The MDG Way is our five-step design-build process. From the first site walk to a ten-year structural warranty, one team designs, engineers, and builds your home on one schedule — with a clearly defined price you approve before construction begins.
STEP 01 · Week 1–2
Discovery
We walk your lot with you — or we walk lots with you if you don’t have one yet. We talk honestly about budget before anyone draws anything, because a budget conversation after design is a painful conversation. We build a lifestyle brief: how you cook, where you work, who visits, how long you plan to stay.
The first consultation is free.
STEP 02 · Week 3–10
Engineering & Feasibility
This is where we are different from every other builder you will interview. Mack Engineering, our in-house licensed Georgia civil engineering firm, produces the feasibility report, concept site plan, zoning exhibits, grading and land disturbance plans, erosion and sediment control design, stormwater and hydrology design, and septic or sanitary sewer design. Land surveying is in-house as well. Nothing waits in another firm’s queue.
Our unfair advantage.
This process is designed to provide us with a conceptual site plan, design layout, and actually show us the land itself can perform the way we need it to, in order to accommodate your home design.
While the lot may look perfect: Do you have good soils for septic? Do you have enough surface area to build your outdoor living space? Is the lot cost effective to grade?
We let you know right out of the gate before we start costly Architectural Plans.
STEP 03 · Week 8–14
Design & 3D
Architectural design begins. Interior selections run in parallel rather than at the end, because selections drive cost and cost drives design. Your home is modeled completely in Autodesk Revit, and before this phase closes, you take a full 3D walkthrough of the finished house.
Because your house is modeled in Revit, we develop full framing plans that show every single stud, beam, and connection point, ensuring we avoid costly impacts in the field.
We do the hard engineering up-front to avoid the costly change orders that come from the field. Perfect plans allow for perfect execution in the field.
You approve a house you have already stood inside.
STEP 04 · Month 4–14
Build
Our team of dedicated project managers, at your service. Weekly written updates with photos. Scheduled walkthroughs at foundation, framing, pre-drywall, and finish.
You will never wonder what is happening on site.
Live 3D scans of your house are completed at every single major milestone — we own the technology, and we use it.
The Mack team performs 3D scans of your construction at all of the major milestones including framing, MEP, low voltage, and finishing, so you have an accurate 3D scan of your construction in real time.
Walk around your construction site from your cell phone and get those much-needed dimensions for furniture and finishes that you typically would have to wait days for.
STEP 05
Handoff & Warranty
An orientation walkthrough covering every system in the house. Then a one-year workmanship warranty and a ten-year structural warranty.
1-year workmanship. 10-year structural.
Mack takes pride in our house turn-over process. We walk you through every single system on site, personally.
We don’t just give you a piece of paper to sign and then hope we don’t hear from you.
We take the time to actually introduce you to your home — what to expect, and how to properly manage your asset.
A refined, pre-defined process. No surprises.
THE HONEST ANSWER
So how long does it actually take?
Competing builders in this market publish wildly different answers — 8–16 months, 14–20 months, and 18–30 months are all claimed by North Atlanta builders. The range is that wide because the variables are that large.
What actually drives your timeline: home size, lot complexity and slope, permitting jurisdiction, septic vs. sewer, custom millwork lead times, and whether the design was fully resolved before construction started.
Mack can deliver homes faster than almost any other general contractor because of our refined, engineering-led approach. Your full framing, structural, door, window, and materials package is pre-determined and defined well before we ever start field work — which lets us hold one of the most refined schedules in the market.
QUESTIONS
Building with Mack Development.
What does design-build mean for a custom home project?
Design-build means one company handles both the design of your home and its construction. You sign one contract with one team accountable for the drawings, the budget, and the finished house — instead of refereeing an architect and a separate contractor.
How long does it take to design and build a custom home in North Atlanta?
It depends on home size, lot complexity, permitting, and whether the design is fully resolved before construction. We publish our own honest average rather than a marketing range.
Can I really see my home in 3D before it is built?
Yes — you take a full interactive walkthrough of the finished home, modeled in Autodesk Revit. You literally are looking at your home designed in 3D, with all framing materials, structural members, seeing it from every single angle.
Who handles the civil engineering and permitting?
We do, in-house. Mack Engineering is our licensed Georgia civil engineering firm, so feasibility, surveying, grading, stormwater, and septic/sewer design never wait in another firm’s queue.
How do change orders work during the build?
Because selections and engineering are resolved up front, change orders are the exception, not the rule. When they happen, they are documented and priced before any work proceeds.
What updates will I get during construction?
A team of dedicated project managers, weekly written updates with photos, and scheduled walkthroughs at foundation, framing, pre-drywall, and finish.
What warranty comes with the home?
A one-year workmanship warranty and a ten-year structural warranty, plus a systems orientation and a digital as-built file at handoff.
How long does it take to build a custom home in Georgia?
Plan on 12 to 18 months from design agreement to move-in for a fully custom home, versus roughly 7.7 months of pure construction time for an average single-family home. The gap is pre-construction: design, engineering, and permitting typically add two to six months. Because Mack Development models every home in Revit with grading, septic reserve, and tree-save built into the model, plan-review comments get resolved before submittal rather than after rejection.
What are the steps in the design-build process?
Mack Development runs seven phases: site feasibility, design agreement and Revit modeling, engineering and construction documents, permitting, pre-construction budget lock, construction with scheduled inspections, then final walkthrough and closeout. Because design and construction sit under one contract, each phase hands off internally instead of across three separate firms.
What is an allowance, and how do I keep from blowing through it?
An allowance is a dollar placeholder in your contract for items not yet selected — lighting, tile, plumbing fixtures, appliances, cabinetry. If your selection costs more than the allowance you pay the difference; if it costs less, you receive a credit. Allowances set artificially low are the single most common source of builder-client conflict, so Mack Development sets allowances against real, current supplier pricing for your finish level.
Why does site feasibility come before design?
Because the lot dictates what can be built on it. Before Mack Development draws a floor plan, Mack Engineering verifies zoning district and setbacks, soil and septic suitability, stormwater and stream-buffer constraints, driveway grade, and utility availability. Designing first and engineering second is how buyers end up paying twice for plans — a redesign after a failed percolation test or a buffer variance denial.
When do I have to finalize my selections?
Structural and exterior decisions lock before permit submittal, because they appear on the stamped construction documents. Interior selections — flooring, tile, cabinetry, plumbing, lighting, appliances — are due before framing completes, since long-lead items must be ordered while the shell is going up. Changes made after a trade has been scheduled generate a change order that carries both a cost and a schedule impact.
How does construction financing and the draw schedule work?
Most custom home buyers use a construction-to-permanent loan, which funds in stages rather than a lump sum. A typical schedule releases draws at foundation, framing and dry-in, mechanical rough-in, drywall, interior finishes, and certificate of occupancy, with a lender inspection required before each release. Mack Development coordinates inspection timing with your lender so draws do not stall the schedule.
What warranty do I have after closing?
Mack Development provides a written express warranty on workmanship, delivered at closing. During turnover we walk you through the entire home room by room, with our trade staff — not just an interior designer — showing you how each system works, so you take ownership as a more informed homeowner.