Custom homes, remodels, ADUs, and mountain retreats — designed for how you actually live in Western North Carolina.
Form & Function Architecture handles the full range of residential work — from custom homes on steep mountain lots to ADU additions, full remodels, and multi-family residential development — for clients across Asheville, Black Mountain, Weaverville, Hendersonville, and the surrounding region. Every project starts with a site visit and personalized analysis before a single line gets drawn.
The firm’s residential portfolio spans five primary service types, each shaped by the realities of building in Western North Carolina’s mountain terrain.
Building a custom home in WNC is not like building on flat suburban land. Steep topography, ridge setbacks, limited road access, and county-specific permitting all shape what’s possible before design even begins. Form & Function’s principals have spent 15 years learning the quirks of mountain sites across Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison counties — which means fewer surprises during permitting and more design time spent on what actually matters: creating a home that fits how you live. See our custom home portfolio for recent examples across the region.
Most homeowners in WNC aren’t starting from scratch. They have a house that mostly works but needs more — a primary suite, an expanded kitchen, a garage addition — and they want to do it without losing what made the home theirs in the first place. Form & Function approaches remodels the same way it approaches new builds: understanding how the existing structure and site inform what’s possible, then designing toward that rather than against it. Explore our remodel work to see recent additions and renovations across Asheville and surrounding communities.
Asheville’s short-term rental market has made ADU design one of the most requested residential services in WNC. Whether you’re adding a detached guest cottage, converting an existing outbuilding, or designing a standalone rental unit on a sloped property, the design decisions made early in the process determine how bookable — and how profitable — the finished space will be. The Riceville Road project is a good example of how deliberate design choices translate directly into guest experience and rental performance.
Steep-slope construction is its own discipline. Foundation systems, retaining strategies, drainage design, and access for construction equipment all require different thinking than flat-lot work. The reward is usually worth it — mountain sites often have the best views, the most privacy, and the most dramatic building opportunities in WNC. Read more about our mountain architecture approach and how we work with challenging terrain rather than against it.
Asheville’s housing market has driven growing demand for thoughtfully designed multi-family residential projects — from duplex conversions in established neighborhoods to purpose-built villa developments on larger parcels. The Lofts at Biltmore Village and Reynolds Mountain Villas are two examples of how multi-family design in WNC requires balancing density, neighborhood context, and the practical demands of mountain site development.
There is a real difference between an architect who practices in mountain environments and one who has spent years learning them from the inside. Western North Carolina builds differently than flatland construction in ways that show up at every phase of a project.
Foundations on sloped lots typically require stepped or pier-based systems rather than standard poured perimeter walls. Water management is more complex — rain moves faster and with more force on a hillside than on level ground. Prevailing wind patterns at higher elevations affect how roofs perform and how outdoor spaces get used across seasons. The angle of winter sun at WNC latitudes means that passive solar design — south-facing glazing, thermal mass, carefully sized overhangs — can meaningfully reduce a home’s heating load without adding mechanical systems.
Material choices matter here in ways they don’t everywhere else. Corten steel and cypress siding, used together on the Riceville Road residence, are a good example: both materials weather gracefully in WNC’s humidity and temperature swings rather than fighting the climate. Local stone grounds a building visually in its site. Mass timber and regionally milled hardwoods connect the architecture to the landscape it sits in.
Permitting knowledge is another piece of regional expertise that rarely gets talked about but shapes project timelines significantly. Buncombe County, Henderson County, and municipal Asheville each have their own zoning frameworks, setback requirements, and review processes. Informal contractor consultation during schematic design — part of how Form & Function approaches every project — helps catch cost and code issues before they become expensive surprises.
Form & Function’s residential portfolio includes more than 30 completed projects across Western North Carolina, ranging from small remodels to large custom builds on challenging mountain sites.
The Town Mountain Estate is one of the firm’s most comprehensive recent projects — a full custom home in one of Asheville’s most demanding ridge-top neighborhoods, where views, privacy, and site access all had to be balanced against each other in the early design phases.
Daydream Ridge in Black Mountain took a different approach: a modern home designed around a specific landscape, where the site orientation and tree line drove decisions about room placement, window sizing, and roof geometry before stylistic choices entered the conversation.
The Riceville Road residence demonstrates what happens when every design decision — material choices, spatial flow, view framing — gets made in service of a specific experience. The 1,600-square-foot home was recognized by Architectural Digest as one of the most striking Airbnbs in Asheville, a result that came directly from treating the project as a serious piece of residential architecture rather than a short-term rental remodel.
View the full residential portfolio for projects across Asheville, Black Mountain, Mars Hill, Mills River, Weaverville, and beyond.
Sustainable residential design in WNC is not a checklist — it’s a set of decisions that compound across the life of a building. Form & Function approaches energy efficiency through the building itself first, mechanical systems second.
Passive solar design is the starting point on most new builds. South-facing glazing sized in proportion to thermal mass, roof overhangs calculated to block high summer sun while allowing low winter sun to penetrate, and operable windows positioned to capture cross-ventilation from prevailing mountain breezes can all reduce a home’s heating and cooling load before a single mechanical system gets specified. On sites with good solar access, these strategies work reliably in WNC’s climate.
Material selection plays a role too. Low-VOC finishes, sustainably harvested regional timber, and locally sourced stone all reduce a project’s embodied carbon while grounding the architecture in its place. The EcoVista Haven project is a recent example of how these decisions come together in a home that performs well and belongs to its site.
Universal design and accessibility are also part of how Form & Function approaches residential work — designing for how clients actually live over time, not just how they live today. This means thinking about circulation, thresholds, fixture heights, and spatial flexibility from the start rather than retrofitting them later.
For clients who haven’t hired an architect before, the process is often less complicated than it seems. Form & Function breaks residential projects into four phases, each with clear deliverables and client involvement built in.
The first phase is a personalized site visit and analysis. The team comes to your property — or your prospective site — to assess topography, solar orientation, views, access, drainage patterns, and any conditions that will shape the design. This is also where budget, program, and design inspiration get discussed in the context of the actual land.
Schematic design follows. Early concepts get tested against zoning and code requirements, positioned for views and minimal land disturbance, and reviewed informally with contractors to gut-check cost assumptions before the design goes too far in any direction. Client input drives this phase — the goal is a direction both parties are confident in before detailed drawing begins.
Construction documents are prepared using Revit, a BIM-based platform that coordinates architecture, structural engineering, civil work, and mechanical systems in a single model. This coordination is what produces permit-ready documentation without the conflicts and change orders that come from documents prepared in isolation.
Construction oversight is the final phase. Form & Function manages bidding, helps select contractors, and performs regular site visits through construction to verify the work matches the design. The team responds to RFIs, reviews shop drawings, and handles project close-out — staying engaged until the home is finished and functioning as designed.
The most common question prospective clients ask is also the hardest to answer without knowing the project. Residential architect fees in Western North Carolina typically reflect one of three structures: a percentage of total construction cost (most common for custom homes), an hourly rate (more common for smaller remodels and feasibility studies), or a fixed fee negotiated after the scope is defined.
What drives cost on the architecture side is project complexity — the number of decisions that need to be made, documented, and coordinated. A straightforward addition on a flat lot with a simple structural system requires less design work than a custom home cantilevered over a ridge with passive solar integration and complex site drainage. Site conditions, local permitting requirements, and the level of interior design involvement all factor in as well.
The commercial architecture cost page covers fee structures in more detail for those curious about the methodology. For residential projects specifically, the best starting point is a direct conversation — contact Form & Function to discuss your project scope and get a realistic picture of what professional design services will add to your budget and your outcome.
Form & Function Architecture is based at 9 Walnut Street in downtown Asheville and works with residential clients across the full Western North Carolina region. Most projects are within a reasonable drive of the studio — Weaverville, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Candler, and Woodfin are all regular project locations, as are communities further out like Hendersonville, Mills River, Brevard, Waynesville, Mars Hill, and Marshall.
The firm has completed projects in almost every corner of the WNC mountains, from ridge-top builds above Asheville to pastoral farmhouse renovations in Madison County to mountain-view new construction in Henderson and Transylvania counties. The team is also registered with the South Carolina Board of Architecture, which allows for work in Upstate SC communities like Greenville and Spartanburg for clients with cross-state project needs.
If your property is in Western NC or Upstate SC and you are thinking about building, renovating, or adding on, Form & Function is worth a conversation. The first step is a site visit — and those start with a phone call or an email.
Form & Function was founded in 2010 by principal Myles Alexander, AIA, and principal Emili McMakin, AIA joined in 2011. Both are licensed architects with graduate degrees — Myles from Clemson, Emili from the University of Colorado Denver — and both are still active on every project the firm takes on. Clients work directly with the principals, not with junior staff handed the file after the first meeting.
The firm’s multidisciplinary background sets it apart from single-discipline practices. The team brings expertise in architecture, construction, interior design, visual art, and mechanical systems together on each project — which means fewer gaps between what gets designed and what gets built, and more creative problem-solving when site conditions or budget constraints push back on early concepts.
That range shows in the portfolio. Form & Function’s residential work includes modern mountain retreats, farmhouse renovations, urban infill multi-family, ADUs, steep-slope builds, and historic remodels — all in the same regional practice. The breadth reflects a studio that has learned the full spectrum of how people live in WNC, not just one slice of the market.
The firm is registered with the North Carolina Board of Architecture and the South Carolina Board of Architecture. Meet the full team and learn more about how Form & Function works.
Hiring a residential architect in Western North Carolina is most valuable when you bring them in before you’ve made major decisions — before you’ve locked in a site, chosen a builder, or committed to a floor plan. The earlier in the process the architect is involved, the more influence the design can have on the outcome, the budget, and the timeline. Form & Function’s process starts with a site visit for exactly this reason: the land shapes the design, and understanding the land first produces better buildings. If you’re thinking about a custom home, a remodel, or an ADU in Asheville or anywhere in WNC, the right next step is a direct conversation about what you’re trying to accomplish.
North Carolina law requires a licensed architect’s stamp on most new residential construction over a certain square footage and on any project submitted for permit in jurisdictions that require professional review. Beyond the legal question, a licensed architect brings design analysis, code expertise, structural coordination, and construction oversight that a draftsman does not. For a custom home — especially on a challenging mountain site — that expertise typically saves money over the course of the project, not adds to it.
A realistic timeline from initial site visit to move-in runs 18 to 30 months for a full custom home in WNC, depending on project complexity, permitting timelines in your specific jurisdiction, and contractor availability. The design and documentation phase typically takes 4 to 8 months. Buncombe County and municipal Asheville permitting adds 4 to 12 weeks in most cases. Construction timelines for custom homes in the region generally run 10 to 18 months. Starting with a clear scope and a realistic budget shortens every phase.
Residential architect fees in WNC typically range from 8 to 15 percent of total construction cost for a full-service engagement on a custom home, depending on project complexity and scope of services. Hourly rates for smaller remodels, feasibility studies, or partial-service engagements vary by firm and project. Form & Function does not publish fixed-rate pricing because every project is different — contact the studio to discuss your specific scope and get a straightforward answer about what professional design services will cost.
Yes — steep-slope residential design is one of the most common project types in WNC, and Form & Function has completed projects on some of the most challenging terrain in the region. Approach, foundation system, drainage strategy, and construction access all require site-specific solutions that differ from flat-lot work. Read more about how the firm approaches mountain and steep-slope sites and the range of strategies used to make difficult lots into exceptional homes.
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a secondary residential unit on the same parcel as a primary home — detached cottages, garage apartments, and basement conversions all qualify under most definitions. Buncombe County and the City of Asheville both allow ADUs in most residential zones, but each has its own setback, size, and utility connection requirements. A permit is required in virtually all cases. Form & Function has navigated ADU permitting across Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, and surrounding municipalities and can walk you through what applies to your specific parcel.
Yes, on both counts. Form & Function prepares permit-ready construction documents and assists clients through the submission and review process in their specific jurisdiction. During construction, the firm performs regular site visits, reviews contractor shop drawings, responds to requests for information (RFIs), and flags any work that deviates from the design documents. The construction oversight phase is available as a full-service or limited-service engagement depending on the client’s needs and budget.
Yes. Form & Function Architecture is registered with both the North Carolina Board of Architecture and the South Carolina Board of Architecture. The firm regularly works with clients on residential projects in Upstate South Carolina, including communities in Greenville and Spartanburg counties. If your project is across the state line, reach out — the process for SC projects follows the same approach as WNC work.
The best way to understand what’s possible on your property is to walk it together. Form & Function starts every residential project with a personalized site visit — no drawings, no commitments, just a direct conversation about your land, your goals, and what good design can do with both.
Call 828.575.2423 or email info@ffarchitecture.com to set one up. Or fill out the contact form and the team will be in touch within one business day.
