Building a Custom Home Process | Dunning Custom Homes

Meet the team behind
Dunning Custom Homes

Dunning Custom Homes is a Pittsboro, North Carolina-based custom home builder specializing in unique, high-end projects. Proudly family owned and operated, our team partners with industry leading vendors and craftsmen to produce inspired, one-of-a-kind outcomes across Orange, Chatham, and Wake counties.

Family is our first priority at Dunning Custom Homes , where we craft homes that are worthy of the memories you'll share within it.

For over 20 years, we've built our business on deep local connections and relentless attention to detail.

What our clients say

We recently built a custom home in Pittsboro, NC with Dunning Custom Homes. John Lucas Dunning was the lead on our project. He was always professional and friendly. He really understood the style we were going for in our design and brought creative ideas to our project that made our home even more unique.

I know I wasn’t an easy client and he always rolled with the punches with a smile on his face. He has kept in touch with us post closing to tackle anything that has popped up that was less than perfect. We could tell he took a lot of pride in the project and wanted us to love our home. We are extremely happy with how our custom home turned out!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Dunning Custom Homes and I cannot recommend them enough. From start to finish, the entire team was incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and dedicated to delivering a high-quality home building experience.

Throughout the process, the team at Dunning Custom Homes made sure to keep me informed and involved in every step of the process. They were always available to answer any questions or concerns I had and went above and beyond to ensure that my vision for my dream home was brought to life.

We just closed on our new home at 144 Kenwood Lane built by Dunning Custom Homes (DCH). This is our fifth new-build so we’ve been around the block, so to speak. As with all home builders there are bound to be problems along the way especially in a higher end custom home. And what you look for is a builder with whom you can trust to fix whatever comes along. And DCH gained our trust.

I am so glad I chose Dunning Custom Homes to build my home. It was wonderful to work with the whole Dunning family on my project, with John, his wife, his sister, and his son all playing a vital role. As a local business owner myself, it warmed my heart to support this lovely Chatham County family through the building of my dream home. I was constantly reminded that their specialty is building custom homes as they brought so many unique ideas to the project that I would have never considered on my own. Those special touches are what I most enjoy now that I am making this house a home. I have always heard that building a house is hard and stressful. However, the only hard and stressful part for me was when the house was done, and I knew it was up to me to do the rest: unpacking, furnishing, and decorating. That speaks volumes to how well the Dunning family took care of every step of the building process so I didn’t have to worry.

“During a recent transfer to Chapel Hill, our search for a new home quickly came to an end when we found our Parade of Homes winner by Dunning Custom Homes. After looking at several homes in the area, we were immediately impressed with the style, attention to detail and quality of construction which were obvious in our new home"

“John was able to give us straight forward advice about construction and material choices with an eye to helping us stay on budget. We were delighted with the quality of construction and the craftsmanship of his crews as well as several aesthetic solutions John personally designed"

“John possess qualities that are very rare in the housing industry. The result for us is a beautiful home that five months after we have moved in is still getting rave reviews. The craftsmanship and attention to detail of his subcontractors is excellent. John pays great attention to details, provided us many ideas and solutions and was always open to our ideas as well. You will not find a better builder to partner with than John."

“John was incredibly involved in the entire process from the smallest details to the big picture. He continually educated us on the building process, listened to us and made it a point to construct a home that reflected our design style while continually making suggestions and improvements to the plan that would keep us within budget, yet enhance the craftsmanship of our home"

"I have seldom seen anyone in any profession or business venture exhibit the kind of enthusiasm and deep concern for both his clients and the finished work product as ...demonstrated by John Dunning. John has integrity to the core and we could have built this entire house on a handshake"

"John has a strong relationship with trades and subcontractors and pointed us to vendors who were knowledgeable, and trustworthy. John was available for questions throughout the entire building process and maintained a hands-on approach that made us feel we were in good hands. The attention to detail paid to our home continues to impress our friends and family"

Our people make it possible

John M. Dunning

Owner, Founder

John M. Dunning has been the owner and leader of Dunning Custom Homes for 23 years. With 35 years of industry experience and an early career as a New York City based illustrator and graphic designer, John has been able to execute a creative, yet practical approach that marries form to function. John is a proud father of 3 and has been happily married for 29 years. He holds an unlimited building license which allows the Dunning team to tackle residential and commercial projects of any scale.

John L. Dunning

Director of Construction

John L. Dunning is a second-generation builder who grew up on the job-site. In college, he studied supply chain and operations management at NC State, where he learned the importance of standardized processes, responsible sourcing, and lean management principles. Also a licensed general contractor, he has followed in his father’s footsteps to becoming a master-builder. John touts his his unique approach to construction
management, which maximizes quality while offering industry minimal timelines. He is
happily married to Lexy Dunning.

Marner Dunning

Designer, Selections Coordinator

With a passion for bringing new homes to life, Marner is a talented Interior Designer and
Selection Coordinator that specializes in whole house design and product selections.
For years, Marner has been working alongside her brother (John M. Dunning), blending
their skills to deliver exceptional, cohesive designs for Dunning Custom Homes. With a project management and design background, a keen eye for detail, and a passion for
creating harmonious living spaces, Marner plays a crucial role in guiding clients through
the intricate process of selecting finishes and materials that perfectly align with their
vision and lifestyle. Her dedication to quality and the ability to translate client aspirations into beautifully realized homes make her an integral part of this construction team. Marner is mom to two adult children and lives in the Chapel Hill / Pittsboro area.

Lexy Dunning

Operations Manager

Lexy is an integral part of the team who wears many hats. Land search specialist, listing agent, permitting wiz, closing coordinator, and change-order manager, just to name a few (a lot). Lexy works closely with all members of our team to ease the day-to-day and serves as a liaison between us and our clients, helping to maximize and simplify communication.

Susan Dunning

Finance Manager

Susan is a retired career-long Pharmacist whose superb attention to detail has translated to a careful approach to financial management. She is responsible for all incoming and outgoing payments and works closely with our clients and their lenders. She is happily married to John M. Dunning and mother to 3 adult children.

See the difference in design-build

Our collaborative design-build process enables clients to have equal parts control and guidance throughout the home construction process.

Starting with where and how you’ll build, to the finest architectural plans and material selection, Dunning Custom Homes is ready to serve along the way.