Custom Building with Zinn Design Build

We recently completed a beautiful luxury custom home for a family of five on a prime five-acre property in the exclusive Greenbrae neighborhood, located off Dairyland Road in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District.

These clients moved from Virginia, and not having found a suitable new or re-sale home in Chapel Hill, selected Zinn Design Build to create and build their home.

Initial meetings included budget goals and sharing of our clients’ style and space requirements. In this instance, they found an existing ZDB plan which I modified specifically for the property and for their particular needs, thus reducing the upfront design time and cost.

They shared photos that represented their taste and I was able to design a home which reflected their desires.

When we do not have the appropriate materials in our office, I seek out special items that match our clients’ aesthetic. The distinctive wall tile used for the wainscot in this family’s primary bathroom was sourced especially for them.

I tell my clients: “I channel you through me.” I have been designing homes for 46 years and know well that the communication that both I and our project manager initially establish with our clients is the basis for a happy and productive working relationship. Every home is unique and every client is unique. We are highly focused on the needs of our clients.

Open space casual living areas have been a fundamental part of my designs since I began this work in 1978.
Home planning at that time generally hid the kitchen from nearby rooms, but I knew that the world had changed and people wanted a more fluid living space. Dining and living rooms, which were barely used, were still de rigueur.

Now, when I create what could be used as a dining room, it may initially be used as an office or playroom. I like to create spaces that can change with families’ needs and will also function well for subsequent owners and their requirements.

Because we are a small very hands-on company and our cadre of tradespeople match us in size, focus, and skill, we are able to provide craftsmanship of a higher calibre than is typically seen in the Chapel Hill region.

Jason O’Quinn is our highly skilled and devoted project manager, and we limit our work to only what he can supervise very well. I have worked with Michelle Wood, our office manager, for more than twenty years. She provides detailed back up both to our project manager and to me, and she is the salt to my pepper. Together, we and our highly skilled sub-contractors are proud to be building some of Chapel Hill’s most elegant and unique luxury custom homes.

Carol Ann Zinn

Zinn Design Build