Last updated on July 8th, 2024 at 04:51 pm
Known for its mountainous landscapes and outdoor recreation areas, Idaho is home to some of the country’s most enchanting scenery and environments. Given that its capital rests in the breathtaking Rocky Mountain foothills, homes here are often reminiscent of classic chalets and elegant craftsman-inspired houses.
After looking carefully at some of the state’s best custom home builders, and taking into consideration client reviews, media accolades, and project portfolios, this list compiles and ranks 15 firms behind some of Idaho’s most beautiful homes.
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) Dennis Kavanagh Construction
200 8th St. E, Ketchum, ID 83340
Known for its luxurious jewel-box homes and beautiful mountain chalets, Dennis Kavanagh Construction has been extending its services throughout Blaine County for two decades. The firm is led by its founder and namesake, whose leadership emphasizes the importance of innovative and cost-effective building solutions. The team uses the latest technology to streamline the firm’s process: software keeps all of its clients up to date with schedules, a project’s progress, and billings. Each of the firm’s job sites also has high-speed wireless internet access installed to ensure that its clients, architects, and subcontractors have an easy, open line of communication available at all times. Having been in the industry for several years, it has also secured relationships with some of the area’s best architects and subcontractors. As a matter of fact, its high tech approach and excellent communication process have enabled the firm to work with several leading architects and firms from San Francisco and Boston.
The firm’s portfolio showcases an extensive array of designs. As previously mentioned, it is perhaps best known for its box homes and chalets, but also completes beautifully crafted contemporary farmhouses and ranch inspired homes. The firm has its own in-house cabinet shop, which offers both custom cabinetry and millwork for each of its projects, making each home it takes on more personal. Its experienced craftsmen have worked on a vast range of custom features, from elegant winding staircases to intricate, tailored furniture.
14) Northern Construction
1250 E Iron Eagle Dr. #300, Eagle, ID 83616
With over three decades of experience, Northern Construction is a custom home builder that has earned numerous Parade of Homes accolades. Its award-winning portfolio showcases an extensive array of sprawling modern homes, French estates, lake houses, inviting colonial mansions, and Tudor-inspired homes. It also offers its clients custom furnishing, lighting, and accessories through its showroom in Eagle. With the firm’s very own in-house design center, clients can consult designers for any specific features that they may have in mind. The firm also offers real estate lots for potential clients seeking the best neighborhood for their dream home.
Take a look at the following award-winning project. For this home, its design team made use of a classic blue and white color palette, topped with stucco exteriors, clean lines, and high ceilings.
13) Paradigm Construction
1301 E State St., Eagle, ID 83616
Paradigm Construction Company was founded in 2000 by Jim Larkin and Matt Knickrehm, two friends who got their start in the industry framing houses together while they were still in high school. After earning his college degree, Larkin established one of the area’s premier framing firms. Eventually, Larkin reconnected with Knickrehm, and together they created Paradigm Construction. Since then, the two have secured the firm as one of the area’s top high-end custom home builders. The firm has earned numerous Parade of Homes awards, most in the Best Overall category, and they have had the privilege of being named as the exclusive builder of some of the area’s best neighborhoods.
The firm has built a wide array of architectural styles, as you can see in its portfolio which showcases a variety of Mediterranean and modern inspired homes. The project depicted here gives you a glimpse of the former. This gorgeous villa uses a classic and neutral palette paired with traditional European elements such as marble pillars and stucco finishes.
12) Thompson Homes
1970 E Handel Ct., Meridian, ID 83646
Having over 50 years of experience and numerous Parade of Homes distinctions, Thompson Homes has secured a solid reputation for itself as one of the area’s leading custom home design-build firms. It is a Registered Master Builder and has been recognized for its exterior and interior architecture, superior finish work, fine attention to detail, personalized customer services, and its overall High Performance structural and energy building methods. Thompson Homes is now led by its second generation of builders with Jeff Thompson at its helm. He is a proud recipient of the 2013 Builder of Integrity Award, which aims to recognize excellence in customer service management and top-of-the-line construction services. He oversees every construction aspect of each project and is the firm’s chief architectural designer.
Under his leadership, the firm has become known for its architecture and quality of build. Its portfolio contains, traditional, Mediterranean, transitional, modern, farmhouse, craftsman, and modern farmhouse inspired homes. The following project is a good example and illustrates the team’s attention to detail. For this home, Thompson designers took extra measures to work on intricate finishes and custom millwork.
11) Alturas Homes
500 E Shore Dr. Suite #100, Eagle, ID 83616
Headquartered in Eagle, Alturas Homes offers a full range of custom and semi-custom home building services throughout Treasure Valley. Although it is best known for its excellent communities, the firm also builds on privately owned lots and provides its clients with highly customizable floor plans, which they can personalize in collaboration with the firm’s very own in-house architects and interior designers. The firm is also willing to work with outsourced architects, especially for clients with specific architects in mind. All Alturas homes come with a one-year limited warranty, which covers an initial walkthrough and a 30-day “punch list.” The firm is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and has been recognized with several Parade of Homes Awards for its work throughout its years in business.
Alturas’ portfolio displays a wide array of designs. From quaint craftsman inspired homes to elegant farmhouses and traditionally-built homes, the firm’s gallery depicts its team’s excellent woodwork and skill for stucco exteriors.
10) Todd Campbell Custom Homes
2560 N Stokesberry Pl., Meridian, ID 83646
Since its establishment in 2000, Todd Campbell Custom Homes has been setting design and housing trends all throughout Treasure Valley with its cutting edge homes and beautiful architecture. It is the proud recipient of numerous awards from several industry associations, in addition to accolades from the area’s annual Parade of Homes. The firm has been recognized as one of Boise’s most innovative developers and has been distinguished for its master suites, exteriors, and kitchens. The firm is also known for its real estate development expertise: it’s behind some of the area’s best communities. It is led by its namesake Todd, a third-generation builder who personally oversees each project that the firm takes on. Under his leadership, the company has established a reputation for its innovative home plans and is affiliated with prestigious organizations like the NAHB, Idaho’s Building Contractors Association (BCA), and the BCA of Southwest Idaho.
The firm primarily constructs and designs traditional and craftsman inspired homes, with its work often distinguished by its team’s excellent woodwork and fine attention to detail. The following project best depicts its expertise. For this home, it opted for several stucco finishes and a small dormer window to complement the home’s gabled roofs.
9) Ted Mason Signature Homes
1883 Wildwood Ave., Boise, ID 83713
Ted Mason offers its services throughout some of the best communities in Southern Idaho from Boise to Star and all across Treasure Valley. It is known for its award-winning home designs and its specialization for an extensive range of architectural styles. From timeless and elegant craftsman inspired homes to rustic bungalows and traditional farmhouses, the firm is currently the mind behind the homes of La Miranda, Hazelwood Village, Heritage Gardens, and Lake Pointe. Ted Mason has built a strong reputation for itself for its patio homes and smaller custom home projects, all of which are personalized from the ground up. Additionally, the firm maintains memberships with vital industry organizations such as that of the NAHB and adheres to green building regulations set by bodies like EnergyStar. All of its homes also meet satisfactory HERS index ratings, meaning its homes are all highly energy efficient.
Given this extensive background, it comes as no surprise that the firm has enjoyed quite a bit of industry recognition. It is the proud winner of several Parade of Homes awards, most notably for its master suites and exterior work. The featured project highlights one of the firm’s craftsman styled residences. For this home, its team opted to include a variety of earth tones to give the project a broader spectrum of color. It also used classic shutters and a connecting gazebo.
8) Flynner Homes
217 S 11th St., Boise, ID 83702
Recognized as one of Idaho’s most decorated sustainability design-build firms, Flynner Homes prides itself on having constructed the state’s very first NAHB Certified Green Home and Green Remodel. It has a long list of local and national accomplishments, making it a leader in the area’s energy-efficient design and construction market. It is known for its integration of functional architecture with beautiful designs and its green building packages, which include high-performance and net-zero energy usage. This means to say that every home the firm constructs comes with a high level of indoor air quality and a smaller carbon footprint. In addition to its residential projects, the firm also takes on boutique commercial construction work and handles every facet, balancing budgets and managing overall goals for design from start to finish.
In terms of design, the firm’s portfolio showcases its skill for craftsman and traditional themed homes. It also displays expertise for modern and contemporary spaces, with its work often distinguished by its use of straight lines and large windows.
7) Tresidio Homes
13999 W Wainwright Dr. #203, Boise, ID 83713
Tresidio Homes is an award-winning custom home builder often hailed as one of the area’s premier construction firms. It is led by its two founders, Jon Hastings and Russ Van Wagenen, who established Tresidio in 2009 during a turbulent period in the housing market. Since then the two have led the firm to numerous Parade of Homes wins, including recognition for interior and exterior work, as well as green building techniques. Hastings has also played an active role in several contractors’ associations: he served as president of the Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho, and as a chairman of the Parade of Homes Committee. Both he and Van Wagenen were also featured on Professional Builder Magazine’s annual “40 Under 40” list for their leadership of the firm.
The firm’s in-house design center allows clients to select all the materials that will go into their new homes in one easy place, with the guidance of a selection manager. Clients may also visit some of the firm’s model homes to get a better idea of the firm’s designs and craftsmanship. The following project best showcases the firm’s expertise. For this home, it used a modern approach to the classic farmhouse theme: large windows emphasize the recurring trend of straight lines and framed with a clean palette.
6) Tradewinds General Contracting
9165 W State St., Garden City, ID 83714
For the past four decades, Tradewinds General Contracting has been incorporating green building practices in all of its projects. It offers both residential and commercial construction services, and it specializes in an extensive range of designs. The firm has built many bungalows, modern homes, Cape Cod themed houses and Mediterranean-inspired estates. It has been recognized as Local Builder of the Year, State Builder of the Year, and State Company of the Year on three separate occasions in addition to its long list of Parade of Homes accolades.
The featured project displays a particularly modern and contemporary example of their work. For this home, the Tradewinds team employed several large windows, clean straight lines, and made use of multiple corner designs to further emphasize its symmetry. It also added several wooden elements and warm lights so as to give the home a more inviting appeal.
5) Monarch Custom Homes
5097 N Building Center Dr., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815
Monarch Custom Homes specializes in an extensive array of designs from Northwest rustic to the latest modern and contemporary styles. Its portfolio showcases a rich gallery of beautiful waterfront homes constructed on complicated lots, in addition to several modern farmhouses, traditional, and industrial inspired homes. Its team works closely with each of its clients to craft floor plans that would best fit their lifestyles and needs and offers its clients a full range of construction and preconstruction services. It also assists in land acquisition and takes charge of site analysis to address early on any topographical concerns that may arise along the way. Further, it works closely with a client’s preferred architects and engineers throughout the entire process and also has its own in-house designers. The firm is led by Joel and Shawn Anderson. Joel is a lifelong resident of North Idaho and a builder with over 25 years of industry experience. Shawn, on the other hand, oversees the firm’s business aspects and serves as one of the firm’s designers. Additionally, she is part of the North Idaho Building Contractors Association’s (NIBCA) executive board.
Since its establishment in 1998, the firm has been recognized with multiple distinctions. Most recently, it came home with several Parade of Homes awards for its master suites, craftsmanship, and exterior design. The firm mostly constructs and designs in craftsman and contemporary themes, but has also worked on several lake homes and cottages.
4) Selle Construction
401 Bonner Mall Way Suite I, Ponderay, ID 83852
Founded in 2004, Selle Construction offers a full range of new home construction and entire house remodeling services, all while working in adherence to the latest green building techniques. It has relationships with some of the area’s best architects and is known for building its homes directly into its landscape to achieve a perfectly structured home that blends right into the scenery. At its helm are Scott and Barbara Schriber, Sandpoint’s very first Certified Green Professionals. As previously mentioned, the firm incorporates several sustainability practices into each of its projects. As a matter of fact, it is the only local construction company in its area that builds homes certified by both the NAHB Green Building Standard and EnergyStar. Its green building packages cover lot development and site design, energy efficiency, as well as water and resource conservation and building durability.
The firm’s work has been featured in several publications like Small Homes, Houses, and Mountain Living. Its portfolio also provides insight into a vast gallery of luxurious mountain homes and eclectic farmhouses. The pictured project showcases one of its chalets. For this home, its team made use of large windows and several wooden elements, along with a few stucco finishes to fuse its rustic and its more modern appeal.
3) KMV Builders
500 N Washington Suite #101, Ketchum, ID 83340
Headquartered in the ski resort town of Sun Valley, KMV Builders has been constructing some of the area’s most distinctive homes since 1980. It handles every phase of construction and boasts that it builds no two homes alike. The firm is led by its founder Steve Kearns, who to this day still oversees the entire company and ensures that each project receives the benefit of his nearly four decades of experience in the industry. Under his leadership, the firm has been lauded with awards from several noteworthy award-giving bodies, in addition to having its work published in publications like Western Home Journal and Architect Magazine. In terms of design, the firm’s portfolio displays an impressive and extensive array of homes made of metal, glass, and steel rendered in intricate contemporary and modern themes. It has also constructed several chalets, mountain homes, cabins, and inviting cottages reminiscent of classic English country homes.
The following project, however, is some of its best work. This project won the firm the much-coveted “House of the Year” distinction from the American Institute of Architects and features several raw and exposed elements to perfect the industrial look.
2) Edwards Smith Construction
1112 N Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Edwards Smith Construction offers both commercial and residential construction and remodeling services and has established itself as a trailblazer in its local construction market over the past 25 years. The firm was most recently recognized as the northwest’s Best Luxury Passive Home Builder, in addition to several sustainability awards. Its work has also landed on the pages of the North Idaho Business Journal, Prime Lifestyle Magazine, and Coeur d’Alene Magazine. It works with only the latest technology and builds with advanced construction techniques. The firm is a proud Passive House Institute Certified Builder, a distinction it prides itself for being the first and sole holder of throughout northern Idaho.
The firm is led by its two principals Jim Edwards and Andy Smith, who have a combined experience of nearly seven decades. Under their leadership, the firm accepts only a limited of projects each year to ensure that each home the firm constructs and remodels receives time and attention from its hand-selected team of experienced subcontractors and craftsmen.
1) Rosenberger Construction
10149 Taryne St., Hayden, ID 83835
Rosenberger Construction is a family-owned and operated business that has been providing North Idaho with exceptionally crafted homes for the past 35 years. It is known for its spectacular exteriors and elegant interiors, especially its great rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms. The firm is also noted for its signature floor plans, which feature solid core wood entry doors, breathtaking fireplaces, and several other intricate interior details. With several of its projects having been featured in publications like Modern Home Builder and Inside Hayden Lake, the firm has also been lauded with several awards throughout its years in the industry. Most notably, it was named as the Best Residential Builder in the area over several consecutive years by the North Idaho Business Journal. Additionally, it maintains affiliations with vital industry organizations like the NAHB and NIBCA.
The chosen project best showcases the firm’s work. For this bungalow, the firm’s team made use of a rustic theme and displayed its fine woodwork and craftsmanship through its exposed beams and detailed finishes. It also made use of asphalt shingled roofs and several dormer windows to give it a more inviting appeal.
How can I find a home builder near me?
Read our latest articles on the best custom home builders in or near Idaho. If you don’t see your city below, just let us know – we are happy to create a tailored recommendation list just for you.
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.
