Lap of Luxury Jim Brown and his wife Norma founded Creighton Enterprises 29 years ago. Initially a sideline venture, it grew quickly—as did the scale of the houses the company was building. Today, Creighton is one of the largest custom home building companies in Northern Virginia, building the largest custom homes. The homes are also among the most upscale; they are what Brown refers to as “ultra luxury homes.”

Creighton Enterprises is still run by its founders, who have since been joined by their sons: Mike, who handles marketing and finance; and Tim, who, like his father, designs the houses and supervises construction. “We are a family business,” Jim Brown says firmly. “That is very important to us.” He adds that they have plenty of sub-contractors who work solely for them—many of whom have been with the company since its inception.

About 15 years ago, Creighton Enterprises purchased 2,500 acres in scenic Loudoun County and split the land into enclaves for development. The communities now include Grenata, Creighton Farms, Barclay Woods and Courtland Farms—as well as a 400-acre equestrian center and a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Grenata is home to an award-winning model home that, says Brown, has attracted a huge number of customers over the years. At 12,000 square feet, it is truly lavish. “We wanted to show buyers what we were capable of,” Brown explains. “Here they can see our commitment to quality up close.”

Custom homes built by Creighton start at around $1.5 million and go up from there, says Brown. There was a short dip in scale right after the recession began but customers’ desire for size has since returned. “They  just want bigger and bigger homes,” Brown comments.

From the start, the goal of Creighton Enterprises was to build homes using only the highest quality materials and finishes. The company has never waivered from this vision. Today, they have a workshop of their own where all the millwork is produced; they design and distribute their own custom cabinetry and travertine; and they are also a furniture dealer—the largest distributor of Habersham Furniture in Northern Virginia—with an interior designer on staff. All of which allows Creighton complete control over the building process. “Nobody does what we do,” Brown says. “Nothing is prefabricated. Our customers get a custom home designed exactly as they want it.”

Creighton Enterprises just finished construction on another model home, this one in Creighton Farms, that clocks in at 18,000 square feet. Built for display, it will remain a model home in spite of the fact that Jim and Norma Brown are actually going to live in it. They look forward to entertaining family there—particularly grandchildren, for whom they have planned recreational spaces galore. This new model home “will help show what we can do,” Brown says. “And people will see how a family lives there. That will be a good thing.

Facts & Stats
Creighton Enterprises is a family-owned and -operated 
business employing hundreds of subcontractors.

Specialties
The company has 13 or 14 homes under construction at all times. They have never built spec homes and design the vast majority of their homes themselves.

Inquiries
Michael Brown, Creighton Enterprises, 41194 Grenata 
Preserve Place, Leesburg, Virginia 20175; 703-443-9305; creightonenterprises.com; email: info@creighton
enterprises.com