New builders have to earn every sale. That can work in your favor. They answer the phone, they finish the details, and they need the reference.
It also means less history to check. Towering Pines Construction was founded in 2025, and its 2026 Parade of Homes entry, the Sandpiper in Aubrie Place with a wake-forest address, is one of the first public looks at its work. This guide covers what the record shows and what a buyer should get in writing before signing with a young company.
Who Is Towering Pines Construction?
Towering Pines Construction, LLC is a small construction and development firm that says it serves “Wake Forest, NC & Surrounding Areas.” It calls itself a design-driven building studio and lists custom homes, spec homes, and renovations among its work.
The founder and the start date
The company’s About page says Daniel Wintill founded Towering Pines in 2025. It describes him as a boutique builder whose priority is building healthy, durable homes, combining home performance and health with beauty and function. The site’s footer says “Licensed General Contractor - NC.” The site doesn’t give a license number, so look it up yourself with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors before signing anything.
The About page also says the company’s mission is “motivated by our desire to glorify God in everything we do.” Some buyers will appreciate knowing that up front.
What the company says it does
The website lists four services:
| Service | How Towering Pines describes it |
|---|---|
| Custom homes | Working with clients to turn their vision into a finished home |
| Spec homes | Move-in-ready homes built “with the same care and intentional vision as a custom project” |
| Land development | Helping clients find property, doing feasibility reviews before purchase, and turning raw land into buildable homesites or a subdivision |
| Multi-generational living | Evaluating properties and developing family compound projects from start to finish |
The land and multi-generational services are the unusual ones. Most small builders want you to show up with a lot already in hand. Towering Pines offers to help before you buy, which is where the most expensive mistakes get made.
What Has Towering Pines Built?
Towering Pines’ portfolio is small. The site shows three projects, all two-story homes with four bedrooms, a private guest setup, and a bath for each bedroom.
| Project | Location | Size | Beds / Baths | Status on website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Willow | Aubrie Place Lot 2, Wake Forest | 3,167 sq ft | 4 / 3.5 | Completed |
| The Sandpiper | Aubrie Place Lot #6, Wake Forest | 3,283 sq ft | 4 / 4.5 | Available |
| The Wren | Greenbrook Lot #36, Youngsville | 3,988 sq ft | 4 / 4.5 | Available |
The Willow is the only finished project with full interior photography. The site shows a scullery, cedar details, mudroom built-ins, a screened porch, and an outdoor fireplace. Those photos are the best evidence of how the company finishes a house. Look at them closely, then ask to walk the house itself.
The 2026 Parade home: the Sandpiper
The 2026 Franklin County Parade of Homes guide lists Towering Pines’ entry as the Sandpiper at 1411 Cottondale Lane in Aubrie Place. It’s right across the street from another Parade builder’s entry.
| Detail | 2026 Parade listing |
|---|---|
| Price | $945,000 |
| Size | 3,283 square feet |
| Bedrooms / baths | 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, each bedroom with its own bath |
| Style | Courtyard-style home on a wooded lot |
| Main floor | Open plan built around a kitchen with an oversized island; hidden staircase; first-floor guest suite; primary suite on the main level |
| Upstairs | Two bedrooms, a loft, and storage |
| Garage | Two-car |
| Outdoors | Covered porch and a pool-ready backyard |
| Design firm | Dynamic Design Group |
That works out to about $288 per square foot, lot included. The pool-ready backyard is a good selling point, but get the details in writing. Does “pool-ready” mean the grading, setbacks, and septic or utility layout leave room for a pool? Or does it just mean a flat yard?
Where Aubrie Place sits
Aubrie Place has Wake Forest 27587 mailing addresses, but the 2026 Parade map places it in Granville County, north of Falls Lake. A separate brokerage listing on the same street also shows Granville County. Check the tax bill, the school assignment, and whether the lot is on well and septic or public utilities before you compare it with homes inside Wake County.
How Does Building With Towering Pines Work?
Towering Pines doesn’t publish a numbered building process, a warranty, or a pricing guide. Its contact page offers to “set up a time to walk your lot or review your plans,” and its land-development service starts before you buy. We’d turn that into a written sequence:
- Feasibility before purchase. Have the builder walk the lot and put the results in writing: soils, septic suitability, utilities, setbacks, tree removal, and driveway length.
- Plan and specifications. Get a plan set and a written spec sheet. Don’t rely on renderings alone.
- Price and allowances. Get a fixed price or a cost-plus budget with every allowance amount listed.
- Schedule and draws. Get the start date, the completion date, the draw schedule, and lien waivers with every draw.
- Closeout and warranty. Get the punch-list timeline, the warranty terms, and who answers warranty calls.
If you’re buying one of the spec homes (the Sandpiper or the Wren), most of the build decisions are already made. Your leverage shifts to price, closing costs, and warranty terms.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With Towering Pines?
Before signing with Towering Pines Construction, look at track record, money, and post-closing service. Those are the areas where a founder-led company from 2025 hasn’t built up a public history yet. Our guides to choosing a Triangle builder and who the builder’s agent works for walk through the comparison.
Track record and capacity
Ask how many homes the company has finished and closed, and how many are under construction right now. With three listed projects, a buyer needs to know whether Daniel will be on their job site personally. Find out who covers when he isn’t.
Financial footing
A young builder’s cash flow matters more than an established builder’s. On a custom build, keep deposits modest, tie draws to inspected milestones, and require lien waivers from every subcontractor and supplier before each payment. Ask your attorney whether your deposit should be held in escrow.
References from completed buyers
Ask for the owners of the Willow and any other closed homes. Ask how the final price compared with the contract, how the schedule held, and how fast punch-list items were fixed.
Warranty and the Parade listing
The 2026 Parade guide names a listing agent from Julie Wright Realty Group. That agent represents the seller. Get the warranty in writing as part of your contract, and compare it with our home builder warranty guide.
How Does Towering Pines Compare With Other Options?
Towering Pines sits between a production builder’s spec inventory and a full custom build.
| Option | Plan control | Track record to check | Price certainty | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production spec home | None | Years of closings and reviews | High | Buyers who want speed and a known warranty system |
| Towering Pines spec home | None after construction starts | Short, a 2025 start | High: the price is set | Buyers who want a boutique finish level without waiting through a build |
| Towering Pines custom build | High | Short | Set by the contract | Buyers who value land and design help and will handle the extra due diligence |
Who Is a Strong Fit for Towering Pines?
Towering Pines fits buyers who want a four-bedroom home with a first-floor guest suite and a bath for every bedroom, built by a small company where the founder is involved.
The strongest fits usually:
- want to be north of Falls Lake (Aubrie Place) or in Youngsville (Greenbrook);
- have parents, adult children, or regular guests who need a first-floor suite;
- have land and need help evaluating it, or want to plan a family compound;
- are comfortable checking a builder with a short track record through contracts and draw controls instead of a long list of reviews.
Final Thoughts About Towering Pines Construction From Tim Clarke
The Sandpiper is a confident first Parade entry: a courtyard plan, a hidden staircase, every bedroom with its own bath, and a price that comes in $50,000 under the one-level home across the street. Daniel Wintill’s offer to walk land with buyers before they purchase is a service most small builders don’t offer.
A newer builder isn’t a reason to walk away. It’s a reason to put more in writing.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate, and our team builds as well as sells. When we look at a young builder, we focus on how the money is protected: the deposit, the draw schedule, the lien waivers, the warranty, and who shows up when something leaks in month eleven. Those protections let you buy from a newer builder with confidence.
If the Sandpiper, the Wren, or a Towering Pines custom build is on your list, call us at (919) 355-8462. We’ll tour the house with you, pull the comparable sales, review the contract, and represent you through closing.
Sources
- https://toweringpinesconstruction.com/
- https://toweringpinesconstruction.com/about
- https://toweringpinesconstruction.com/portfolio
- https://toweringpinesconstruction.com/portfolio/the-sandpiper
- https://toweringpinesconstruction.com/portfolio/the-willow
- https://toweringpinesconstruction.com/portfolio/the-wren
- https://www.instagram.com/toweringpinesconstruction/
- 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 16)
- https://www.duncanprimerealty.com/property/1405-cottondale-lane-wake-forest-nc-27587/pid-1803458128/ (secondary: Aubrie Place county field)
