Basements barely exist in Wake Forest new construction. Grande Manor Homes built one anyway, with a kitchen and a pass-through window to an outdoor bar.
Grande Manor Homes is a family-owned custom builder based in Youngsville, building in wake-forest, raleigh, Youngsville, and Franklinton. The company says it is a fourth-generation building family, and its own Parade profile puts its build prices between $900,000 and more than $3,000,000. Its 2026 Parade of Homes entry, 7924 Wexford Waters Lane in wexford-reserve, was priced at $2,100,000.
This page separates what the public record shows about Grande Manor from what a buyer still has to confirm before signing.
Who Runs Grande Manor Homes?
Grande Manor Homes is run by brothers Matt Cyrus and Chris Davis. I have met them in person and filmed with them. They are the people you will sit across from, and Grande Manor’s own about page names the two of them as the company’s leaders today.
The paperwork lines up with a long-running operation:
| Record | What it shows |
|---|---|
| NC Secretary of State | Grande Manor Homes, L.L.C. formed September 16, 2009; status Current-Active; principal office on Tarboro Road in Youngsville. |
| NC Licensing Board for General Contractors | License L.69063, first issued March 4, 2010, active through 12/31/2026, Building classification, Intermediate limitation. |
| Sister company | Grande Manor Estates, LLC (formed 2017) holds a separate license, L.80605, with an Unlimited limitation. |
| Office | 847 Wake Forest Business Park, Suite 102, Wake Forest, by appointment. |
The license limitation matters at this price point. In North Carolina, an Intermediate license caps the value of a single project the company can contract; an Unlimited license does not. At $2 million and up, ask which entity signs your contract and confirm that entity’s license covers the full contract value. Get the answer in writing.
What “four generations” means here
Grande Manor describes itself as a fourth-generation family construction business that started as a small residential builder. The current LLC dates to 2009. Both can be true: the family history is older than the company filing. Its homepage also lists round-number totals (200+ homes, 40+ years, 100+ awards) without naming the awards. Treat those as marketing until the builder shows you the list.
Where Does Grande Manor Build?
Grande Manor builds in north Wake County and southern Franklin County. It builds in selected neighborhoods and on lots buyers already own.
Its published portfolio lists eight recent custom builds:
| Address | Town | Year | Beds / Baths | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1001 Harrison Ridge Road | Wake Forest | 2025 | 4 / 3.5 | 4,500 sq ft |
| 917 Harrison Ridge Road | Wake Forest | 2024 | 4 / 4 | 4,600 sq ft |
| 2205 Ballywater Lea Way | Wake Forest | 2025 | 4 / 4 | 4,769 sq ft |
| 2344 Ballywater Lea Way | Wake Forest | 2026 | 4 / 6 | 4,995 sq ft |
| 2960 Wexford Pond Way | Wake Forest | 2024 | 5 / 4.5 | 3,459 sq ft |
| 3915 Cedar Knolls Drive | Youngsville | 2025 | 4 / 3 | 3,500 sq ft |
| 3908 Cedar Knolls Drive | Youngsville | 2025 | 3 / 4 | 4,230 sq ft |
| 2525 Sharon View Lane | Raleigh | 2026 | 4 / 3.5 | 5,059 sq ft |
Read the pattern. Most of this work runs 3,500 to 5,000 square feet, four bedrooms, in Wake Forest. That is Grande Manor’s core product, and it is the size range to benchmark the company against.
Communities where Grande Manor Homes builds
Grande Manor Homes builds in these communities, based on our team’s own knowledge of the builder’s work. Ask the builder which have homesites open today before you plan around one.
- Wexford Reserve, Wake Forest
- Waterstone Manors, Wake Forest
- Prescott Manor, Wake Forest
- Stonewater, Wake Forest
- Camberly, Wake Forest
- The Preserve at Smith Creek, Wake Forest
- Falls Reserve, Raleigh
- Hidden Lake, Youngsville
- Cedar Knolls, Youngsville
What Does the 2026 Parade Home Show?
The 2026 Parade home is the clearest picture of what Grande Manor builds right now. The Grande Reserve, at 7924 Wexford Waters Lane in wexford-reserve, is a modern prairie design drawn by McMillan Design and priced at $2,100,000.
| Buyer question | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Price | $2,100,000 (Parade entry #211) |
| Bedrooms / baths | 4 bedrooms; 4 full and 2 half baths |
| Size | Parade entry: 4,541 sq ft. MLS listing 10184681: 4,868 sq ft |
| Levels | Two stories plus a finished basement |
| Lot | 0.77 acre, R-40W zoning, septic |
| Garage | 3-car |
| Outdoor | Screened porch with fireplace, composite deck, in-ground pool with heated spa and beach-entry shelf |
| Taxes and HOA | County taxes only (no city tax); HOA $1,402 per year |
| Schools (per listing) | Forest Pines Drive Elementary, Wake Forest Middle, Wake Forest High |
The basement is the story
The finished lower level adds a second recreation room and an entertaining kitchen with a pass-through window to an exterior bar at the pool. Upstairs, a catwalk overlooks the foyer and two-story family room. The main-level primary suite has a coffee bar and a barrier-free wet-room shower.
Most Triangle builders avoid basements because of clay soil, water tables, and cost. A builder that delivers one is solving drainage, waterproofing, and egress problems most competitors never touch. Ask how they did it.
Why the square footage doesn’t match
The Parade entry says 4,541 square feet. The MLS says 4,868. A gap of 327 square feet on a $2.1 million house is worth one question: which number counts finished basement space, and which is heated square footage above grade? Appraisers treat below-grade space differently. Your price per square foot depends on the answer.
How Does Grande Manor’s Process Work?
Grande Manor’s published process runs five stages with a single point of accountability:
- Initial consultation. On-site or in the studio, covering your vision, the lot, and what the house has to do for your family. The builder says this meeting is complimentary.
- Design development. Drawings and visualizations with an architect, revised until the plan fits how you live.
- Permit and planning. Grande Manor handles surveys, permits, and HOA architectural review.
- Construction. Built by its crew with consistent on-site presence.
- Final delivery. Walkthrough, punch list, and handover with what the company calls a “multi-year quality warranty.”
The company also takes renovation, additions, and systems upgrades. That makes it useful if you own an older house in north Wake and want it expanded rather than replaced.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Grande Manor?
Grande Manor’s documented work earns it a spot on a Wake Forest custom-build shortlist. These are the items that decide whether the contract protects you.
Confirm the contracting entity and license
Two companies, two licenses, two limitations. Match the entity on your contract to an NCLBGC license that covers the contract amount. Check it yourself at the NCLBGC license lookup. It takes two minutes.
Get the warranty in writing
“Multi-year quality warranty” is not a warranty. Get the term, what is covered, the exclusions, and the claim process in the contract package. Compare it against our home-builder warranty guide before your deposit becomes nonrefundable.
Define what $900,000 buys
The $900,000-to-$3,000,000 range is the builder’s own number. Ask whether a quote includes the lot, design fees, site work, septic, driveway, landscaping, pool, and appliances. On an acre-class lot with septic, clearing, grading, and the septic system itself are real line items. A number without defined inclusions is a starting point, not a budget.
Check the allowances and the change-order clause
Ask for the allowance schedule in writing: cabinets, tile, lighting, plumbing fixtures, appliances, landscaping. Then ask for the change-order markup and when changes are billed. Late decisions cost more than upgrades.
Ask about septic and lot conditions
Grande Manor’s Parade home sits on septic, as do many lots in north Wake and Franklin County. Read our guide to NC septic systems before you buy a lot, and get the soil evaluation before you close on land.
Who Is a Strong Fit for Grande Manor Homes?
Grande Manor fits a buyer who wants a 3,500-to-5,000-square-foot custom home in Wake Forest or Youngsville, on an acre-class lot, with the owners reachable directly.
The strongest candidates usually have:
- a budget that starts near $900,000 for the house, with land and site work priced separately;
- a lot in north Wake or Franklin County, or flexibility to build in a Wexford Reserve-type community;
- interest in features most builders skip, like a finished basement or an outdoor kitchen tied to a pool;
- time for design meetings and on-schedule selections;
- their own agent and attorney reviewing the contract.
This is not the right fit for a buyer who wants a production plan, a fixed move-in date four months out, or a sales center with a model home.
Final Thoughts About Grande Manor Homes From Tim Clarke
I’ve met Matt and Chris. The homeowner reviews on their own site name the two of them as the people who kept families informed, and the 2026 Parade home shows they will take on a hard detail like a finished basement that most of their competitors avoid.
That earns a conversation. It doesn’t replace the homework.
Before you sign, know which Grande Manor entity holds your contract and that its license covers the price. Get the warranty in writing. Resolve the square-footage question. Price the septic and site work honestly. Those four items decide whether a $2 million build goes smoothly or turns into a fight.
The builder’s sales representative works for the builder. We work for you. Our team has spent 18 years in Triangle real estate, and we read builder contracts, allowance schedules, and lot reports for a living. Bring us the lot, the plans, and the proposal. Call (919) 355-8462 and we’ll go through the numbers before you commit.
Sources
- Grande Manor Homes (official site, about, process, services, contact): https://www.grandemanorhomes.com/
- Grande Manor Homes portfolio: https://www.grandemanorhomes.com/portfolio
- 2026 Triangle Parade of Homes, entry #211, 7924 Wexford Waters Lane: https://triangleparade.com/projects/7924-wexford-waters-ln
- Triangle Parade builder profile, Grande Manor Homes, LLC (price range, service area): https://triangleparade.com/companies/grande-manor-homes-llc
- 2026 Triangle Parade entry list: https://triangleparade.com/events/2026-triangle-parade-of-homes/entries
- NC Licensing Board for General Contractors license lookup (L.69063, L.80605): https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search
- NC Secretary of State, Grande Manor Homes, L.L.C. (SOSID 1115823): https://www.sosnc.gov/online_services/search/Business_Registration_profile/9210792
- NC Secretary of State, Grande Manor Estates, LLC (SOSID 1570545): https://www.sosnc.gov/online_services/search/Business_Registration_profile/12582120
- Triangle MLS listing 10184681, 7924 Wexford Waters Lane (Coldwell Banker HPW), accessed via MLS; no public URL cited
- Owners’ names: Tim M. Clarke’s in-person meeting with the owners, 2026
- Tim M. Clarke Team field knowledge, October 2026 (community list confirmed by Tim M. Clarke)
