How Principle Builders Group redefined Atlanta’s skyline

Based in Atlanta, Principle Builders Group is a privately owned and operated company founded by Partners Ryan Locke and Anthony (Tony) Bondhus. Principle Builders Group crafts luxury modern and ultra-modern homes across the southeast. We recently had a chance to speak with Ryan, who begins with a detailed overview of the company’s history and operations.  

 “Tony and I founded the company over 15 years ago with a shared passion for high quality home building. Both individually and as a team, we have been in the construction market for over 30 years, focusing on modern home building for the past 15 years. We bring different, but complementary backgrounds into this partnership, but our experience is our biggest strength!  That is why we are an award-winning member of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association,” he informs.  

Pushing limits 

As Ryan noted, the business focuses primarily on modern and ultra-modern construction. “The homes that we build aren’t your standard Atlanta custom home,” he adds, “we incorporate creative building materials and techniques that allow us to push the limits of our suppliers and subcontractors.  The use of structural steel, high-tech wood products and large open glazing, allows us to achieve the owners and architects vision.” 

Standing out in a market as competitive and established as homebuilding can be challenging. Tony highlights the features that help differentiate the firm from its competitors: “Over the years, we have honed the necessary skills to overcome the unique challenges of building cutting-edge, bespoke homes. As a partnership that employs a team of dedicated employees, we have been nimble enough to navigate the challenges of the Atlanta residential construction market.  We have also been lucky enough to excel in the modern homebuilding space, through talented employees and partnerships with creative architects. Fortunately, our progress has been relatively steady, mediating the big swings that can be so difficult to deal with in construction. Our willingness to understand the industry and learn from every project has helped us establish ourselves as one of the top homebuilders in Atlanta and its surrounding areas,” he reveals.  

Example projects

Ryan and Tony move on to provide some examples of projects that exemplify the company’s signature ‘Principle’ approach. “Also known as the Arrowhead, the Davis Road Project is a modern home spanning over 7000 square feet in the mountains of North Gerogia, set on about 400 acres of land. This unique design is the brainchild of Bryan Russell of Dencity and the homeowners. Similarly, the Gilreath Mill project is another mountain home, affectionately known as ‘Narnia.’ Located on the Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee border, the house is roughly 5000 square feet and resides within a 500-acre site. The architects are calling this a museum piece due to its unique features, picturesque setting, and the level of finish across all aspects of the design and construction,” Ryan says.  

Form and finish 

“Additionally, we recently started construction on the Hickory Flat project in Milton, Georgia, which will be one of our largest projects to date. This 16,000 square feet home sits on 20 acres of land and features a sleek modern and transitional design with a ton of creative features. Its Plexus R+D design is an amazing example of the form and finish that we are excited to be building. In the same city, we completed the Birmingham Road project a short time ago for some international clients. Designed by Scott West, this home’s striking design blends creative modern architecture with natural finishes and materials,” Tony adds. 

Ryan then looks ahead to the company’s plans to round off the second half of the year and beyond: “Managing our current builds through to the final product is key. We will be starting on a modern speculative project in the near future and are currently in negotiations for a couple of exciting prospective jobs.  The future looks very promising.”   

www.principlebuildersgroup.com