The Relationship Doesn't End at Closing
From a self-built spec house to full-time custom homes.
Biles Construction
Bill Biles builds custom homes throughout Knox County and East Tennessee, and nearly every one shares a few things in common: cost-plus pricing, a place on or near the water, and an owner still personally on-site checking details other builders miss. Biles Construction runs 8 to 10 homes a year, most in the $1 to $3 million range.
From Roofing Crews to His Own Crew
Biles started in construction young—his first job was with Redmond Construction at age 12, followed by summers roofing houses with Bay Roofing from 15 to 19. His father, a trial attorney, hoped he'd follow him into law, and Biles headed that direction through college before changing his mind his senior year. His father's response surprised him: rather than push back, he pointed out that the only other trade Biles really knew was construction, and asked if that's what he wanted instead. Biles said yes.
He earned his contractor's license in 2009 and built his first house—a roughly 2,000-square-foot spec home—entirely on his own, from buying the lot to picking the plan. It took longer than planned because he was determined not to make costly mistakes. A contractor he knew through church, Larry Jones, set him up with his first reliable vendors and subcontractors. His real turning point came soon after, when a Parade of Homes project—part spec, part custom—took off in a way none of his other early work had. He's since built somewhere between 60 and 80 homes.
Planning Before a Single Wall Goes Up
Biles doesn't design homes in-house. Instead, he partners with a small group of architects—among them Stephen Davis and Jonathan Miller—matching each client to whichever one fits best. Before design conversations even start, his team shoots drone footage and pulls a topographical survey of the lot. From there, Biles controls the footprint, layout and ergonomics while keeping the design inside the client's actual budget from day one—avoiding the common, costly trap of a finished plan that turns out to be far more than a client can afford to build.
That same planning shows up in how clients stay informed. Through UDA Construction Online, clients get a direct login to their schedule, selections, budget and daily progress photos. Every Friday, they receive drone video of the exterior along with video and photos of the interior. Project managers are on-site every day, typically running two to four jobs at once depending on complexity and location.
A Business Built on Long Relationships
Working in select subdivisions—like the Gates at Franklin, 25 homes at $1 million and up—gives Biles volume-purchasing leverage on cabinets, flooring and premium appliances that he extends to his one-off custom clients too. "It's all about relationships," he says. "When you build that relationship and you're putting food on their table, they're going to reward you back." A typical build runs 10 to 14 months, and Biles aims for less than a page of punch-list items at move-in, with 30 days to close those out and 60 for anything found later.
We're not just building brick and mortar. We're building memories for these people. — Bill BIles
Most of his clients—by his estimate, 95 percent—are baby boomers, empty nesters and retirees downsizing from homes as large as 10,000 square feet into something closer to 5,000, often paying cash and experienced enough to know when they've been burned before. With clients like that, Biles says, honesty and transparency aren't optional.
More Than Brick and Mortar
Ask Biles what keeps him doing this, and the answer isn't really about houses. "We're not just building brick and mortar," he says. "We're building memories for these people." He describes a sense of purpose beyond a paycheck—clients who stop him years later to catch up or invite him to golf—and notes that every home also means steady income for the subcontractors who build it alongside him.
Contact
Biles Construction
9724 Kingston Pike, Suite 1004
Knoxville, TN 37922
