Custom Designs, Built Around You
Every Waterstone project starts with a conversation and a site visit — because no home, and no homeowner, is quite like the next one.
No cookie-cutter kits. No guesswork.
A custom build starts by understanding the three things that actually decide whether you’ll love the finished project: your home, your budget, and the way you actually live in the space. Everything else — the board layout, the rail style, the roof line, the window package — is downstream of those three questions.
From a new deck to a full roof replacement to a Temo sunroom addition, we design and build to fit what’s already there and the way you want to use it. You don’t get a template. You get a plan drawn around your home.
Have a project in mind? Call (205) 754-9977 or schedule a free in-home design consultation — no pressure, no obligation.
Four principles behind every Waterstone design
Custom design isn’t a buzzword for us — it’s the starting point. These are the four things we get right before a single board goes down.
Your home, not a template
Rooflines, elevations, setbacks, existing siding profiles, the way your lot drains — all of it shapes what a deck, sunroom, or roof should actually look like. We design around what’s already there so the new work reads like it belonged from the start.
How you actually use the space
Do you entertain, or is this a coffee-in-the-morning space? Is grilling a factor? Kids, dogs, a hot tub? These details drive real decisions — traffic patterns, rail style, shade, lighting, board layout. We ask, we listen, then we design.
Scaled to the budget in front of you
Custom doesn’t mean expensive. It means the scope, materials, and details match what you actually want to spend. We’ll show you where dollars make a real difference and where they don’t — no upsell pressure.
Details that finish the build
Picture-frame borders on decks, custom gable ends, column wraps, tongue-and-groove porch ceilings, integrated lighting, hidden fasteners. The small moves are what separate a build that looks good on day one from one that looks right for 20 years.
Every design input, considered
Good design is the art of balancing the inputs nobody brings up at the first meeting — drainage, sight-lines, setbacks, sun exposure, how the family actually moves through the space. We’re trained to see the ones you might not, and to factor them in before the quote is written.
Below are the six considerations that show up in nearly every Waterstone design review.
Site & orientation
Sun exposure, slope, drainage, views, and privacy sight-lines. A deck facing west needs a different shade plan than one facing east.
Architectural style
Traditional, craftsman, modern farmhouse, lake-house — your home’s existing style sets the vocabulary we design within.
Scope & flow
Where do doors land, how do people move between spaces, where does furniture go? Plan the function first, the finishes second.
Materials & finish
Composite vs. wood, shingle color, siding profile, railing style, lighting. We narrow options to the ones that actually fit your home.
Budget & phasing
One project now, or a phased plan over two seasons? We’ll scope honestly to the number you give us — no moving target.
Code & permits
Local setbacks, guardrail heights, footing depths, and structural requirements are baked into the design, not bolted on later.
From first conversation to signed plan
The design side of a Waterstone project is simple on purpose — three steps, all at no cost to you.
- Step 01
We visit your home
A project consultant meets you on site, walks the space, takes measurements and photos, and talks through what you want out of the finished project.
- Step 02
We sketch the build to your home
We translate the conversation into a real plan — dimensions, materials, key details, and a layout that fits your lot and your lifestyle.
- Step 03
Flat fee pricing
Flat-fee pricing and an estimate with no mystery line items. If you want to trim or upgrade something, we let you decide.
You’re part of the design team
A design consultation is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We’ll ask what you like, what you don’t, what’s worked in your home and what hasn’t. We bring the technical side — codes, structure, materials — and you bring the part that matters most: how you actually want to live in the finished space.
Bring Pinterest boards, napkin sketches, a list of deal-breakers, or nothing at all. Either way, you’ll leave the first conversation knowing what’s possible and roughly what it takes to get there.
Keep Exploring
Ready to see what’s possible?
Schedule a Free Design Consultation
Tell us about your home and your project. A Waterstone consultant will meet with you, sketch a plan, and give you a flat-fee quote in writing — no pressure, no obligation.