A 60-foot wall of German high-security glass wrapped around a pool. A kitchen island cut from 4-inch Italian marble slabs. A bathtub carved from the same limestone blocks as the floor, weighing 1,100 pounds. A ten-car garage below grade.
That is one house, Stradella I in raleigh, built by Mangum Design-Build. Since 2004 the firm has built contemporary residences of 10,000 and 12,000 square feet with finishes that its founder, Kevin Mangum, travels to Europe to select by the block and the slab. The company says it was the creative force behind glenhill in Raleigh and built the first California Contemporary residences in the Triangle.
This is the top of the custom market. This guide covers what the public record shows and what to verify before you commit.
Who Is Mangum Design-Build?
Mangum Design-Build says it was founded in 2004. It describes itself as serving a private clientele of “global travelers, innovators, and leaders,” and calls itself North Carolina’s only homebuilder specializing in ultra-luxury custom residences with globally sourced finishes. That last line is the company’s claim.
Kevin Mangum and the family background
Kevin Mangum was born in Cary and raised with family in and around Munich, Germany. He is a UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus. His training began in the family’s construction equipment dealerships in the Carolinas, with an apprenticeship in Los Angeles. The company says he spends extended time on European job sites and speaks several languages.
The About page ties the firm to a long Triangle family history: Mangum Street in downtown Durham and Mangum Hall at UNC, family businesses in road building, Triangle Equipment, and Triangle Landscape Supplies, and family real estate development in the 1990s, including medical offices near Prestonwood Country Club in Cary and offices near Rex Hospital.
Office, phone, and membership
The firm’s office is at 6701 Mt. Herman Road in Morrisville. The phone on its website is (919) 422-2126. Mangum Design-Build is listed as a builder member in the 2025 Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County directory.
One naming note: the HBA directory lists Mangum Design-Build, Inc. together with Mangum Development LLC, Mangum Masonry Inc., and a land acquisition entity, and the website footer carries the name “Perdini.” Ask which entity signs your construction contract and holds the general contractor license.
Where Does Mangum Design-Build Build?
The Projects page says Mangum builds bespoke homes in Raleigh, cary, and chapel-hill:
- Tower Grove I and Tower Grove II, in a gated community in Raleigh;
- Stradella I, Raleigh;
- Asension I, on a large private lot in the Triangle;
- Paraclete, Cary;
- a shipping container home pictured in Chapel Hill.
The company also says it has built period-style homes: English heritage homes in Raleigh, Mediterranean villas in Chapel Hill, and Italianate estates in Cary.
What Does Mangum Design-Build Build?
Mangum builds very large custom residences, mostly California Contemporary, plus period styles, concrete masonry homes, and shipping container homes.
| Buyer question | What the public record shows |
|---|---|
| State contractor license | L.57955 (Mangum Design-Build, Inc.): Building classification, unlimited license limit, active through Dec. 31, 2026 per the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, checked Oct. 14, 2026 |
| Founded | 2004, per the company |
| Principal | Kevin Mangum |
| Home sizes | About 10,000 sq ft (Tower Grove I) to 12,000 sq ft (Tower Grove II, Stradella I) |
| Signature materials | Italian marble and limestone, Spanish doors and cabinetry, German glazing, steel framing |
| Other systems | Concrete masonry homes with its own masons; shipping container homes |
| Design process | In-house 3D design before construction |
| Warranty | Full-coverage warranty for the first year after completion |
| Price range | Not published |
Tower Grove I
The project page gives the most detail of any Mangum home: 5905 Tower Grove Drive, Raleigh, about 10,000 square feet under roof, 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths on 1.34 acres in a gated community. Architects are listed as Ryan Lockett and Kevin Mangum, with interior design by LMID. The front steps, floors, stone veneer, and staircase were cut from the same blocks of stone. The kitchen island is 12 feet long, with a scullery behind it for real cooking. The company says RDU airport is 12 minutes away, and that the house was delivered fully furnished.
Stradella I and Tower Grove II
Stradella I conceals about 12,000 square feet behind a low-key street presence. Inside: Italian marble chosen slab by slab, Spanish cabinetry and millwork, Italian closets, tilt-turn German windows with panels weighing 660 pounds each, a wellness level with cold plunge and dry sauna, and a subterranean ten-car garage for collector cars. Tower Grove II is a 12,000-square-foot home on an elevated site with terraces, a pool, an 8-foot privacy hedge, and a motor court designed to reveal itself gradually from the street.
Concrete masonry homes
Mangum’s first homes were concrete. The company says its block homes are 20% to 30% more energy efficient than the same house with wood walls, that it injects expanding foam into the block cores, and that the cost usually lands within 2% to 5% of a wood house with brick veneer. Those are the builder’s numbers. Ask for the energy data behind them.
How Does Building With Mangum Design-Build Work?
Mangum publishes one of the most detailed processes we have seen from a Triangle custom builder:
- Land selection. Mangum helps find a lot and brings in soil, environmental, well, septic, and pool consultants to test feasibility.
- 3D design. Design starts in-house, with structure value-engineered as it is drawn. Architects and interior designers join the team.
- Specifications Book. A document cataloging every finish and feature specific to your home.
- Budget and schedule. Bids from subcontractors and suppliers set the budget. After the permit, you get a Decision Deadline Schedule that paces your selections.
- Project management. A project manager, a project coordinator for selections, and a director of finance. You get monthly estimate-versus-actual reports and online access to schedule and selections.
- Completion. Municipal inspection, then a walkthrough with Kevin Mangum and your project manager to build the punch list. You receive plans, the Specifications Book, manuals, warranties, and photo documentation.
- Ongoing care. A full-coverage warranty for the first year, plus an optional Customer Care program for ongoing maintenance.
The monthly estimate-versus-actual report suggests a cost-plus or budget-tracked contract. Confirm the contract type.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Mangum Design-Build?
At this price level, small contract terms move large sums. Our guides to finding a Triangle builder and why the builder’s agent works for the builder cover the ground rules. Mangum represents Mangum. We represent you.
Confirm the license and the contracting entity
With several Mangum entities and a second brand name in play, match the contracting entity, license number, and address on your contract to the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors.
Price imported materials and lead times
Blocks of European limestone and German glazing systems carry long lead times, freight, and currency risk. Ask who carries the risk if a price moves or a shipment is late, and how allowances handle it.
Read the warranty past year one
The first-year warranty is described as full coverage. Ask for the written terms on structural and systems coverage beyond year one, and compare them with our home-builder warranty guide.
Ask for a recent cost reference
No prices are published. Ask for a cost-per-square-foot range on recent homes and a sample Specifications Book.
How Does Mangum Design-Build Compare With Other Options?
| Option | Design | Materials sourcing | Reporting | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mangum design-build | In-house 3D with architect and designer | Direct from European suppliers | Monthly estimate vs actual | Buyers who want a one-of-one estate |
| Luxury custom builder plus architect | Outside architect | Local suppliers | Varies | Buyers with an architect already chosen |
| Semi-custom luxury builder | Builder plans with changes | Local suppliers | Varies | Buyers who want a known plan |
| Luxury resale | None | Existing | None | Buyers who want to move in now |
Who Is a Strong Fit for Mangum Design-Build?
Mangum fits a buyer who wants a house nobody else in the Triangle has, and who will spend time on the selections that make it so.
The strongest candidates usually:
- want California Contemporary, Mediterranean, English manor, or Italianate architecture done to its origin;
- care about stone, glass, and millwork at the level of quarry and fabricator;
- want monthly cost reporting and a named project team;
- may own several homes and value the Customer Care program.
It is a weaker fit for buyers who want a fixed price up front, a fast schedule, or a conventional floor plan.
Final Thoughts About Mangum Design-Build From Tim Clarke
Mangum Design-Build publishes more about how it builds than almost any custom builder in the Triangle: a Specifications Book, a decision schedule, monthly cost reporting, and project pages with real square footage and real materials. Tower Grove and Stradella are not houses you see every week.
The gaps are price, the contracting entity, and the warranty after year one. At this level, settle all three in writing before the first deposit.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate. Our team builds as well as sells, so we can read a cost-plus contract, question an allowance, and help you buy the right lot before the design starts.
If Mangum Design-Build is on your list, call us at (919) 355-8462. We’ll represent you from the first conversation to the final walkthrough.
Sources
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/about
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/process
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/projects
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/projects/tower-grove-i
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/projects/tower-grove-ii
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/projects/stradella-i
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/projects/asension-i
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/concrete-homes
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/shipping-container-homes
- https://mangumdesignbuild.com/contact
- 2025 HBA Raleigh-Wake County builder-member directory (print)
- https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search (NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, license L.57955)
