A Legacy of Trust: Luxury Custom Homebuilder Cullum Homes

“We are truly a family business, and we have fun working together,” said Cullum. “It was an honor to win the award, but we don’t do things to win awards. We do things to help our customers achieve their goals. If they haven’t found the home they want on the market, then they’re going to build it. It takes a process to build it and a commitment on both sides. It is our goal to ensure that our customers have the best possible experience throughout the entire process.”

And that commitment is in play in Cullum Homes’ most recent project, 33 luxury golf estates at the newest development at Seven Desert Mountain in North Scottsdale. The custom home builder has been building homes at Desert Mountain for many years. The new community named The Village at Seven Desert Mountain is built on two golf courses. The homes range in size from 3,300 to 6,500 square feet with prices starting at $1,995,000, and the model, designed by Ownby Design, opened just a few months ago.

Some of the homes will have an optional 4,400-square-foot basement entertainment zone with an indoor golf simulator, a glass-enclosed collector car showroom with a lift, a theater area and a wet bar. (We’re certain this is potentially the coolest upgrade ever.)

“Since Seven Desert Mountain is the newest section of Desert Mountain, we wanted to reflect what’s happening in design and architecture,” said Cullum. “Every one of our home sites on the golf course has very large glass walls, combining indoor and outdoor space. The majority of Desert Mountain residents are winter visitors here to enjoy the great weather, beautiful mountain views and time with friends and family, so we wanted to really capture that.”

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The luxury custom home builders at Cullum offer their clients a comprehensive suite of services from site selection through architectural design, construction, interior services and ongoing customer service. Keeping up with the latest technology is critical to the business including designing homes in a three-dimensional environment that allows clients to use their smartphones to watch as the project progresses.

Once the home is built, homeowners can also use smartphone technology to monitor and control various systems in their home, as the importance of technology within our home grows more important.

Since Rod Cullum and his wife and partner Kim started the company in 1985, they have seen a lot of changes in the industry and what buyers are looking for in a luxury custom home and builder.

“We’re seeing a lot more people who want to downsize or want to right size,” said Cullum. “Almost everyone that walks into our office wants 3,500 to 4,000 square feet. And the first question you have to ask is ‘if you’re living in 8,000 square feet now, what square footage do you want to cut?’ A lot of it is the number of secondary bedrooms and the use of space.

Even in a smaller home, most clients want a great kitchen and a great master bedroom which are two of the most expensive areas to build. If you’re going to downsize, the home will be smaller and more manageable, but the cost per square foot will be high because you still want it to be the best quality and as beautiful as possible even in a smaller space.”

As a luxury custom home builder Cullum adapted to COVID times by listening to their clients who are now asking for dual working spaces, workout spaces and even the return of spaces to watch movies. When people move into smaller homes, function and use of space are key, from smaller workspaces to more storage. “We’re seeing most buyers wanting separate areas to work at home, but they’re not palatial offices,” said Cullum. “That’s not the norm anymore because of technology, WIFI and laptop computers.”

As home sizes get smaller, closets continue to get bigger. “When people downsize from homes with endless amounts of space, there is a need for more thoughtful storage,” said Cullum. He also sees homeowners wanting less maintenance, especially yard care.

They’re looking for water management systems so that they can view the house through digital cameras and also know if there is a leak or an issue. As many of their clients travel frequently or use their Arizona property as a second home, Cullum Homes offers a concierge service to help homeowners monitor their homes, especially when they are away for extended periods of time.

In addition to Seven Desert Mountain, Cullum Homes has active luxury custom homebuilding developments throughout the Valley’s most coveted resort areas, including The Village at Silverleaf, Ironwood Golf Villas, The Village at Mountain Shadows, Paradise Reserve and Cholla Heights.

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It’s this thinking about what clients want today that keeps Cullum Homes’ designs fresh and on point with trends that resonate with buyers. And exceeding client expectations will be what this family team of custom home builders always strives to do.

This story was produced in partnership with our friends at Cullum Homes. For more information about building a custom luxury home, click here.