Ellis Custom Homes. Building trust one home at a time.
Serving Smith Mountain Lake and the surrounding communities. Your plans or one of ours, built on land you own.
Who We Are
Some things you only learn by building in one place for a long time: how the soil changes from one county to the next, where water wants to go on a sloped lot, which subcontractors do it right when nobody is watching. The people on our job sites have been building homes in this region for more than 25 years, and Ellis Custom Homes was built around that experience.
We build a limited number of homes each year, every one on land the owner already holds. That focus keeps our crews consistent, our standards intact, and our attention on your home. And we guide you through each step: before, during, and after construction.
Where to Start
Every home we build starts with land you own. Where you go from there depends on your lot, your plans, and how much of the design you want to shape yourself. Most people who call us fit one of three situations.
Fully Custom
You have a premier lot, on the water or on open acreage, and a home in mind for it. Bring plans you already have, or start from one of ours and reshape it to the site. We handle what these builds involve: reading the lot, working with the conditions it brings, and keeping you close to the process whether you live ten minutes away or ten hours.
Our Plans, Your Lot
Our catalog plans have been built and refined across this region for years. Starting from one is a head start, not a compromise: the layout already works, the cost is easier to pin down, and you still tailor it to your family and your land. Move a wall, extend a porch, rework the kitchen.
The Freedom Series
A set lineup of stick-built plans with curated selections, built by the same crews to the same construction standards as every home we deliver. The Freedom Series gives landowners and first-time buyers a clear path from signed contract to move-in day, at a price custom builders typically aren't able to reach.
The Ellis Standard
The path you choose changes the plan, the selections, and the price. It does not change who builds your home or how. Every Ellis home is built by the same crews and subcontractors, to the same construction standards, and backed by the same one-year workmanship warranty.
Recent Homes
Every home here belongs to the customer we built it for, on land they owned before we broke ground.
Blue Heron
Custom build on a premier lot near the water
Water's Edge
Custom home in a premier lakeside development
Franklin County
Single-level custom home
Franklin County
Brick ranch built for single-level living
Franklin County
Farmhouse-style custom build
Franklin County
Custom build with a covered front porch
Franklin County
Craftsman-style home
Before You Build
We write about the parts of a home most builders don't explain: what they do, why they matter, and what to ask about them. Read these whether you build with us or not.
What goes into a roof beyond the shingles: truss systems, ice and water shield, and the details that determine how a roof handles Virginia weather.
Read the ArticleLow-E glass, tilt-in vinyl, and what window specifications actually mean for comfort and energy use through a Virginia summer and winter.
Read the ArticleA fair question with a real answer. How modern variable-speed heat pumps handle Virginia winters, and what changed from the systems people remember.
Read the ArticleGet Started
Tell us about your land and what you want to build on it. We'll help you figure out the rest, starting with which of the three paths fits your situation.
Ellis Custom Homes · 66 Builders Pride Dr, Hardy, VA · 540-912-0112
Whether you are ready to build now, still working out what your land and budget can support, or just starting with an idea, reach out anytime. We're happy to guide you and answer any questions.
We'll follow up soon to talk through your project. In the meantime, you can look over our standard specifications to see how we build every home.