Most custom builders tell you a build takes “about a year, depending.” Tobin Construction publishes the calendar.
Its process page lays out a custom home from the first meeting to closing in roughly 28 weeks: design finalized by week four, permit applied for in week five, foundation in weeks 11 and 12, drywall-ready walkthrough by week 19, closing around week 28. It is an outline. It still tells you what the builder expects to happen and when.
Tobin builds on your lot or helps you find one, and its founder holds both a general contractor’s license and a real estate broker’s license. Its recent work is concentrated in Wake Forest. This guide covers what the record shows and what to verify before you sign.
Who Is Tobin Construction?
Tobin Construction is a Raleigh-based custom home builder and remodeler founded in 2018 by Brian Tobin, its President. Tobin Construction, LLC is listed as a builder member in the 2025 Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County directory, and the company’s site also lists membership in the Home Builders Association of Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties.
Brian Tobin’s background
Tobin’s About page tells the story in his own words. He earned a construction management degree from Penn State in 1996, came to the Triangle as a construction manager for a local builder, worked up through supervisory roles, then spent 17 years in new home sales for local and national builders. In 2018 he left corporate building and started Tobin Construction.
That first year, Tobin’s custom home entry in the Parade of Homes for Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties won a Silver Medal.
The real estate side
Brian Tobin also runs Team Tobin Realty and lists himself as a licensed North Carolina real estate broker. The company says it can help clients find a community, a homesite or a large parcel, or a fixer-upper to remodel. That is useful when the lot is the hard part. It also means you should be clear about who represents whom on any land purchase.
Where Tobin builds
Tobin’s properties page lists work in wake-forest and pittsboro:
- 2957 Wexford Pond Way, Wake Forest: listed for sale, a Kinase plan with 2,405 sq ft on the first floor and 1,908 sq ft on the second.
- 2713 Trifle Lane, Wake Forest: sold, The Wexford plan, 4,642 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths.
- 8700 Kimalden Ct., Wake Forest: sold, 3,829 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3-car attached garage.
- Waterstone Manor Lot 1: sold, a lot adjacent to Waterstone Reserve in Wake County with community water, individual septic, natural gas and public roads. See our Waterstone Manors page.
- 3447 Alston Chapel Road, Pittsboro: sold.
- 150 Stonewood Loop: completed, a custom home built on the owner’s property.
Tobin also markets Wills Landing at Lake Gaston, with multiple lots and home plans for vacation homes. Lake Gaston is outside the Triangle on the Virginia line; this page focuses on the Triangle work.
What Does Tobin Construction Build?
Tobin builds custom homes, from your own plans or a blank page, and does remodeling, restorations and additions.
| Buyer question | What the public record shows |
|---|---|
| State contractor license | L.78426 (Tobin Construction Company, LLC): Building classification, unlimited license limit, active through Dec. 31, 2026 per the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, checked Oct. 14, 2026 |
| New construction | Custom homes; your plans, its overlays, or a full custom design |
| Lot | Your homesite, or Tobin helps you find one |
| Recent home sizes | 3,829 sq ft to 4,642 sq ft on published listings; Kinase plan about 4,313 sq ft |
| Schedule | Published process from first meeting to closing in about 28 weeks |
| Basements | Basement homesites add about two weeks, per the process page |
| Award | Silver Medal, Parade of Homes for Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties, 2018 |
| Warranty | One-year warranty discussed at new-owner orientation |
| Other services | Remodeling, restorations, additions, real estate brokerage |
| Pricing | Not published |
How Does Building With Tobin Work?
Tobin publishes one of the most detailed timelines we see from a small builder. In summary:
- Week 1. Meet, discuss needs and wants, tour Tobin homes, and discuss financing.
- Week 2. Walk your homesite, or let Tobin help find one. Meet the designer, then choose an overlay plan to modify or design fully custom.
- Weeks 3 to 4. Finalize the design, review construction specifications, and receive a formal quote. A deposit is due when you sign.
- Week 5. Plans go to the engineer to be sealed, a preliminary plot plan is drawn, plans go to the architectural review board if required, and the permit application is filed. Permit times vary from about two weeks to 60 days by jurisdiction.
- Weeks 6 to 10. Selections: exterior colors, cabinets, counters, flooring, tile, paint, lighting and plumbing.
- Weeks 11 to 12. Foundation.
- Weeks 13 to 15. Framing, roof, windows, electrical walk-through, landscape plan.
- Weeks 16 to 19. Plumbing, HVAC and electrical; framing and mechanical inspections; insulation; a quality walkthrough with the builder before drywall.
- Weeks 20 to 22. Trim, doors, closets, cabinets and paint. Set the closing date and attorney.
- Weeks 23 to 26. Hardwoods, tile, fixtures, landscaping and irrigation, and a quality-control inspection.
- Weeks 27 to 28. New-owner orientation, a review of the one-year warranty, and closing.
Two details stand out. The pre-drywall walkthrough with the builder is a step every buyer should insist on. And Tobin offers a preferred closing attorney but says you can use your own.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Tobin?
Before signing with Tobin Construction, verify the license, the warranty terms, the schedule assumptions and how the real estate side is handled. Our guides to finding a Triangle builder and why the builder’s agent works for the builder explain how to keep someone on your side.
Confirm the license and the entity
Match Tobin Construction, LLC and its license number on the contract to the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. The company’s address is 4441 Six Forks Road, Suite 106-263, Raleigh, and its phone is (919) 622-7057.
Treat the 28 weeks as a target
The schedule is an outline. Ask what happens if permits take 60 days, what delays are your responsibility, and whether the contract includes a completion date.
Get the one-year warranty in writing
The process page mentions a one-year warranty but does not publish its terms. Ask for the written warranty and any structural coverage, and compare it with our home-builder warranty guide.
Be clear about representation on the land
If Team Tobin Realty helps you find a lot, the same person may represent the seller side of a lot, the build, or both. Ask in writing who represents you in the land purchase. We represent the buyer; the builder and its brokerage represent their own side.
Check the lot before the design
Tobin’s own process says “not all home sites are created equal.” Ask for the survey, soil and septic evaluation, and utility availability before you finalize a plan. Our guide to buying land to build walks through each.
How Does Tobin Compare With Other Building Options?
| Option | Lot | Design | Schedule transparency | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tobin custom on your lot | Yours | Your plans, overlay, or full custom | Published 28-week outline | Owners with land who want a clear timeline |
| Tobin custom with lot search | Tobin helps find it | Overlay or full custom | Same outline | Buyers starting from scratch |
| Production builder | Subdivision lot | Fixed plans and options | Set by builder | Buyers who want amenities and a standard process |
| Resale | Existing | Existing | Immediate | Buyers who need to move quickly |
Who Is a Strong Fit for Tobin Construction?
Tobin fits a buyer who wants a custom home in the 3,800 to 4,700 square foot range, likely in or near Wake Forest, and who wants to see the plan before they commit.
The strongest candidates usually:
- own a homesite in Wake, Durham, Orange or Chatham County, or want help finding one;
- like the idea of starting from an overlay plan and changing it;
- want a written week-by-week schedule;
- are building with a construction loan and need predictable draw timing;
- will read the warranty and contract terms before signing.
It is a weaker fit for buyers who need a move-in-ready home now or a large-scale amenity community.
Final Thoughts About Tobin Construction From Tim Clarke
Tobin’s background is unusual: years supervising construction, then 17 years selling new homes, then his own company with a Parade medal in its first year. That mix shows in the published process. It reads like it was written by someone who has answered every buyer question twice.
Use the schedule as a planning tool. Get the warranty terms, the permit assumptions and the representation on any land purchase in writing.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate. Our team builds as well as sells, so we know how a custom schedule slips and how to protect you when it does. We represent you; the builder represents the builder.
If you are considering Tobin Construction, call us at (919) 355-8462. We’ll help you check the lot and the contract before you sign.
Sources
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/about-us/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/our-process/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/properties/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/2957-wexford-pond-way-wake-forest-for-sale/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/2713-trifle-lane-wake-forest-sold/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/8700-kimalden-ct-wake-forest/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/waterstone-manor-lot-1/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/3447-alston-chapel-rd-pittsboro-sold/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/150-stonewood-loop-completed/
- https://tobinconstructionnc.com/portfolio_page/wills-landing-at-lake-gaston-for-sale/
- 2025 HBA Raleigh-Wake County builder-member directory (print)
- https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search (NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, license L.78426)
