The Best Custom Home Builders in Utah

Last updated on May 27th, 2024 at 01:53 pm

Utah is a magnificently diverse state, featuring a sophisticated urban and suburban setting in and around Salt Lake City. It also has ski resorts, mountain hideaways, and mild high-desert stretches with some of the most amazing natural scenery on earth. With all this land to choose from, it might be hard to decide exactly where to build your luxury custom home in the Beehive State. One thing that likely won’t be difficult is finding a top-notch custom home contractor.

Utah has a deep roster of high-quality custom home builders with the knowledge, skills, and experience to build any project, whether it’s a green-built urban castle in Salt Lake or a ski-resort mansion perched on a mountain in Park City. This list of the top 15 custom home builders in Utah features firms that have built the largest and most complex homes, earned sought-after certifications and academic credentials, and acquired features in the annual Parade of Homes sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Utah (HBAU) and its many local affiliates.

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) Huish Construction

PO Box 587, Riverton, UT 84065

Founded by construction industry veteran Bret Wright, Huish Constructions builds distinctive residences throughout Salt Lake, Davis, Summit, Wasatch, and Utah counties. One of the firm’s best projects, “Pushkar – The Blue Lotus,” in South Jordan’s upscale McKee Farms, was featured in the HBAU 2017 Salt Lake Parade of Homes.

The charming, two-story, 7,916-square-foot home has an exterior of cedar and white limestone with black iron windows. Inside are seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, and amazing views of the Wasatch Mountains. A stylish mixture of Prairie, modern, and contemporary elements, the home was designed according to traditional Hindu concept of “Vastu Shastra,” an integrative architectural system from India.

The Utah custom home builder also had its wonderful, 6,048-square-foot rambler-style home in Draper, UT, featured in the 2017 Salt Lake Parade of Homes. Constructed of adobe with stone and brick exteriors, the home really shows off what the contractor can do. It includes a glass front door, vaulted ceilings, a custom fireplace, and an amazing master suite with a walk-in shower and tub.

14) Davies Design Build

240 N. 1200 East, Suite 201, Lehi, UT 84043

A leading Utah residential contractor, Davies Design Build has never built the same house twice in its more than 45 years in the industry. The highly respected new home builder and remodeler builds unique structures designed and built around the client’s singular lifestyle, passions, and dreams. The firm is led by Principal Edward Axley, a graduate of Brigham Young University. Davies designs and builds custom homes in Alpine, Eagle Mountain, Highland, Lehi, Orem, and throughout the Utah Valley in the north-central part of the state.

The firm received the UVHB 2015 Builder of the Year Award and has won numerous awards in the area’s annual Parade of Homes. These include the 2017 People’s Choice Platinum Award for Best Floor Plan and Gold Award for Favorite Home, Silver Award for Best Kitchen, and Silver Best Award for Interior Design. The company also constructs high-end, luxury, multi-family units in Salt Lake City.

13) Black Dog Builders

PO Box 982755, Park City, UT 84098

This Utah contractor builds well-designed, eco-luxury homes in Park City and Salt Lake City. Black Dog Builders was founded in 2005 by Todd Evans, former chairman of Build Green Utah and former president of the Park City Area Home Builders Association (PCAHBA). Evans is also an NAHB Certified Green Professional and a graduate of the University of Utah. He started out doing small jobs in his teens, worked for a Utah developer after college, and was for many years a partner in the Salt Lake City firm Boardwalk Remodeling and Design.

With a team of about 40 home building professionals, Black Dog builds beautiful and efficient residential, commercial, and remodel projects in Silver Lakes, Deer Valley, Silver Springs, and Brown’s Canyon — where they recently built one of their best homes. The sleek, contemporary home east of Park City features active solar panels that run a boiler, which creates radiant heat beneath the stained concrete floors.

12) Craig Construction

6415 N. Business Park Loop Road, Unit O, Park City, UT 84098

Based in Park City, this Utah firm specializes in luxury mountain golf properties and ski homes. Craig Construction builds one-of-a-kind resort properties and ski-in|ski-out homes in the upscale neighborhoods of Park City, including Promontory, The Colony, and Eagle Point. A design-build firm, Craig Construction takes clients from the first sketches and ideas to the finished project. Founded by President Don Craig, the company has longstanding relationships with the best craftsmen, designers, and artisans in the Park City area, and they know how to build beautiful mountain homes for those who love the high-country slopes.

The firm’s portfolio features a series of contemporary mountain stunners. One particularly elegant home in Promontory has three separate, complementary structures connected by glass-lined walkways, each with a sloped roof, huge windows, and warm interiors with sandstone dividers and dark wood ceilings.

11) Big Canyon Homes

1925 S. West Hoytsville Road, Wanship, UT 84017

Big Canyon Homes builds luxury properties in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and elsewhere. The firm has constructed innovative and eye-catching residences, more than 10 of which have appeared on the Salt Lake City, Park City, and Northern Utah Parades of Homes. Big Canyon has also received Best of Architecture and Best of Show Awards for homes over $1M from the Salt Lake City Parade of Homes. Working from referrals on about 15 to 20 projects per year, the company has long-term relationships with its subcontractors and design partners.

Paul Berman started the company in 1995 after working for many years as a superintendent for a masonry company. The Utah builder has worked on luxury homes with several local designers, including Park City Architecture, which was named among the Top 100 Mountain Architects by Mountain Living Magazine. Big Canyon works with its clients throughout the project, including helping them find the right lot in The Colony or one of the other upscale exclusive Park City neighborhoods in which the company builds.

10) J2 Construction

Saint George, UT 84770

Custom home builders in Utah have embraced the green-building movement, but few have done so at the level of Jake Joines, founder and owner of J2 Construction in St. George, UT. Formerly in construction management at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Joines founded J2 Construction in 2005. He has since built several NAHB-certified green homes in Southern Utah and is an NAHB-Certified Master Green Builder. Joines won the 2015 Best in Green Young Professional of the Year Award. He also received the UHBA’s Green Build Home of The Year Award and Remodel Home of the Year Award, as well as the EcoHome Grand Award.

Joines has a master’s degree in construction management from Arizona State University. The company has built more than 50 projects in the Saint George area, including in Ivins and Kayenta. They work mainly on referrals from happy clients. A gorgeous, 3,779-square-foot modern home the company recently built in Kayenta was featured in the 2018 St. George Area Parade of Homes.

9) Ezra Lee Design + Build

4601 N. Toscana Hills Drive, Lehi, UT 84043

Residential contractors since 2010, Ezra Lee Design + Build offers innovative and stylish architecture, construction, and interior design services throughout the greater Salt Lake City area and Utah. The home builder has won many awards from the state’s various Parades of Homes, including the Utah Valley Parade of Homes Judge’s Choice Award 1st Place 2016 and 2017; the Utah Valley People’s Choice Award 2016; the Salt Lake Parade of Homes Best Interior 2016; and the Salt Lake Parade of Homes Best Architecture 2016.

Working in an exciting blend of styles, from organic and modern to contemporary and mountain, Ezra Lee has created some of the most eye-catching homes in the state. The company’s 2017 entry in the Utah Valley Parade of Homes is typical of the sleek, elegant beauty and high-end details they bring to every new home project. Constructed in the Orem area, the 8,798-square-foot, $1.8M contemporary home features an open concept with barrier-free indoor-outdoor spaces, including a pool, ball court, and climbing wall. Built with organic materials, clean lines, and a family-friendly concept, the home has expansive views of the mountains, six bedrooms, and five full bathrooms.

8) Hess Construction

3530 South 6000 West, West Valley City, UT 84128

Founded by Arden Hess more than 30 years ago, Hess Construction is a family-run construction company that builds new homes and remodeling projects in Salt Lake City, Park City, and elsewhere in Utah. The Utah firm has offices in Salt Lake and Park City, with Nick Hess in charge of the Park City arm. They also work on commercial projects throughout the area. The company is a member of the Park City Area Home Builders Association (PCHBA), the HBAU, NAHB, Build Green Utah, and The Green Building Association.

Hess Construction won the Utah Builders Award of Excellence for the Park City Area. Satisfied clients of Hess Construction regularly note the company’s technical abilities and creativity. They are also praised for their high-quality and cutting-edge materials, and their ability finish highly demanding jobs, such as building on mountainsides and installing elevators in homes. In addition to building high-end, luxury new homes, the firm regularly takes on major house remodel projects. They have had homes featured on the Park City Parade of Homes.

7) Highland Custom Homes

395 S Main St #108, Alpine, UT 84004

Highland Custom Homes works throughout the Utah Valley, and the team has more than 40 years of combined experience in the industry. They have won both a Judge’s Choice Award and People’s Choice Awards from the Utah Valley Parade of Homes. Highland is a partnership between longtime industry veteran Matt Yeates and BYU graduate Kenny Anderson. Anderson spent many years in real estate sales and development before moving into high-end, luxury home building. The team builds new homes in Alpine, Draper, Heber, Park City, Salt Lake City, and throughout Utah.

The firm’s 2018 entry in the Utah Valley Parade of Homes is, according to Anderson, “a true representation of the type of homes we create for each of our clients.” The 9,000-square-foot home in Alpine, called “Chateau d’Elegance,” has five bedrooms and three bathrooms and is priced at about $1.5M. The gorgeous, French-inspired home features a grand master suite with a passageway to a laundry room and salon studio. It also boasts a large entertainment space in the basement that’s reached by sliding down an interior tube. You can view more of their projects here.

6) McEwan Custom Homes

PO Box 1265, American Fork, UT 84003

Before opening McEwan Custom Homes, President Matt McEwan worked for a Utah builder and completed his bachelor’s degree in building construction management. The firm constructs beautiful luxury properties throughout the Utah Valley, including in Alpine, Draper, Lehi, Orem, and Provo. The company’s projects feature stylish home designs and exquisite high-end details. A member of the UVHBA and NAHB, the American Fork-based firm has an A+ rating from the BBB.

The company has won numerous People’s Choice Awards from the UVHBA Parade of Homes, and they sustained a five-year streak of wins from 2011 to 2015. The company also had a home featured on the 2017 Park City Area Showcase of Homes. McEwan’s gorgeous homes are often over 10,000 square feet and feature magnificent materials and details. The award-winning home the company showed on the 2014 Utah Valley Parade of Homes, which won the People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice Awards, has more than 16,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and 10-and-a-half bathrooms.

5) Midway Construction

599 North Main Street, Heber City, UT 84032

Residential contractors in Park City and the Heber Valley, Midway Construction was founded by Jeff Hill in 1995. The company builds huge, complex, and seriously upscale ski-resort and luxury homes in the many exclusive neighborhoods and developments in the Park City area. The company is perhaps best known for constructing the “Ski Magazine Dream House,” a $21.9M showplace in the resort development of Deer Crest, right near Little Baldy Peak and just a few steps away from a ski run.

The 14,000-square-foot, ski-resort mansion is the ultimate dream house for every skier who loves to relax in luxury after the slopes. The home has six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and heated wrap-around decks. There’s also a heated pool with a grotto and waterfall, a huge hot tub, an outdoor bar and firepit, a sauna, steam room, bar, dance floor, and movie theater. And of course they didn’t skimp on the details, like jaw-dropping Brazilian walnut floors and an African mahogany staircase.

4) Jaffa Group

1960 Sidewinder Drive, Suite 101, Park City, UT 84060

Founded in 1994 by a father-and-son design-build team, Jaffa Group has constructed more than 100 luxury homes in the Park City area. Utah custom home builders Richard and Scott Jaffa have more than 85 years of combined experience in the industry.

CEO and Lead Architect Scott Jaffa is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and is an NAHB Certified Green Professional. He has a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Florida and spent a year studying the craft in Vicenza, Italy. Director of Operations and general contractor Richard Jaffa, also a Certified Green Professional, has more than 50 years of experience in the construction industry and has worked on upwards of 3,000 homes. He has served on the board of directors for the NAHB, the HBAU, and the Park City Homes Builders Association. The Jaffa Group’s stunning contemporary mountain homes have been featured far and wide, including in Dwell, Utah Style & Design, and The Wall Street Journal.

3) Markay Johnson Construction

PO Box 708330, Sandy, UT 84070

Among builders in Utah, Markay Johnson stands out as a thoughtful and artistic craftsman and designer. Johnson has more than 30 years of experience designing and building high-end residential, commercial, and retail construction projects. The company has an A+ rating with the BBB and serves greater St. George, Southern Utah, and Park City. The firm also builds in California and Florida. Johnson’s wife, Ashley Johnson, joined the firm in 2001 as a designer.

The construction company regularly enters homes in the St. George Area Parade of Homes, including a 2018 masterpiece called “The Bison.” The 5,004-square-foot, $1.8M home is in The Ledges, an upscale golf community near St. George. Perhaps its most dramatic element is its foundation, which was chiseled beneath the famous Southern Utah sandstone bedrock to become a permanent part of the landscape. The deluxe, high-desert home also has a sloped metal roof, exposed steel beams, wood ceilings and floors, natural stone walls, and an amazing outdoor space with kitchen, fireplace, and swimming pool.

2) Brian Geer Development & Construction

144 W. Brigham Road, Building E, St. George, UT 84790

Brian Geer builds beautiful, efficient custom luxury homes throughout Southern Utah that are integrated with the area’s extraordinary natural surroundings and year-round climate. Geer started building in Utah in 1994 after working as a general contractor in California for 16 years. He’s an NAHB Certified Green Professional, is Energy Star Certified, and has an A+ rating from the BBB. The residential contractor is an active member of the Southern Utah Home Builders Association (SUHBA) and has participated in the St. George Area Parade of Homes every year since 1998.

The builder’s 2017 entry is typical of Geer’s stylish homes, many of which seem to meld with the strange red cliffs that surround them. The 2,626-square-foot, modern-style home is set within the Encanto Resort, a golf community in Ivins, UT. The home features large windows throughout and stunning views of the red rocks and golf course. The master bedroom has a fireplace, and a en-suite bathroom is equipped with a soaking tub and walk-in shower.

1) Magleby Construction

1291 West Center Street, Lindon, UT 84042

Based in suburban Salt Lake, Magleby Construction has twice been named NAHB National Custom Home Builder of the Year, most recently in 2016. The highly skilled team of contractors build upscale estate homes and planned communities throughout greater Salt Lake City. The builder also serves the Wood River Valley in Idaho, including Sun Valley and Ketchum.

Paul Magleby founded the company in 1974 and eventually won a Lifetime Achievement Award from HBAU. The home builder is now led by his son, President and CEO Chad Magleby. A graduate of BYU’s construction management program, Chad worked for a large regional home builder in Georgia before returning to Magleby and moving up from project manager to president in 2011. He is an NAHB Certified Green Professional and Certified Graduate Builder. Magleby Construction has won numerous awards from the HBAU, including 2017 Excellence Awards for Best Custom Luxury Home of the Year and Best Interior Design. The firm also won the 2014 and 2015 Green Build Home of the Year Award.

How can I find a home builder near me?

Read our latest articles on the best custom home builders across Utah. If you don’t see your city below, just let us know – we are happy to create a tailored recommendation list just for you.

The Best Custom Home Builders in Salt Lake City

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.

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