Most buyers who want a custom home end up juggling two firms: an architect or designer for the plan, and a builder to price and build it. When the drawings and the budget disagree, you are the one in the middle.
Bond Building & Design Inc. puts both under one roof. The family-owned Apex company says it has been building in the Apex, Cary, and Raleigh area since 1994, and its homepage leads with one line: “Let us design your custom home plan.”
Bond publishes less than many builders, so this guide is as much about what to ask as what to expect.
Who Is Bond Building & Design?
Bond Building & Design is a family-owned and operated builder based at 1421 Salem Church Road in apex. Its About page names Steve Bond and Kyle Bond and describes the company as a residential and commercial builder.
The documented history
The About page says the company, under the name Bond Building, Ltd., has been building homes in the Apex, Cary, and Raleigh area and on the North Carolina coast since 1994. The site lists these credentials:
- Two-time HBA Gold Award winner;
- Two-time HBA Silver Award winner;
- Featured on HGTV’s “House Hunters.”
The site does not give the years or categories for those awards, a count of completed homes, or a license number.
Bond Building & Design Inc. is listed as a builder member in the 2025 Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County directory. The company phone is (919) 387-8887, and meetings are by appointment only.
One naming note: the About page uses “Bond Building, Ltd.,” while the site footer and HBA directory use “Bond Building & Design Inc.” Ask which entity will sign your contract and hold the license.
About the website
The site carries a 2023 copyright and loads only over plain http, not https. It has not been updated recently. Call the office to confirm current activity and capacity before you plan around it.
Where Does Bond Build?
Bond’s stated home market is apex, cary, and raleigh, in western Wake County. The company also says it builds on the North Carolina coast, outside the Triangle. This guide stays with the Wake County work.
Bond does not list communities or lots. Its Homes Available page says there are no homes in progress for purchase and that the company is available for custom build and design work. That points to building on a lot you own or buy.
What Does Bond Build?
Bond designs and builds custom homes and also takes on remodeling. Its homepage says the family-run company performs “all levels of building and remodeling.”
| Buyer question | What the public record shows |
|---|---|
| State contractor license | L.75385 (Bond Building & Design, Inc.): Building classification, intermediate license limit, active through Dec. 31, 2026 per the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, checked Oct. 14, 2026 |
| Services | Custom home design and construction, remodeling, residential and commercial building |
| Design | In-house custom home plans |
| Design details named | Custom interior trim, detailed exteriors, inviting living spaces |
| Supervision | “Hands-on supervision” and personal attention on each job |
| Homes for sale | None in progress; a previous build, “The Summerlin,” is shown |
| Pricing | Not published |
| Warranty | Not published |
| Awards | Two HBA Gold and two HBA Silver awards (years not stated); featured on HGTV’s “House Hunters” |
What design-build means for you
With one company drawing and building, the plan is priced by the people who will build it. You find out early if the vaulted great room or the second staircase blows the budget, and changes go through one contract. The tradeoff is that you have no independent architect checking the builder’s choices, so your own questions matter more.
How Does Building With Bond Work?
Bond does not publish a step-by-step process. Its site describes involvement “from the design phase through completion” and a team of skilled tradespeople and vendors.
- Call to set an appointment. Meetings are by appointment only.
- Design. Bond draws the custom plan.
- Pricing and contract. Ask for a written scope, allowances, and schedule.
- Construction with the hands-on supervision the About page promises.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Bond?
Before signing with Bond Building & Design, confirm current activity, the entity and license, and the warranty. Our guides to choosing a Triangle builder, why the builder’s agent works for the builder, and designing a custom home cover the groundwork.
Confirm current activity
With a website last updated in 2023, ask how many homes Bond has started in the last two years, how many it builds at once, and when it could start yours.
See recent finished homes
Ask for three recent custom homes you can visit or at least drive past, and owners you can call. Ask which projects won the HBA awards and in which years.
Confirm the license and the entity
Match the contracting name and the license number to the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Settle whether Bond Building & Design Inc. or Bond Building, Ltd. is the party on your contract.
Get the warranty in writing
The site does not describe a warranty. Ask for written terms, including any structural coverage, and compare them with our home-builder warranty guide.
Clarify design ownership and fees
Ask whether design fees are separate or folded into the build price, and who owns the plans if you do not move forward.
Ask how the contract is priced
No pricing is published. Ask whether the contract is fixed-price or cost-plus, what the allowances cover for cabinets, flooring, lighting, and trim, and how change orders are priced and approved. On a design-build job, many decisions get made after framing starts, so the change-order process matters as much as the starting number.
Price the lot before the plan
Because Bond builds on your land, the lot drives the budget. Get a survey, a soil or perc report if the lot is not on sewer, and the town’s setback and impervious-surface limits before Bond draws the first sketch. Our guide to buying land to build a house walks through the checks.
How Does Bond Compare With Other Building Options?
Bond is a small family design-build firm in western Wake, with no spec inventory.
| Option | Price level | Lot | Builder access | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bond design-build | Quote on request | Your lot | Direct to family owners | Buyers who want one firm for plan and build |
| Architect plus builder | Varies | Your lot | Two separate contracts | Buyers who want an independent designer |
| Production builder | Varies | Subdivision lot | Sales office | Buyers who want a fixed menu |
| Resale in Apex or Cary | Varies | Established lot | None | Buyers who need to move soon |
Who Is a Strong Fit for Bond Building & Design?
Bond fits a buyer with a lot in Apex, Cary, or Raleigh who wants a custom plan drawn and built by the same family.
The strongest candidates usually:
- own or are buying a lot in western Wake County;
- want trim and exterior detail that does not look like a catalog plan;
- prefer dealing directly with owners;
- have time for a full custom design and build;
- will check references and recent work before signing.
It is a weaker fit for buyers who need a finished home soon or want published pricing.
Final Thoughts About Bond Building & Design From Tim Clarke
A family builder that has worked in Apex since 1994, with HBA awards on the shelf, has earned a look. Design-build under one roof is a sensible way to keep a custom plan tied to a real budget.
The public record is thin, so do your homework in person. Confirm current activity, see recent homes, and get the license, the entity, and the warranty in writing.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate. Our team builds as well as sells, so we know how to review a design-build contract, check allowances, and price a lot before you commit.
If Bond Building & Design is on your list, call us at (919) 355-8462. We represent the buyer, from the first meeting through the final walkthrough.
Sources
- http://www.bondbuilding.net/
- http://www.bondbuilding.net/about-us.html
- http://www.bondbuilding.net/homes-available.html
- http://www.bondbuilding.net/contact.html
- 2025 HBA Raleigh-Wake County builder-member directory (print)
- https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search (NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, license L.75385)
