While in the middle of building his family’s dream home in Windermere, Florida, Paul Sindoni learned that his employer, a manufacturing business in Conyers, was moving him back to metro Atlanta.
Paul and his family — his wife, Fina Alfé-Sindoni, and their two children, Tristan, 8 and Alexandra, 4 — were living in temporary housing while building a home in Florida. But that didn’t stop Paul from starting his new role as president of the company back in Georgia and getting the ball rolling on construction of a new, luxury home in a sought-after neighborhood on Dudley Lane near Chastain Park.
For Paul, this location was very important. When his family previously lived in Alpharetta before residing in Florida, Paul felt his commute for work was too long. “We also wanted to live in an area that’s more connected to things, like a great private school,” he says, adding his children now attend Trinity School in northwest Atlanta.
"Our design team is available to give as much assistance as desired to ensure each client has the ideal luxury home building experience.” - Stokely Weinberg, Stokesman Luxury Homes
The conveniences in Buckhead are a major plus, specifically the esteemed restaurant area, entertainment scene and youth sports offerings. “It’s a central location, and we have an acre of land, so it’s like you’re in the city, but also in the suburbs,” Paul continues.
Fina, who works as the director of global meetings and conventions for a medical company, says the relocation was tough at first, and a bit overwhelming while trying to get their son into a private school because they had missed a few cut-off dates for school applications, but after lots of research and perseverance, they landed in a great school.
She was also a little hesitant about trying to find the right area to live in, because they wanted to be in the city, but also be able to enjoy the neighborhood feel traditionally found in a suburb.
The Sindoni Family in front of their new Buckhead home.
That’s where the help of Bryan Eastman and Stokely Weinberg, founding partners of Stokesman Luxury Homes, came in hand. The Atlanta area developers connected the Sindoni family with the perfect piece of property and helped them construct a new dream home. And Fina says she absolutely loves her new home and the area where she lives now, despite leaving behind another home that ultimately the family never had a chance to move into in Florida.
Building Their Dream
The couple started construction on their Atlanta home in spring 2014 and moved into the house in January 2015. Paul says they chose to build a home rather than buy one already on the market because of their particular taste in design. “The last several homes we’ve lived in are brand new houses, so we are pretty used to a new home and having it to what we expect,” he says.
“I’m very particular about the home we are to live in,” Fina says. “I have to love it and if there is the slightest thing that does not sit well with me it would be a deal breaker. We wanted a modern-contemporary home, but one that was very welcoming and not so sterile. We have bought new homes in the past but always had to change or add on — I didn’t want to do that again this time. We have also done renovations of homes, however, relocating with a 2-year-old and 6-year-old, working full time and not knowing any contractors, I wasn’t up to that challenge. We wanted a new home that represented our taste and style.”
Stokesman Luxury Homes is a full-service custom home builder that specializes in luxury new construction in Buckhead. Weinberg says the main reason people relocating to the area often choose to build a luxury home as opposed to purchasing an existing one is customization potential.
“It’s very attractive to buyers to have a voice in the finishes,” he continues. “However, most prefer to have at least some guidance to ensure the right choices are made in an efficient and timely manner. We like to offer our clients the best of both worlds. Our design team is available to give as much assistance as desired to ensure each client has the ideal luxury home building experience.”
Weinberg goes on to say that he really enjoyed working with the Sindoni family. “Our longtime project manager, Todd Allmond, was instrumental throughout the project to ensure every detail was executed precisely to their desires,” he says. “Typically, custom luxury homes of this magnitude take us approximately one year to complete from start to finish, but due to some great teamwork and timely design choices by the Sindonis, we were able to complete this home in 10 months.
Where Are Atlanta's Luxury Homes?
In a new study released in May, SmartAsset uncovered the U.S. metro areas with the most mansions, and metro Atlanta takes the No. 6 spot. About 1.1 percent of Atlanta area homes have at least five bedrooms and 15 rooms total. Atlanta is one of just seven metros to break the 1 percent mark in the analysis.
Atlanta’s Buckhead district, located in the northern part of the city, may have the highest concentration of mansions of any urban neighborhood in the country, the report states, and some ZIP codes in Buckhead have median household incomes of more than $100,000.
For example in 30327, which stretches from the northern end of Atlanta into Sandy Springs, the median income is $147,852. At the time of the report, Zillow showed more than 30 homes of 10,000 square feet or more for sale.
