Today we’d like to introduce you to David Chatham.
David, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Chathambilt Homes started in 1948 when my dad, Howard Chatham built his first house for himself and my mom in the northern area of Buckhead. As they prepared to move in, a gentleman approached him to buy the house. So, he agreed to sell the home if he and my mother could live in the basement while they built another home on the land next door. As they reached competition on the second home, he was approached by another gentleman who wanted to buy the home for his family. So, he made the same agreement and started a third home. After the same narrative played out for a third time, he realized that he was in the custom home building business. He quit his job as a surveyor with Fulton County and went to a family member to borrow $500 to start Chathambilt Homes on the principles of hard work and integrity.
We are now in our third generation and over the last 70 years we have developed over 200 neighborhoods and built more than 5000 homes throughout north Atlanta.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The Atlanta home and real estate market has changed quite a bit over the last 70 years. Not only have we seen architectural and design trends change, but we’ve also seen the needs of our homeowners evolve. These changes often provide us with new opportunities to grow as an organization as well as allow us to experiment with exciting new technologies and design trends.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chathambilt Homes story. Tell us more about the business.
We are more than just a custom home builder and developer. Atlanta is home for us.
Our kids and grandkids attend the area schools and colleges, we are involved in the local churches and we are proud to call Atlanta our home.
We are committed to carrying on the Chatham name through the same spirit and principles we learned from my father. At Chathambilt Homes, we often use the tagline ‘Legacy of Luxury’ for a couple of reasons.
The word ‘Legacy’ is important to us because we believe that, as the book of Proverbs says, ‘a good name is better than great riches’, so we realize that at the end of the day the Chatham name is more important than the deals we make. Our family business is built on the principles of hard work and integrity, and we are committed to doing the right thing.
The word ‘Luxury’ is occasionally associated with expensive, but that’s not what luxury means to us. I often say that as homebuilders, we are story tellers. When we design and build a neighborhood or a home we invest our time in the details that create the backdrop for memories that will last for generations. We weave a consistent thread throughout each project to create a sense of arrival from the street all the way to the kitchen table, the living room and even to your kid’s bedside as you kiss them goodnight.
These are luxurious moments that we think about when we talk about a Legacy of Luxury.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have been fortunate to be a part of a growing city that we love. Over these 70 years we have received every industry award and accolade, but we are most proud of the friendships we have built. Our homeowners aren’t lot numbers or plan names, they are our partners throughout the building process. Over the decades, our family has been involved in many real estate related businesses, but we have maintained our custom home building business because we love building homes and we love building relationships and lasting friendships with new and returning homeowners.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5780 Windward Pkwy., Suite 300
Alpharetta, GA 30005 - Website: ChathamLegacy.com
- Phone: 678-624-2900
- Email: mchatham@chathamlegacy.com
- Instagram: chathambilthomes
- Facebook: Chathambilt Homes
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