Best Custom Home Builders in New Jersey

Last updated on August 7th, 2024 at 02:13 am

Building a custom home is a significant investment, and finding the right contractor in New Jersey is crucial for turning your dream into reality. With project costs ranging from $100,000 to $550,000 and sometimes up to $800,000, partnering with a skilled and reliable custom home builder ensures that every detail of your vision is executed flawlessly. The cost per square foot averages $189.95, reflecting the high-quality craftsmanship required for custom homes in this competitive market.

New Jersey, home to a population of 9.262 million and a median home value of $441,000, offers a diverse and vibrant real estate landscape. Building a custom home can take up to 17 months, making it essential to choose a contractor to manage the project’s complexity and keep everything on track. With 132 custom home builders in the state, finding the right one can be overwhelming, but it’s a critical step to avoid costly delays and ensure a smooth construction process.

This article will introduce you to some of the best custom home builders in New Jersey. These contractors have been selected for their expertise, reliability, and impressive portfolios. Whether you’re looking to build a modern urban home or a sprawling suburban estate, these builders have the skills and experience to bring your vision to life. Choosing the right custom home builder is the key to creating a home that reflects your unique style and meets your highest expectations.

Overview: Best Custom Home Builders in New Jersey

See Ranking Methodology at the bottom of this article to learn more.

Merrick Construction

524 Prospect Avenue, Little Silver, NJ 07739 

Timothy Merrick Cross was born and raised in Middletown, NJ. In 1989, after graduating high school, he made his childhood dream of being a professional home builder come true by opening Merrick Construction. It was in the middle of a recession that hit the custom home market in New Jersey especially hard.

From the start, Cross promised the affluent clients in Little Silver that he would be the most “highly detailed” residential contractor. He assembled a team that included licensed architects and interior designers to make good on that promise through the years. The payoff has been huge. His firm’s name is synonymous with affluent homes that easily command price tags of $5M. One of the top home builders in New Jersey, the studio was part of the Remodeling Magazine Big 50 2002.

Cross and his team build throughout the ultra-rich areas of Atlantic Highlands, Avon-by-the-Sea, Holmdel, Little Silver, and Rumson. Press coverage has been local and national, with numerous features in Remodeling Magazine and The Journal of Light Construction. The firm’s awards have been Remodeling Magazine’s Big 50 Winner and a Guild Master Award for customer service.

Joseph Di Staulo Homes

196 Vaccaro Drive, Cresskill, NJ 07626 

The current owner of this Cresskill-based residential construction company learned the construction trade from his dad, Joseph Di Staulo, who established the original company. After Joseph Jr. received his Bachelor of Science cum laude in Construction Engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University, he worked alongside his dad, learning every phase of the business. By 1989, Joseph Sr. handed the company over to his son, who has run it solo since 2001. Since then, the firm has opened another office in Alpine, one of the wealthiest counties in the country. Best known as one of the leading custom home builders in New Jersey, the studio holds a Business of Home feature.

Custom builds by Di Staulo’s team often appear in the local press, where they’ve been praised for setting the standard for luxury in the Garden State. A spread in Classic Properties featured a mansion by Joseph Di Staulo Homes in Rio Vista. The home’s 23,765 square feet of living space is spread over three levels with 12-foot ceilings. It includes two wardrobe rooms adjoining the master suite, six fireplaces, a ballroom, a grand gallery, a main reception room, formal and informal dining rooms, a chef’s kitchen, a gymnasium, and an elevator.

Alliotts Construction

1 Alliotts Place, Palisades Park, NJ 07650 

Close to 100 years ago, Italian-born Charles Alliotts opened a one-person plumbing and heating business in Palisades Park, NJ. Three generations and one or two overhauls later, that company is building custom homes that sell for up to $20M. Charles’s grandson, Kevin Alliotts, took over in 1980, along with Kevin’s dad, Frank. The two reworked the business model, focusing on high-end residential home building.

Within ten years, Alliotts Construction had built over 100 custom dwellings in affluent Bergen County. One of those was for Major League Baseball player CC Sabathia. The French neoclassic but modern home, spread out in Architectural Digest, included a full-service salon with his-and-hers shampoo bowls. It also featured a basketball court, a trophy room, a room-sized aquarium, and a theater with a ceiling that used fiber-optic lights to portray the birth constellations for family members. Construction by this custom builder in New Jersey often appears on any list of “the rich and famous” homes. Alliotts and team work throughout Norwood, Palisades Park, Fort Lee, Cresskill, and Alpine.

Grant Homes

1 E. Main Street, Mendham, NJ 07945 

Custom builds by this nationally acclaimed contractor often run up to 10,000 square feet. The homes always appear in the state’s ritziest neighborhoods throughout Basking Ridge, Bedminster, Peapack, Mountain Lakes, and Mendham. Founder and Owner Jay Grant started the company after graduating from Tulane University.

Grant, who comes from a family of builders, wrote “Grant on Building” — a monthly column in Residential Design & Build magazine. He is also active in the home-building industry, as the past executive officer and president of the Community Builders Association of New Jersey (CBANJ). Since 1990, he has been affiliated with the MBCANJ and the NAHB 20 Club. Among the leading New Jersey custom home builders, Grant was featured in a The New York Times interview.

Grant was named to Home Builder Executive Magazine’s Top 100 list. Residential Design & Build magazine has named Grant Homes one of the best design-build contractors in the US. The firm’s over 25 awards include Best Single Family Home of the Year from CBANJ. Areas served include Mendham, Morristown, Princeton, Peapack, and Bedminster.

Jack Finn & Company Building Contractors

105 Grove Street, Montclair, NJ 07042 

Jack Finn & Company Building Contractors has been based in Montclair’s trendy Essex County hub for four decades. The team includes a CFO, three project managers, and seven full-time carpenters. Project Manager Ken received a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from Virginia Tech. Lance, also a project manager, received his bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering and Computer Aided Drafting & Designing (CADD) from Trine University’s Allen School of Engineering. Added to this mix of credentials are founder Jack Finn’s decades of local home-building experience.

The New Jersey custom home builder has received the US Green Building Council (GBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. Recognitions include the 2012 Downtown NJ Excellence Gold Award Winner for Built Projects. Projects by the firm have been featured in the New York Times, Montclair Magazine, and The Montclair Times. Among the renowned New Jersey custom home builders, it also has a Design NJ feature. A luxurious Florham Park estate featured a gated, heated motor court and pool pavilion with a stone fireplace. A Mediterranean Villa in Upper Montclair has 2-inch, white oak, engineered end grain wood floors. This builder works throughout Montclair, Florham Park, Short Hills, Glen Ridge, and Essex Fells.

Fallone

3322 Route 22 West, Suite 1401, Branchburg, NJ 08876 

Fallone has been a bulwark of the Hunterdon and Somerset County residential construction business for almost 70 years. The firm is still run by the Fallone family. Many of its clients are the children and grandchildren of the families who first retained the company to build their custom homes. One of the top home builders in New Jersey, the studio proudly holds an NAHB membership.

The company builds in the upscale neighborhoods of Tewksbury, Branchburg, Flemington, Lebanon, and Bedminster and is currently building estates in several towns of Somerset County. The new homes are between 3,500 and 4,100 square feet. Prices start over $900k, but most go well over $1M. All feature 9-foot ceilings on the lower level, master suites with walk-outs, private covered porches, media rooms, and libraries.

Fallone has been consistently recognized for outstanding construction. In 2017, it received the Award of Excellence from the Metropolitan Builders and Contractors Association of New Jersey (MBCANJ) and Best Custom Home from the NJBA. In 2015, it received two awards from the MBCANJ for Best Single Family Home.

Gambrick Builders

859 Arnold Avenue, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742 

John Mazzucca founded this firm in the heart of Jersey Shore turf. Less than five years later, Gambrick Builders became known among the state’s upper crust for creating estates that cost up to $5M. Among the leading custom home builders in New Jersey, the most notable are Mazzucca’s oceanfront builds in the ultrarich Ocean and Monmouth County communities of Rumson, Belmar, Red Bank, Avon-by-the-Sea, and Lake Como. 

Typical of this construction company’s builds is a resort-like home in Rumson that overlooks the Navesink River. Special features include arched Marvin doors surrounded by white stucco, a covered patio with custom-built arches and tapered columns, and a custom stone fire pit. Monmouth County’s 8,500-square-foot estate boasts a stucco-and-stone finish with Timberline shingles, coffered ceilings, an elevator, and a covered patio with an inground pool and fireplace.

Much of the firm’s business comes from repeat customers. Its client list includes some of the state’s most prestigious architects. Mazzucca is a member of the NAHB and part of the NAHB Builder 20 Club.

D.L. Miner Construction & Property Management

11 Clermont Drive, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 

This custom builder in New Jersey is known for its bayfront classics and stunning beachfront luxury homes. Don Miner started the business with one truck. Today, the firm has two locations and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It is also a registered builder and home improvement contractor with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (NJDCA).

Over the past 37 years, the company has built over 450 luxury homes, mostly throughout the upscale areas. Five years ago, Brian Stuart took over as president. Stuart is a University of Delaware graduate who then worked for a large developer in Florida. He has been with D.L. Miner for 20 years this month. He serves on the Zoning Board in Wildwood Crest and is active in the local community.

Among the most picked New Jersey custom home builders, the company’s homes have been featured in House & Home and Design New Jersey. In 2016, the firm completed work on a wood-shingled Jersey Shore home that was named on Philly Magazine’s “The Best of Philly 2016.” In 2020, they were featured in an Today’s Builder TV Show episode showcasing D.L. Miner’s high-quality and custom building process.  

Schaeffer Family Homes

432 Kelley Drive, Suite F, West Berlin, NJ 08091 

Several generations of the Schaeffer family have spent 60 years running this Camden County custom home builder. Thomas Schaeffer Sr. learned the construction trade while serving in the US Army during World War II. Schaeffer schooled his son, Tim Schaeffer, in the same craft, and the two began building custom residences in southern New Jersey. Tim passed his dad’s lessons on to his son Jason, who did construction work during college and graduate school. Jason now serves as president of Schaeffer Family Homes.

One of the most preferred New Jersey custom home builders, the Schaeffer team’s work receives much local press in Atlantic and Ocean counties. The team includes a land specialist who helps clients find suitable lots and helps with land acquisitions. The firm’s achievements have been recognized with a long list of awards, such as a 2016 Guildmaster Award Winner, 2013 Builder of the Year from the Building League of South Jersey (BLSJ), numerous Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence awards for Best Home, and the 2004 Builder of Integrity Award from Quality Builders Warranty Corporation (QBWC).  

Ranking Methodology

To evaluate the performance of contractors, our methodology employs a systematic approach that considers various factors contributing to customer experience and satisfaction. We focused on assessing the custom home builders in the New Jersey area. The methodology involves assigning weightings to specific categories based on their significance in determining customer service quality. Here’s the breakdown of the categories and their respective weightings:

• Average Customer Satisfaction (35%): This metric represents the average rating given by customers across the same review platforms as the Average Customer Satisfaction Score. A higher average rating indicates greater overall satisfaction with the service provided.
• Service Rating Score (25%): We analyze the ratio of high (4-5 stars) to low (1-2 stars) ratings for each business across multiple review platforms: Google, Houzz, and Yelp. A higher percentage of positive reviews contributes to a higher score, reflecting better customer satisfaction.
• Complaint Percentage (25%): We analyze the ratio of complaints to total reviews for each business. A lower complaints ratio indicates better service quality and results in a higher score.
• Business Hours and Availability (10%): The operating hours of each business are assessed to gauge accessibility. Companies with extended operating hours are awarded a higher score, as they offer greater convenience to customers.
• License Status (5%): We verify the licensing status of each contractor with their local licensing board to ensure legal compliance. Companies with valid licenses receive a higher score, reflecting professionalism and adherence to regulations.
• Total Score: We determined the overall rating for every contractor by calculating a weighted average, with the category weight determining the amount the subscore contributed to the total score 

Additional Note: Service Rating Score, Average Customer Satisfaction, and Complaint Percentage are calculated with a Bayesian estimate to account for if the contractor has a low number of total reviews. A Bayesian average is a statistical method used to calculate the average of a set of data points while taking into account prior information or beliefs about the distribution of the data. It combines the observed data with a prior distribution to generate a more accurate estimate of the true average.