Hillsborough's Trusted Custom Home Builder
Radford Building Company designs and builds custom homes, additions, and renovations across Durham and the Triangle, with transparent pricing set before construction begins.
Hillsborough's Trusted Custom Home Builder
Hillsborough became the seat of Orange County in 1754, and the town still carries that history on its main street. Walk down Churton Street and you’re looking at storefronts and homes that predate the Revolution, all of it sitting inside a local historic district that requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before you can change a window, a roofline, or a porch on the street-facing side of a house. Radford Building Company works throughout Hillsborough as part of our Durham and Chapel Hill business, and on any project here, one of our first steps is finding out whether the property falls inside that boundary. It changes the timeline and the paperwork well before it changes anything about the design itself.
Most of the town’s growth over the past decade hasn’t happened downtown. It’s happened in newer subdivisions like Collins Ridge and Waterstone, built on former farmland at the edges of town as Orange County absorbs some of the demand priced out of tighter lot markets in Durham and Chapel Hill. Homes out there carry none of the historic district’s restrictions, so a project in Waterstone moves at a very different pace than the same project two blocks from the Old Orange County Courthouse. We work across both: a primary suite addition on a ten-year-old subdivision home is largely a scope-and-budget conversation, while an addition on a house inside the historic core has to satisfy the town’s review board before it satisfies you.
Whichever kind of project brings you to us, it starts the same way, with a budget and a scope defined in writing through our Concept Agreement and Preliminary Building Agreement before construction begins. Browse our floor plans to get a sense of what fits your lot, or look through our custom homes portfolio to see how we’ve handled sites around Orange County.
We Specialize In
- Kitchens
- Additions & Renovations
- ADUs
Radford Building Company Services in Hillsborough, NC
From historic-core renovations to new builds on the town’s edges, Radford covers the full range of residential work homeowners in Hillsborough are asking for.
Custom Home Construction New construction here usually means one of two things: a lot in a newer subdivision like Collins Ridge, or a larger parcel further out toward the Eno River or Efland where acreage is still available at a reasonable price. Both run through the same design-build process, with one project manager accountable from the first sketch through the final walkthrough. See our custom homes.
Additions & Renovations Most of the renovation calls we get in Hillsborough involve a house that’s outgrown its layout, not one that’s falling apart. Additions, second-story pop-tops, and full interior reworks are common, and when a property sits inside the historic district, we prepare and submit the Certificate of Appropriateness application ourselves instead of leaving that to you. Explore additions & renovations.
Kitchen Renovations Older homes in and around Hillsborough tend to have kitchens laid out for a different way of cooking than most families use today. We rebuild the layout around how you actually live, coordinating every trade in-house so you’re not managing five separate subcontractors on your own. See kitchen renovations.
ADUs A detached or attached ADU fits well on the larger lots common outside Hillsborough’s downtown core, whether the goal is rental income, space for aging parents, or a home office separate from the main house. We build ADUs that meet both Orange County and Town of Hillsborough requirements. Learn about ADUs.
Custom Floor Plans Our floor plan library gives you a real starting point instead of a blank page, ready to adjust to your lot and how your family lives. Explore floor plans.
Free Planning Resources If you’re still a year or two out from breaking ground, our free planning guides cover budgeting, timeline, and what to expect before your first conversation with a builder. Get the free resources.
Our Proven Home Building Process
Every Radford project moves through the same four stages. A property inside Hillsborough’s historic district adds one more layer, historic district review, and we plan for that from day one instead of discovering it partway through design.
Discovery
We walk the lot and research the property's history, including whether it sits inside Hillsborough's local historic district and what kind of review that will require.
Design
Through our Concept Agreement and Preliminary Building Agreement, we lock in the scope, the selections, and the cost. For historic district properties, this is also where we prepare the Certificate of Appropriateness application.
Selections
You choose finishes and fixtures at your own pace. Our job is to narrow the options down, not add to the overwhelm.
Construction
Once pricing and any required town approvals are final, your dedicated project manager runs the job site and keeps you updated without you having to chase for it.
Communities we serve
- Durham
- Chapel Hill
- Hillsborough
- Rougemont
- Wake Forest
- Timberlake
- Northwest Raleigh
- Bahama
What parts of Hillsborough do you build in?
We work across Hillsborough and the rest of Orange County, from established lots near downtown to newer subdivisions like Collins Ridge and Waterstone. Site conditions differ enough between those areas that we walk every lot in person before finalizing a design, rather than starting from a standard plan.
Does my Hillsborough property need historic district approval?
Properties inside Hillsborough’s National Register historic district, roughly the area surrounding Churton Street and the town’s original colonial-era core, need a Certificate of Appropriateness for most exterior changes. We check this during our first site visit and build that approval timeline into your project schedule from the outset.
What does it cost to build a custom home near Hillsborough?
Custom homes in the greater Durham and Orange County market generally run $300 to $500 per square foot, with the final number shaped by your site, design, and finish selections. We define your actual budget during pre-construction, before you’re committed to anything, so call 919-694-6239 for a number specific to your project rather than a general range.
How long does a custom home take from start to finish?
Plan on 6 to 12 months of pre-construction for design, engineering, and selections, followed by 8 to 12 months of building. Most Radford clients are living in their finished home 18 to 24 months after our first conversation.
Can you renovate a home in Collins Ridge or Waterstone?
Yes, and it’s some of our more common Hillsborough work. Homes in these newer communities are typically 10 to 15 years old now, old enough that kitchens and primary suites are due for an update, and since they sit outside the historic district, design and permitting move faster than a comparable project downtown.
Reimagine Every Room
Our Renovations Idea Book is filled with design inspiration to transform your existing space into something extraordinary. From full-home makeovers to kitchen, bathroom, and outdoor updates, this collection highlights creative solutions and the latest design trends. Let it guide your vision as you plan a renovation that balances beauty, function, and the unmistakable quality of Radford Building.
Our clients share their experiences in their own words — the process, the communication, and the final reveal. See why families across Durham and Chapel Hill area, NC trust Radford Building Company.
