Frequently Asked Questions

We’ll ask what you’re planning, where the project stands, and what matters most to you. You don’t need finished plans or every decision made. The conversation helps us understand whether we’re a good fit and recommend a useful next step.

That’s a fine place to begin. Tell us how you want to live, what isn’t working in your current home, and what draws you to modern architecture. A few priorities or images you’ve saved can help the design conversation take shape.

You’re welcome to reach out before purchasing land, but most clients begin working with us once they own a property or have one under contract. Having a specific site allows design and preconstruction to move forward around its actual conditions. Detailed property evaluation begins once we are formally engaged on the project.

Our Design-Build Experience connects design and construction planning from the early stages. Modern Custom Homes is a flexible path if you have an architect or plans, or still need the right route to plans. High-End Modern Remodels is for substantial changes to an existing home. We’ll help you choose the path that fits your project.

A spec home is designed and built before a buyer is involved. A semi-custom home typically begins with a standard plan and a limited menu of choices. A custom home is developed around a particular client, property, lifestyle, and architectural direction.

Design-Build connects architecture and construction planning from the beginning. Early builder involvement allows cost, buildability, structure, and building systems to inform the design while decisions are still flexible. If you already have an architect or plans, we can join the project at that stage through Modern Custom Homes.

Yes. If you are already working with an architect, have completed plans, or have an existing plan that still needs to be developed for your property, Modern Custom Homes may be the right path. We review where the documents stand and identify the design, engineering, coordination, and preconstruction work needed before construction.

The team may include an architect, interior designer, structural and civil engineers, mechanical and building-performance consultants, and other specialists the project requires. For our Design-Build Experience, AVI Design Studio leads the architecture while Marcello Homes connects the design with construction planning and execution.

The scope depends on where your project begins, but it may include architectural and interior design, site and plan review, engineering and consultant coordination, building systems, selections, constructability review, budgeting, scheduling, approvals, and planning for long-lead materials. The goal is to enter construction with the major decisions resolved and a realistic plan in place.

For a Design-Build custom home, we typically see six to eight months from the beginning of design through a construction-ready project. A clear direction and fewer revisions may shorten the process, while a more complex home, additional design revisions, or extensive approvals may take longer. If you already have plans, the timeline depends on how complete and coordinated they are.

Preconstruction requires substantial project-specific work from the builder, designers, engineers, and other consultants. It allows the team to resolve details, understand costs, and prepare the project properly before construction begins.

You receive the project work completed and paid for through that point. Depending on the project and scope, this may include architectural plans and design documents, specifications and material schedules, structural and mechanical engineering, surveys, and other completed consultant work.

Most of our new homes fall roughly between $1 million and $2.5 million or more, excluding land. The property, architecture, glazing, building systems, finishes, and outdoor spaces all influence the final investment. For a more detailed explanation of where the budget goes, explore The Modern Home Premium.

Land, architectural and interior design, engineering, surveys, testing, permits, utility fees, landscaping, pools, window treatments, and furnishings may be separate from the home’s construction budget, depending on the project. Some of these services may still be coordinated as part of the overall project even when they are contracted or tracked separately from the home-construction budget. We discuss the total project investment early so these costs are not overlooked.

Price per square foot can provide a broad early benchmark, but it cannot accurately price a specific custom home. Site conditions, roof geometry, glazing, building systems, finishes, and outdoor work can create very different costs for homes of the same size.

Modern architecture often requires larger openings, concealed systems, cleaner transitions, and details built to tighter tolerances. Without traditional trim and ornament to conceal variations, structure, materials, and multiple trades must be coordinated more precisely.

We discuss the overall investment early and evaluate the size of the home, architectural priorities, systems, and selections together. When a decision changes the budget, the team can compare alternatives while the project is still flexible.

An allowance is a placeholder for an item that has not yet been selected or fully defined. If it is set too low, the actual selection creates an overage later. We work to finalize major selections during preconstruction so the budget reflects what you actually intend to use.

We build on an open-book, cost-plus basis. Clients see the actual costs of labor, materials, and trade partners, with the builder’s fee stated separately. A well-developed scope and budget during preconstruction remain essential to making this approach predictable.

Slope, soil, trees, access, drainage, utilities, setbacks, and grading requirements can all influence the home’s design and cost. Once we are formally engaged, the project team studies the site conditions as part of design and preconstruction.

We typically see 12 to 18 months of construction. Larger or more complex homes, challenging site conditions, weather, and long-lead custom materials can extend that timeline. During preconstruction, we develop a schedule based on the actual project.

We begin by understanding your project and recommending the right path. From there, the work moves through design and preconstruction, budgeting and coordination, construction, final walkthrough and handoff, followed by continued support after move-in.

Each project is assigned a project manager who oversees the day-to-day construction process, including scheduling, trade coordination, field communication, and quality control. Viktor also remains closely involved across every project, regularly reviewing progress and spending time on site. Because Marcello Homes intentionally takes on a limited number of projects, clients have direct access to the people responsible for the work.

We document progress in JobTread with photos and notes and provide a weekly project summary. You should understand where the project stands, what decisions are approaching, and how any challenges are being handled.

Major design and material selections are made during design and preconstruction, when they can be coordinated with the architecture, budget, and schedule. We organize those decisions so you know what needs attention now, what can wait, and what each choice may affect.

If a field condition, material issue, or requested change affects the project, we explain the options and recommend a path forward. Any effect on cost or schedule is documented and presented for approval before the related work proceeds.

Before handoff, we walk through the home, address remaining items, organize final documentation, and explain the systems and details that matter day to day. After move-in, we remain available to answer questions as you settle into the home.

Modern design is more than black windows and a simplified exterior. It comes from the architecture itself: clean geometry, thoughtful proportions, natural light, a strong connection to the outdoors, and a restrained material palette. Details such as expansive glazing, low-slope or mono-pitch roofs, trimless doors, flush baseboards, concealed systems, and carefully resolved transitions must be coordinated from the beginning—not added as decoration later. Modern and contemporary homes are our specialty and the focus of our work.

If you love the location and the existing structure supports your goals, a substantial renovation can completely transform how the home looks, functions, and connects to the outdoors. If the desired result requires continually working against the structure, ceiling heights, foundation, or roof form, building new may be the more practical investment. We help evaluate both paths based on feasibility, cost, and the long-term result.

We focus on substantial, design-led renovations rather than small cosmetic updates. These may include whole-home remodels, major kitchen and main-level transformations, additions, and projects involving significant structural, layout, or exterior changes. Renovation budgets generally begin around $150,000, depending on the scope.

Marcello Homes was founded by Viktor and Mariana. Viktor personally leads the company, bringing hands-on construction experience, residential renovation experience, and a systems-minded background in quality assurance. Mariana supports the company as co-owner, helping shape the business with a long-term focus on family, responsibility, and trust.

Yes. Marcello Homes holds an active North Carolina general contractor license, number 102463, in the Building classification with an Unlimited license limitation. We also maintain the insurance required for the work we perform. We encourage homeowners to verify the licensing and insurance of any builder they are considering.

We build in Charlotte and select surrounding communities, including Myers Park, Eastover, SouthPark, Matthews, Weddington, Marvin, Waxhaw, and parts of the Lake Norman area. Because our projects require frequent personal involvement, we evaluate the location, scope, and schedule before committing to a project.