A new three-bedroom ranch on a full acre for $400,000 is hard to find anywhere in the Triangle market. Three Six Builders listed one in the 2026 Franklin County Parade of Homes, and it was marked SOLD in the printed guide.
That tells you there’s demand for what this builder offers: modest square footage, real land, and a price first-time and move-down buyers can still reach. This guide covers who the company is, what its Parade home includes, and what to verify before you sign.
Who Is Three Six Builders?
Three Six Builders is a woman-owned general contracting company that builds custom homes and handles renovation and design work. It’s led by its President, Owner, and General Contractor, Leslie Privette.
Leslie Privette’s path to building
The company’s Our Team page says Leslie is from eastern North Carolina and graduated from North Carolina State University in 1995. In 2014 she became a part owner of a concrete company that dug footings and poured foundations for new homes. She wanted to run builds from start to finish. She earned her North Carolina General Contractor license and started her first solo project in January 2016.
According to the company, Three Six Builders now completes an average of 25 homes a year. Its FAQ says the company won a silver medal in the 2019 Parade of Homes. The FAQ doesn’t say which Parade, so ask.
Starting from foundations is a useful background. A builder who has poured footings knows what goes wrong under a house, where the problems are expensive and hard to see after the framing goes up.
The “feminine touch”
Three Six builds its brand on what it calls a “feminine touch” and a “woman’s touch.” In practice, the website describes this as close attention to finishes, organization, and storage, with in-house designers who help clients choose materials. The Build page also names Amanda, whose favorite stage is the finishing touches as the house comes together.
The website doesn’t list the rest of the team. Ask who your superintendent will be and who leads design selections.
Communities where Three Six Builders builds
Three Six Builders 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.
- East Woods of Patterson, Youngsville
What Does Three Six Builders Build?
Three Six Builders offers new custom homes, home design, and renovation. Its FAQ says it builds custom homes “whether they are 2,000 or 20,000 square feet.”
| Service | What the company describes |
|---|---|
| Custom home building | Floor plans drafted from client consultations, construction from foundation to roof, finish selections |
| Design | Kitchen and bathroom design, storage and organization, planning for growing families and home offices |
| Renovation | Kitchen, bathroom, and living-space remodels |
The company’s gallery shows named plans, including Sophie’s House Plan, Camille, Strathwood, Virginia Water, Black Swan, Sunny Dale, Cardinal, and Finch. Ask which ones can be built on your lot and what each one costs to build today.
The 2026 Parade home: the Alice
The 2026 Franklin County Parade of Homes guide lists Three Six’s entry as the Alice at 75 Copper Penny Road in Harrison Village. The address is Zebulon, but the Parade map places Harrison Village in Franklin County.
| Detail | 2026 Parade listing |
|---|---|
| Price | $400,000 |
| Status | SOLD (as printed in the guide) |
| Size | 1,900 square feet |
| Bedrooms / baths | 3 bedrooms, 2 baths |
| Lot | About 1 acre |
| Layout | Ranch-style main floor; split bedrooms, with the primary suite away from bedrooms 2 and 3 |
| Flex space | Optional game room over the garage (the guide suggests office, media room, playroom, or hobbies) |
| Garage | Two-car |
| Outdoors | Front porch and screened porch |
| Design firm | McMillan Design |
That works out to about $211 per square foot with an acre of land included. That’s why it sold. Compare it with the roughly $270 to $290 per square foot the larger 2026 Franklin County Parade entries in Aubrie Place were asking.
The guide lists the listing agent as Ruby Helms of ERA Parrish Realty. That agent represents the seller, not the buyer.
Where Three Six builds
The company’s site positions it around wake-forest and the broader raleigh area, and refers to the “Five County Area” without naming the counties. Its 2026 Parade home puts it in the rural strip between zebulon and Franklin County. Ask which towns and subdivisions have lots available now.
How Does Building With Three Six Builders Work?
Three Six Builders describes its process in three stages on its Build page. We’ve added the paperwork that should come out of each one.
- Floor plan. Three Six takes notes from your consultations to the drafting table and revises the plan until it’s right. Get the final plan set and a written specification sheet.
- Foundation and construction. The company handles the build “from the basement to the rooftop” on your land. Get the site-work budget (clearing, grading, septic, well or water tap, driveway) as separate line items.
- Finishing touches. The design team helps you choose finishes for every surface and plan storage. Get the allowance schedule and the selection deadlines in writing.
The FAQ says the company pulls all required permits, walks the house at every stage, and checks the work before inspections. A satisfied buyer quoted on the site says their home was finished on time and that small cosmetic issues were fixed right away.
The website doesn’t publish a written warranty or a typical timeline. Ask for both.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Three Six Builders?
Before signing with Three Six Builders, confirm the license, what’s included in the price, the rural site costs, and the warranty for your specific lot. At 25 homes a year, the company has a real track record to check. Use it. Our guides to choosing a Triangle builder and who the builder’s agent works for cover the full comparison.
License and insurance
Look up Leslie Privette’s license with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Confirm that the licensed entity matches the name on your contract. Ask for certificates of liability and workers’ compensation insurance.
What $400,000 includes on an acre
Rural lots near Zebulon and in Franklin County usually mean well and septic. Ask:
- Whether the price includes the well, the septic system, and its permit.
- How long the driveway is and what surface it gets.
- Whether the lot needs clearing and how much.
- What landscaping and seeding are included.
On a one-acre lot, those items can change the budget more than any interior upgrade.
Allowances and change orders
Get every allowance (flooring, cabinets, countertops, lighting, plumbing fixtures) listed with a dollar amount. Ask for the change-order markup and the cutoff date for each selection.
Warranty
Get the warranty terms attached to the contract and compare them against our home builder warranty guide. A builder doing 25 homes a year should have a defined warranty request process. Ask how to submit a request and how quickly they respond.
How Does Three Six Compare With Other Building Options?
Three Six sits in a narrow spot: custom-builder service at a price close to production homes, on bigger lots than production builders offer.
| Option | Typical lot | Plan flexibility | Who you work with | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production builder subdivision | Small, often under a quarter acre | Low | Sales office | Buyers who want amenities and city sewer |
| Three Six Builders | Up to about an acre (2026 Parade home) | Moderate to high | Owner-led team with in-house design | Buyers who want land, a ranch plan, and design help at an attainable price |
| High-end custom builder | Varies | High | Architect and project manager | $1M+ builds |
Who Is a Strong Fit for Three Six Builders?
Three Six Builders fits buyers who want room outside and one-level living without a seven-figure budget.
The strongest fits usually:
- want an acre instead of a quarter-acre production lot;
- are comfortable with Franklin County or eastern Wake living, a longer commute, and well and septic;
- want a ranch plan with a bonus room they can finish now or later;
- want hands-on help with finish selections;
- are first-time buyers, downsizers, or families moving out of Raleigh for more land.
Final Thoughts About Three Six Builders From Tim Clarke
The Alice sold before most Parade visitors got to see it. When an acre and a new ranch come in at $400,000, buyers move fast. That’s also when buyers skip steps.
Don’t skip them. On rural new construction, the risk is in the septic permit, the well depth, the driveway, and the grading. The finishes are rarely where things go wrong.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate, and our team builds as well as sells. When we review a builder contract on an acre lot, we check the site-work lines before the cabinet allowance, confirm what the price actually includes, and make sure the warranty is written down. Leslie Privette’s company has a decade of building and a steady pace of homes behind it. That’s worth checking out.
If Three Six Builders is on your list, or you want land and a new ranch home under $450,000, call us at (919) 355-8462. We’ll find the lots, pull the comparable sales, and represent you, not the seller, from contract to keys.
Sources
- https://threesixbuilders.com/
- https://threesixbuilders.com/our-team/
- https://threesixbuilders.com/faq/
- https://threesixbuilders.com/build/
- https://threesixbuilders.com/design/
- https://threesixbuilders.com/renovation/
- https://threesixbuilders.com/gallery/
- https://franklincountyhba.com/parade-of-homes/
- https://growthzonecmsprodeastus.azureedge.net/sites/2621/2026/09/2026-Parade-Map-compressed.jpg (2026 Parade map and entry list)
- https://issuu.com/circamagazine/docs/2026_franklin_county_parade_of_homes_guide (2026 Franklin County Parade of Homes guide, page 36)
- Tim M. Clarke Team field knowledge, October 2026 (community list confirmed by Tim M. Clarke)
