Testimonials
What our clients have to say...
We began building our dream home on the Nansemond River in 1999, with Willie & Margaret Etheridge. We had known Willie and Margaret socially, as neighbors of my parents and had seen the quality of their own home, which Willie had designed and built. We actually never considered using any other builder because we knew Willie’s attention to detail and tenacious approach would result in a home that would be a joy to us. We always felt that Willie’s approach to building was very immediate and hands-on. He knew exactly where the project was at all times. He did not hesitate to expedite a situation if he felt a subcontractor was not meeting his expectations. We have a home that is the envy of all that visit and , after almost 8 years, it has been virtually maintenance-free! We would not hesitate to recommend Etheridge Custom Homes to anyone who desires a Premiere Property!
Jim & Ann Milburn
Willie, Tyler, and the crew did an outstanding job on giving us our forever home! We were always in the loop of what was going on. The professionalism was top notch all the time, and still maintained the small town style everyone looks for. The building site stayed clean throughout the entire process! No corners were cut, all work that was performed by all contractors was top of the line work! I strongly recommend ECH to build your forever home!
– Meagan & Trent Lamm | 8.17.2023
After Keith and I met with Willie Etheridge, I said we need look no further. Willie is an honest, direct, and experienced contractor. Always kept us in the loop on developments. We built during Covid, so shortages were occurring. Willie had the foresight to order products in advance to prevent delays and we were moved into our home by projected dates.
Keith acquired wood from a 1960 tobacco barn. He and Tyler designed an accent wall and exposed beams for his trophy room. It truly is a showpiece, and it receives raves from family and friends.
We are forever grateful for Etheridge Custom Homes!
– Keith & Pam Mingloski | 8.17.2023
When I decided to build my home , I chose ECH through word of mouth. I had known the Etheridge family for a while and already knew they were good honest people . Willie explained from the very beginning step by step how things would go and every few weeks I would get a job recap of what was done and what was to be done , so there were never any surprises . I even had a special project I wanted to do which involved taking some wood out of my old home place and using it to cover one wall in my new home . Willie said , sure , we can do that, and his son Tyler took care of it, and it turned out perfect. I will add that Tyler is a genius when it comes to woodworking ! The entire crew of Etheridge Custom Homes really takes pride in their work . Their work ethic is second to none and they treat you like family . I consider myself a very picky person , almost a perfectionist when it comes to what I spend my money on, and I can honestly say that ECH surpassed all my expectations . I would recommend Etheridge Custom Homes to anyone !
– David “Cricket” Nurney | 8.16.2023
Word of mouth seems to be the best way to learn about people, their trade, and expertise. When we found out about Etheridge Custom Homes, our cousin’s family was in the process of building their home with ECH. Before that, we had never heard of them. Willie Etheridge was more than willing to talk with us and answer some questions though we interrupted his lunch at his job site on a Sunday. This was a breath of fresh air after the headache and disappointment we had already been through while trying to find the right contractor for the job.
This is our forever home– we wanted it to be next to perfect. Four months after this first meeting and many emails later, the Johnson Family was finally ready to take the leap of faith. So why did we choose Etheridge Custom Homes over the competition? Willie’s attention to detail, efficient and various methods of communication, and his Type A personality (that matches mine—this is a compliment to Willie, by the way) sealed the deal. His contract was many pages long but did not leave out one detail about building our forever home from the ground up, start to finish.
We chose ECH because we were able to customize our home down to every single detail. There was no need to purchase blue prints because Willie has an architect/drafter who handles that for you. Nothing is printed until the homeowner is happy with the plan. Our forever home was completed in just over 5 months from the day ECH broke ground. This was faster than we had anticipated. Hiring a contractor who knows how to run a business as well as work most of the trades is the way to go. Willie was able to line up every subcontractor with efficiency and without problem as he has been working with his subs for years and their working relationships are top-notch.
Each week Willie sends a Job Recap so the homeowners know what was completed that week from their contract, how much money was spent, how much is left, and what’s to come the following week. Willie and ECH had the job site kept clean and organized which, as the homeowners with a small child, is a wonderful thing when going to check in on the progress of your home.
Willie is easy to work with and respects the homeowners’ requests. He, Margaret, Tyler, and ECH employees will do the best they can to make the homeowners happy. We are pleased with the professionalism and craftsmanship of Etheridge Custom Homes and most importantly, with the end-result of our Forever Home. We recommend ECH to anyone looking to build their forever home exactly the way they want it built. The Johnson Family likes to think that they didn’t just build a beautiful home with ECH but that they also built a friendship.
– Brad & Katie Johnson | 12.12.15
We knew we wanted to build.. Finding someone with integrity to build our home was what scared us the most. People told us horrible stories of contractors being a “nightmare” to deal with, homes being quickly built with many mistakes made, horrible communication between the contractor and homeowner, and how much of a “headache” building a house was.
After waiting for a couple years, we decided to take the leap and start looking for contractors. By word of mouth, we heard about Willie and how great he was. We were skeptical of course, but went ahead and called him up. From the first telephone conversation we knew he was going to build our home. He was so easy to get in contact with and took so much time explaining things in great detail (sometimes more than once) to us. You can just tell from talking with him and his family, that they are good, honest people who love what they do.
In addition to being all-around genuine folks, he went above and beyond for us as first time homeowners to make the processes of designing, permits and communicating with the bank seem like a cakewalk for us. He makes it obvious that he has been successfully building for years. He has the professionalism of a businessman but also a blue collar work ethic that is very admirable. We never felt like he was cutting corners or rushing. He has such an attention to detail, he was always easy to get on the phone, and even our loan officer at the bank made mention that he had never dealt with any home contractor who had such an organized, professional process.
Throughout the build and when it came time for us to choose floors, cabinets, etc., we were even more reminded that we chose the right man. He made it all so easy, gave us his honest opinion and really listened to what we wanted. Building our house was a lot of fun, it was the dreamlike, stress free experience that we hoped it would be and we can honestly say it’s because we chose Etheridge Custom Homes. We are happy to now call them friends and blessed to have had such wonderful people pour their hearts into building our dream home. They’re fantastic and love what they do, and it shows.
– Mary & Daniel Riddick | 11.01.14
When we were looking for a contractor to remodel the home my husband was raised in, we knew we wanted someone that could maintain the character of the home, yet add some modern updates as well. Willie and Tyler Etheridge did just that. Their work ethic, communication and professionalism was unprecedented. They offered ideas, were patient, and most of all, they were honest. They helped us create our dream home. During the remodeling, Willie was trying to explain something to me while I was out of town that I couldn’t quite picture in my mind, so I told him these exact words…” I believe in two things: God and Willie Etheridge, Jr.” Neither of them let me down. Etheridge Custom Homes…….call on them!
– Wendy & Mark Simmons | 9.13.14
The Etheridge Work Force Team,
Words cannot express our satisfaction with the addition and renovation you did at the Scarborough house. We are thrilled with all that you accomplished in a timely manner. Please know that we are making people aware of you and your work!In this world today, it is rare to find anyone with a genuine, honest, committed work ethic. You achieved all of the above in the work you did for us. Your integrity and work ethic speak volumes for each of you.
You went above and beyond the call to duty in keeping us up to date and informed throughout the building process. The bonus for me personally, was the clean-up of the house after the construction. You left it in tip-top shape!! Praying God continues to bless all of you and your work in ways that are exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all we could ask or think. Eph. 3:20
– Ricky & Dora Gurganus | 5.02.12
Dear Etheridge Family,
This is a long overdue note to express our thanks to all of you for the wonderful job you did on our addition.
Courtney – thanks for all your behind the scenes work cooking and cleaning at home.
Tyler – what a wonderful job you did helping your Father. Thanks also for the extra jobs that you did for us that no one else wanted to do!
Margaret – I can’t begin to express my appreciation for all of the extra things that you did from washing antique crystal to being my consultant on interior decorating!
Last but not least, Willie. What a pleasure it was to work with you and your family. You have changed my negative perception of contractors. You always answered my calls or texts, you kept us informed. You gave us plenty of notice on decision-making and best of all you did what you said you would do.
We are so enjoying our extra space. Thank you all!
P.S. How could I have left out Ginny (our dog)? She loves you too!!!
–Charlie, Bev & Michael Brown | 10.06.10
We began talking with Willie and Margaret in 2007 about possibly remodeling our existing home or building a new home. Over the course of researching, they were very informative, helpful, and patient with our questions. We finally made a decision to build in the fall of 2009 and moved into our new home in the spring of 2010.
Throughout the building process, we could not have been more pleased with the professionalism, organization, and detail that Willie and Margaret invested in the project. Throughout each step in the building process, they were willing to offer a variety of possibilities to ensure we were happy with the outcome. We are enjoying our new home and are so thankful to have had Willie’s expertise to help guide us as we made decisions. We now enjoy having opportunities to share with others the quality that we feel we received with our new home.
– Megan & Lewis Everett | 5.15.10
If someone was to ask our opinion on Willie Etheridge as a builder, I would have to say “We would build 10 more homes with Willie”. Ben and I spent a lot of time talking with other builders, but there was nothing unique from one builder to another. We knew this was a major financial decision and we needed to pick someone we could trust and was able to work with. After one visit with Willie, we knew he was the builder for us. He was honest, knowledgeable and upfront. He told us what he could and couldn’t do with an estimate of the total cost.
We had heard of too many stories of people being hit with surprises at closing with hidden cost that was accumulated during the building. Willie kept us informed on a weekly basis concerning the finances and adjustments due to upgrades. We can honestly say, we did not have one sleepless night. We are blessed with a beautiful home that we are very proud of built by Willie, and most of all we are blessed with a great friendship with Willie and Margaret Etheridge. It was a great experience and we hope to build another home with Willie sometime in the future.
– Ben & Dianne Franklin
When we decided to build a house, we heard all kinds of horror stories from friends who had built their houses. But, of course they do not tell these stories until you have stated that you are going to build a house. After all the stories, we were leery about moving forward. Did we really want to take on this headache? We have not regretted our decision. Etheridge Custom Homes built our house in the fall of 2001. We have been VERY pleased with our house. We have not had any problems. We feel our house was built with high quality materials and the best workmanship. From day one, we never felt we were being taken advantage of. We felt Willie Etheridge was very honest and up front about everything. There were no additions/change orders in the end that we did not know about. In our master bath, the tile around the tub ended up costing twenty dollars more than Willie had quoted. Willie would not let the tile be completed until we knew about the twenty dollar addition. There were minimal additions to be added in the end.
Willie made sure he had everything covered on his end and most of our changes were from us changing our minds. We did not suffer ANY damage during hurricane Isabel. Most of our neighbors were trying to put back fallen siding, replace roof shingles or stop leaking windows. Due the quality of our house, we did not have any of these problems. We had a great experience with Willie and Margaret during the construction of our house. They got to know our children and our children would play with their children while we were making decisions. We did not feel like it was a rush to get our house completed so they could move on to the next. We did not feel like we were just another dollar. Maybe if our friends could have gotten Etheridge Custom Homes to build their houses, they would not have had such horror stories to tell (We don’t).
– Kelly & Nora Johnson
We were introduced to Willie and Margaret Etheridge by friends of ours, who were also one of their subcontractors. We wanted to build a true custom home, and from our first meeting with Willie, felt comfortable that we would get a quality home and also enjoy the building experience. Willie helped us find a beautiful lot and took our many ideas and rough floor plan drawing and turned it into a construction plan, where we could see everything we were buying, right down to the door knobs and light switches. From the day we signed the contract to well after we moved in, Willie was there on a daily basis, keeping us informed and involved in all aspects of the design and building process.
One of the things we liked most was being able to work with each subcontractor as the house was being built. We met with every subcontractor early in the building process and expressed to them our vision of what we wanted our house to be. Walking thru the house at each stage of construction, dealing with Willie and the subcontractors, and making decisions on what we wanted truly made our building experience a once in a lifetime event. We highly recommend Etheridge Custom Homes to anyone who wants to build a true custom home, and also welcome you to stop by Sleepy Hole anytime to see what quality custom construction really looks like.
– Andy & Lee Deal
Etheridge Custom Homes built a home for me in 2001. Anyone who is considering or has considered building a home has probably heard a story or two about home building headaches. I’ve actually heard of divorces stemming from the process. Not with ECH! I can’t see it. This was not only my first custom home, but my first real home. I told Willie & Margaret up front that I had very little idea of what to expect or how to help them, or even help myself for that matter.
From start to finish he never once made me feel like an ignorant question even existed, and believe me, I probably asked a few. I have several friends and relatives with a strong background in building construction. Each of them that came to visit have stated the same thing, “You don’t see this type of attention to detail much anymore”. I have lived in this home now for over four years and enjoyed every one. The only thing I might like better is another Etheridge Custom Home!
I hope to do it again. Thanks to the Etheridge Family.
– Ricky Blake
We had been looking to accommodate the needs of a young family with those of my elderly father, but were having a hard time finding a home arrangement that would work for all of us. We came to Etheridge Custom Homes with a unique set of requirements and a rather tight timeline. Willie was more than up to the task and did an amazing job with the construction of our beautiful 7 bedroom, 5 bath home in 2000. He took the time with us to identify our true needs and helped us narrow down the options into a workable and affordable plan, well suited for all. Throughout the entire process, he kept us informed and current on all the details and choices for various options that had to be made.
I particularly want to commend his attention to detail in meeting the needs of my elderly father. Willie arranged all the special details for heating, cooling, bathing, eating, handicapped toilets and other facility details to include a full handicap ramp integrated into the design of the house, which proved to be invaluable to us as the years went by. The attention to detail and quality throughout were favorably commented upon by all our family members who came to stay with us and visit Dad, in what we fondly referred to as our “bed and breakfast”. After hurricane Isabel, we had NO damage, which sadly could not be said for many of our neighbors. No doubt, this is a testament to the pride in quality and attention to detail that Willie is justifiably known for. If you are looking for a quality true custom builder, I heartily recommend Etheridge Custom Homes and would not hesitate to build another home with Willie and Margaret again.
– Tom & Laura Hickman