail of his new builds and remodel projects.
The company has won numerous awards from the popular annual Kansas City Parade of Homes, including Pick of the Parade in 1995, 1998, 2009, 2017, and First Place in Distinctive Plan & Design in 2017. Kansas City Home & Garden Magazine awarded the company a Gold Remodel of the Year in 2014, as well as the Judges Pick Award for Whole House $600k-plus.
Fuller works on new home and remodeling projects throughout Kansas, including in greater Kansas City, Overland Park, and Spring Hill. He is a member of the NAHB and the HBA Kansas City. Happy clients of Reed Fuller Construction have noted the team’s easy-going attitude, honesty, flexibility, pride, and workmanship.
2) Robert Montgomery Homes
| 4204 W. 124th Street, Leawood, KS 66209
A custom home builder in Kansas since 1977, Robert Montgomery is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture. Montgomery builds large, complex custom homes and remodels throughout Kansas and Missouri. While he often designs the homes he builds, Montgomery has worked with some the Kansas City area’s top architecture firms, including Staats Prelogar & Jones, Piper-Wind Architects, and Frederick S. Truog & Associates.
A highly skilled and educated builder, Montgomery offers a full range of architectural and construction services. He uses his deep knowledge of the often unseen elements of building — such as elevation, frontage, orientation, drainage, and soil conditions — to help clients choose the perfect lot for their custom home. Montgomery is an NAHB Certified Graduate Builder, Certified Master Builder, and Certified Green Professional. The construction company regularly builds large, elegant homes with European, French, and Georgian influences, as well as working in the traditional, Colonial, and contemporary styles.
1) J.S. Robinson Fine Homes
8325-D Monticello Road, Shawnee Mission, KS 66227
Custom home contractor J.S. Robinson Fine Homes won Kansas City Home & Style Magazine’s 2018 Top Homes of Year Award and has nine homes featured in the the 2018 Kansas City Spring Parade of Homes. The company builds mid- to high-end homes in some of the Kansas City metro area’s best towns and neighborhoods, such as Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, and Overland Park. The company also builds new homes in many of the area’s more recent developments, including Bristol Ridge, Ridgestone Meadows, and Melrose Reserve. They have been building new custom homes in greater Kansas City for more than 30 years and typically work on projects ranging from $300k to more than $1M.
Led by Owner and President Jeff Robinson, the team at J.S. Robinson Fine Homes has more than 100 years of combined experience in the construction industry. The company has a newly renovated design center with an interior designer on staff. Their mission is to provide people amazing home site and plan design options, an amazing building process and an amazing customer service program. They accomplish this through their uniquely talented team that empowers people to deliver their best, consistently creating the most outstanding value and overall customer experience imaginable. They believe that the greatest gift is being able to help people and contribute fully and we are grateful every day for this opportunity. Robinson has served on the board of HBA Kansas City and the NAHB. Many of the partner subcontractors have been with the company for more than 20 years.
How can I find a home builder near me?
Read our latest articles on the best custom home builders across Kansas. If you don’t see your city below, just let us know – we are happy to create a tailored recommendation list just for you.
Custom home builders in Wichita
General Contractors in Wichita
About Our Rankings
This list takes a range of ranking criteria into consideration, including but not limited to: work history, customer satisfaction, awards and recognition, geographic area of work, cost, building permits, and clientele. We spent over 40 hours researching local contractors before calculating the final ranking for this post. If there is additional information about your business that could affect these rankings, please fill out this form and we will take it into consideration.
Get Bids For Your Build
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
