A 3,333-square-foot custom home on 1.57 wooded acres in Pittsboro for $988,500. A second on nearly two acres for $972,000. Both sit in Pennington at Jordan Lake, the community W.T. Barker lists as current on its website.
The company behind them has deep Raleigh roots. Founder William Barker started selling real estate in Raleigh in 1979 and began building custom homes in 1989 under William T. Barker Construction. Today W.T. Barker builds custom homes and handles kitchen and bath renovations, additions, and outdoor living across Wake County, with Will Barker as project manager.
The website has not been visibly updated in some time, so treat the listings as a starting point. This guide covers what the record shows and what to confirm.
Who Is W.T. Barker?
W.T. Barker is a Raleigh custom builder and renovator founded by William T. Barker. The website calls it an “Award Winning Raleigh Custom Home Builder.”
The documented history
The About page traces William Barker’s career:
- grew up on a farm in Robeson County and moved to Raleigh in 1973 to attend NC State;
- began selling real estate in 1979 with Bacon and Company and has held a North Carolina real estate license since then;
- founded Barker Realty in 1984 as an investment and property management company;
- began building custom homes in 1989 under William T. Barker Construction;
- later formed Barker and Lovette Construction Company for commercial renovations and fit-ups, and then the Barker Construction Group.
The page says he has served on the NC Building Code Committee and is a member of the Wake County Home Builders Association, the National HBA, and the Raleigh Board of Realtors. It names Will Barker as project manager and notes he sits on the Wake County Board of Adjustment. Lauren Abbott is listed as project coordinator.
W.T. Barker Construction Co. is listed as a builder member in the 2025 Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County directory. The office is on Sunday Drive in Raleigh (Suite 115 on the website, Suite 113 in the directory). The office phone is 919-859-6115.
A naming note
William Barker’s companies include W.T. Barker Construction, Barker and Lovette, the Barker Construction Group, and Barker Realty, and other Triangle builders share the Barker name. Make sure the contracting entity on your agreement is the one whose license you checked, normally W.T. Barker Construction Co. for a custom home.
Where Does W.T. Barker Build?
The home page says W.T. Barker builds and renovates in Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Garner, Knightdale, and surrounding Wake County. Its current community, Pennington at Jordan Lake, has Pittsboro addresses in Chatham County.
Communities
| Community | Status on the site | What the site says |
|---|---|---|
| Pennington at Jordan Lake | Current | Wooded home sites paired with a custom home design; two homes listed |
| Pleasant Pointe | Past | Nine custom homes in Raleigh with open floor plans |
| Daveny Woods | Past | Fourteen modern craftsman homes built in 2016 |
The Pennington listings
| Address | Size | Layout | Lot | Price shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115 Gentry Dr, Pittsboro | 3,333 sq ft | 4 bed, 4.5+ bath | 1.57 acres | $988,500 |
| 62 N Julip Ct, Pittsboro | 3,374 sq ft | Not published | 1.97 acres | $972,000 |
The site does not date these listings. Ask whether either home is still available, or what the current price for a new Pennington build would be.
What Does W.T. Barker Build?
W.T. Barker builds custom homes and renovates existing ones. The home page lists custom home building, kitchen and bath renovations, additions, and exterior living spaces.
| Buyer question | What the public record shows |
|---|---|
| Services | Custom homes, kitchen and bath renovations, additions, porches, sunrooms, exterior living |
| Approach | Design-build: W.T. Barker is the single point of contact and coordinates the architect, trades, and designers |
| Custom homes since | 1989 (William T. Barker Construction) |
| Listed prices | $972,000 and $988,500 in Pennington at Jordan Lake (undated) |
| Awards | Described as “award winning,” but no specific awards are listed |
| Warranty | Not published |
Daveny Woods standard features
The Past Communities page lists what every Daveny Woods home included in 2016: stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, heavy molding and trim, custom tile in baths, a custom staircase and open foyer, sealed crawl spaces, lifetime shingles, stone and brick accents, covered porches, fireplaces, and energy-efficient construction. It is a useful picture of the company’s standard spec at the time. Ask what the current standard is.
How Does Building With W.T. Barker Work?
W.T. Barker describes a design-build approach rather than numbered steps. Its Services page says the company takes responsibility for the project as “the sole source of contact,” coordinates the architect, tradespeople, and designers, and brings them together before construction “so that there are minimal surprises.”
The page also describes the first conversation: in-depth questions about your goals and “the ‘why’” behind them, followed by a candid assessment and options. Ask how the design fee is handled and when the price is fixed.
What Should You Verify Before Signing With W.T. Barker?
Before signing with W.T. Barker, verify the entity, current availability, the lot, and the warranty. A long track record is a strength. A website that has not kept pace means you need to ask what is current. 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
Look up W.T. Barker Construction Co. with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors and make sure the same entity is on your contract.
Confirm what is current
The site’s footer still reads 2018, and its listings carry no dates. Ask which homes are available now, what has been completed in the last two years, and for owners you can call.
Ask about the awards
The site calls W.T. Barker award-winning without naming the awards. Ask which awards, from which years, and for which homes.
Check the Pennington lot
An acre-plus lot outside town limits may mean a private well and septic, and Chatham County has its own permitting. Ask how water and wastewater are handled, and for the septic permit if there is one, the survey, and any recorded covenants. Our guide to buying land to build a house covers the checks.
Get the warranty in writing
The site does not describe a warranty. Ask for the written terms and compare them with our home-builder warranty guide.
How Does W.T. Barker Compare With Other Building Options?
W.T. Barker is a long-established, family-run custom builder with a design-build approach.
| Option | Lot | Design | Builder access | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W.T. Barker in Pennington | Acre-plus wooded lot | Custom design paired to the site | Owner and project manager | Buyers who want land near Jordan Lake |
| W.T. Barker on your lot | Your Wake County lot | Design-build | Owner and project manager | Buyers who want one point of contact |
| Production builder | Subdivision lot | Builder plans | Sales office | Buyers who want amenities and a standard process |
| Resale near Jordan Lake | Existing | Existing | None | Buyers who need to move now |
Who Is a Strong Fit for W.T. Barker?
W.T. Barker fits a buyer who values a builder with decades in the Raleigh market and wants one point of contact through design and construction.
The strongest candidates usually:
- want a wooded acre-plus lot near Jordan Lake, or have a lot in Wake County;
- want a design-build process with the builder coordinating the architect;
- may also need a renovation or addition handled by the same team;
- will confirm current availability, references, and warranty terms.
It is a weaker fit for buyers who want a builder with a current online portfolio and dated sales to compare.
Final Thoughts About W.T. Barker From Tim Clarke
William Barker has worked in Raleigh real estate since 1979 and built custom homes since 1989. That is the kind of history that usually means a builder has seen most of what can go wrong on a job site and knows how to prevent it.
The website has not kept up with the company. Ask what is current, which awards it has won, and what the warranty says before you sign.
I have spent 17+ years in Triangle real estate. Our team builds as well as sells, so we know what an acre lot near Jordan Lake costs to prepare and what a custom home there should appraise for. If a builder’s salesperson or listing agent is involved, that person represents the builder. We represent you.
If a W.T. Barker home is on your list, call us at (919) 355-8462. We’ll help you check the lot, the contract, and the comparable sales.
Sources
- https://wtbarker.com/
- https://wtbarker.com/about/
- https://wtbarker.com/services/
- https://wtbarker.com/current-communities/
- https://wtbarker.com/current-communities/pennington-at-jordan-lake/
- https://wtbarker.com/past-communities/
- https://wtbarker.com/contact-us/
- 2025 HBA Raleigh-Wake County builder-member directory (print)
