Chelsea Design | Build is a boutique firm in Charlotte, NC

We are intentional in everything we do. We manage every detail so you can focus on the joy of building your future.
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our commitment

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We’re here to build your next chapter - and we want you to enjoy the journey

We started Chelsea Design | Build with the intention of redefining the building experience, making it personalized, and full-service. We wanted to go above and beyond to deliver an exceptional end-product and make the journey collaborative and enjoyable, with clear communication. Years later, we remain dedicated to our mission, relationships, and continued growth. We're more than a custom home builder; we're a family.

our people

We’re a small team of family and friends that love what we do

We’re small, and we like it that way – our team is nimble, with the experience and expertise of a large firm. We’re open to new ideas, proactive in finding solutions, and personally invested in you and your project’s success.
Joe Fontana
Larissa Fontana
From a young age, Joe was confident, fearless and maybe a little naive. It can't be done?..... "Wanna bet?" Joe's can-do attitude likely came from observing his parents manage their own businesses and residential rental properties in NY. This lead to various high tech, big business ventures at a young age like shoveling snow, house/baby sitting, and slinging airheads and pixie sticks at school(someone had to do it). Some may say he's a hard worker; some might say he bites off more than he can chew.  While he excelled at many traditional sports, he gravitated to more extremes in life. Joe discovered a love and affinity for surfing, snowboarding, and motocross in his early teenage years. Yes, there is surfing in New York and it's freezing, but fun, in January. Ultimately, he would move to Hawaii to go to college. He loved school so much, he decided to stay in Hawaii for another 2 years and pursue his MBA, with a concentration in Finance.  Then the move to Charlotte to put that degree to work as a Financial Analyst.  Wait, this doesn't seem extreme or entrepreneurial one might think.  Joe felt the same way, and decided to start a business around building the most customized, expensive, and emotion-evoking product that most people will ever purchase in their lives.  Sounds like a great idea, right?!..... 🙂  With the help of Joe's wife, family, and colleagues, Chelsea Design|Build has grown into a fine-tuned Custom Design|Build company, sought out for its design/function forward thinking and fun processes.
Tyler O’Bryan

Everyone loves a good Designer, but what is it about this one that really makes her unique? It goes beyond her creative direction of Chelsea's home designs, beyond helping her clients navigate the enormous list of decisions in a custom home, and beyond having a great eye for design. Let's take a quick look into the top 3 features of this Designer that will never go out of style.

1) Larissa has a diverse background. Through her French and Japanese heritage and life of travel, she was exposed to a variety of cultures and environments which fostered a multi-faceted world view and design sensibility.

2) Larissa strives for a harmonious life. Finding the balance between career, kids, and friends can be a challenge, but this Designer has it nailed down thanks to years of practice in a variety of jobs and social settings - from local TV, living in Hawaii, raising a family, and staying healthy with crossfit.

3) She's a nerd to her core. While this is open to interpretation, most would agree that these things are downright nerdy - high school math teacher, collegiate a capella singer, puzzle master, plays Pokémon Go with her kids and husband, and is obsessed with organization. For real - she will eat her M&Ms in a way that she ends up with the same number of each color.

Just like in home design, this Designer has many layers that add a variety of textures, colors, and shapes to create a cohesive end-product that always has room to evolve.

Tyler O’Bryan

Tyler O'Bryan's story is all about how his life got flipped-turned upside down and now he's building houses all over town. In the Midwest he was born and raised, on the baseball field he spent most of his days. He would be chillin', maxin' and relaxin' all cool, striking out batters at all the schools. Then a couple of college scouts said, hey you're pretty good, he then kissed his mom and dad and left his neighborhood. He ended up at Lee University and to his surprise his future wife saw him in the lunch room with her beautiful eyes. After college and life had begun, Tyler needed a job and that wasn't fun. He looked and he looked, but to his chagrin he landed a job where building for him all began. Lowes took Tyler in and showed him the ropes, the wood, the hammer and the nails, but he knew there was more to be unveiled. After some time and learning a lot, Tyler took his knowledge, experience and pulled up his socks. He helped start a construction company and off he went til the economy looked at him and said we don't have a cent. Tyler got an opportunity to go back to work at a pretty big company out of New York. More opportunities came knocking and Tyler answered the call, with a southern "heck ya!" He picked up the ball. He carried that ball on to another outfit, that was just as classy and a really good fit. He learned so very much on this journey he had been on, but he needed something more. He felt something wasn't right, down in his core. Custom homes needed building and he knew this for sure, that feeling deep inside he could not ignore. Till one day a friend came and said, "Hey bro, there's no need to dread, we have spot for you to lay your head". This great local builder, named Chelsea is where he meant, and now Tyler's there to represent! So, let it be known that wherever life has you, Chelsea will build your home.

Travis Beaudry

With over 25 years in the construction industry, every morning Anthony is ready to get up and get the job done!

His passion started as a young lad from south Charlotte. He often assisted jobsite clean-up by relieving sites of (in his estimation) non-essential materials, building numerous treehouses. Anthony enjoyed time in the woods, as there were no electronic devices to speak of, only creative imagination to occupy his time.

He graduated from Olympic High School, where trade classes fed his construction interests. It’s where he learned the basics of framing and masonry. In those days, students were trained hands-on, building small projects in or around school. Pretty scary thought!

One of his first employers was a sound/intercom contractor. This was his first taste of real construction, working on the “new” Charlotte Douglas Airport, followed by Appalachian’s Farthing Auditorium. Later as a maintenance technician, he picked up the components of how homes were both built and maintained. This included learning plumbing, electrical, HVAC along with finish work – flooring, painting, trim, and carpentry.

In the 90’s, Anthony began his building career in Punch/Warranty work. The builder at that time pushed him to become a superintendent. Once upon that path, he enjoyed the tangible result of seeing homes and communities become realities. Construction management can be a difficult job - or an opportunity to forge relationships built on flexibility, laughter, and respect.

Lexi Bickler

Travis Beaudry is a Matthews native and is well known in local circles as a man of the trades. He graduated from David W Butler High School and dabbled in higher education at Central Piedmont Community College. From a very young age Travis had an unparalleled infatuation with Lincoln Logs. He was known for constructing such masterpieces as "small barn" and "small log cabin". After mastering the art of Lincoln Logery, he moved on to sand castles where he excelled as a master custom castle craftsman. His hunger for knowledge in the building industry led him into the woods. There, his relentless efforts produced tree houses that could make Robin Hood jealous. Naturally, his next step was to become the production manager for a local coatings company specializing in exterior renovations. This company was very family oriented, mainly because it was made up of Travis' immediate family.

Next in the saga of Beaudry, Travis devoted seven long years to Lowe's Home Improvement. Here he managed several departments and specialized in training and development.

After moving on from Lowes in 2016, Travis began his relationship with Chelsea via a field management position with Truguard Construction. In the early stages of this relationship, Travis managed the exterior portions of every Chelsea home along with hundreds of others in the Charlotte area. After spending five years with Truguard Travis knew he wanted more and it was time for him to bloom. After a year of soul searching, Travis is back and better than ever! He is now the Custom Superintendent for Chelsea. Travis' blend of experience in the customer service and construction industries make him a great addition to the Chelsea team.

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Professionally speaking, my name is Lexi Bickler, though I have been, and will be, called other things.

Growing up in Charlotte, my friends and family called me "Lexi" or "Lex".

At my alma mater, The University of South Carolina (Go Cocks!) where I studied psychology and hospitality, my friends called me "Bick" or "Bickler".

Since I married my husband in 2020, most people call me "Lexi Owens", "Mrs. Owens" if you're feeling fancy.

My 3-year-old son calls me "Mama" or "Mommy" and my 6-month-old son doesn't talk yet, but I have a feeling he'll call me "Mama" or "Mommy", too.

I've also been called "Miss", sometimes "Ma'am," which makes me feel super old. You could call me a jane-of-all-trades, a real estate agent, an administrative assistant, a designer, an artist. My favorite things to be called are loyal, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, gregarious, radiant, awe-inspiring, hilarious, and humble.

Mainly, you can call me when you need someone to lend a listening ear or a helping hand, which, along with working with my sister and best friend, is why I love working at Chelsea Design | Build.

collaboration

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We prioritize open communication to build stronger relationships

A successful project starts with clear, open, and honest communication. From our deep understanding of your vision to the transparency you have into the build process, you’ll never feel we are out of sync with one another. Our entire team is here to support you and make things fun.