The Designer Behind Trilith and Serenbe Is Rethinking Modular Homes | Behind The Build

The Grit Blueprint

The Grit Blueprint
The Designer Behind Trilith and Serenbe Is Rethinking Modular Homes | Behind The Build
Jul 24, 2026
Grit Blueprint

Lew Oliver helped design Trilith, Serenbe, and Vickery, some of the most sought-after walkable communities in Georgia. His next act might surprise you: modular homes.

In this episode of Behind The Build, I'm in Clarkesville, Georgia near Lake Burton with renowned town planner and designer Lew Oliver. We talk about the Lew Oliver MOD collection, modular homes designed with the same classical detail as his custom work, built to make walkable neighborhoods attainable for people who have been priced out of them. We also walk the Burton community, tour his newly renovated office, and get into his new millwork collection with Magbee Contractors Supply, including a wall that exists nowhere else in the world.

What's inside:

 ✅ The MOD collection: why modular construction is not a commodity, and how Lew is designing modular homes with high-end finishes and solid construction

 ✅ How modular homes can cut construction cost and cycle time so communities like Trilith and Serenbe aren't only for the affluent

 ✅ Traditional neighborhood development and new urbanism: 100 houses on 15 acres instead of 100, preserving forests while building real community

 ✅ The one-of-a-kind poplar tongue and groove wall from the Lew Oliver Millwork Collection

 ✅ Cavetto crown molding with Egyptian origins and baseboards modeled after column bases

 ✅ Why Lew designs windows with the golden rectangle, the same proportion used on the Parthenon, and why Pella Windows is his top pick

 ✅ A custom 42-inch by 9-foot thermally modified ash door by Magbee, kiln-cooked at 850 degrees with zero chemicals

 ✅ Thermally modified pine floors, Portola Roman clay finishes, Emtek Hardware, and exposed original brick

 ✅ Roofscaping: the community design detail most people never notice

 ✅ A shou sugi ban table finished on a barbecue grill by Deadwood Tables

Featuring:
 Lew Oliver, Lew Oliver Inc.
 Liz Treadwell, Lew Oliver Inc.
 Austin Treadwell, Builder
 Magbee Contractors Supply
 Craig Decker, Deadwood Tables

Explore the Lew Oliver Millwork Collection at https://magbeeluxury.com/the-lew-oliver-collection/

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Connect with Stefanie Couch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaniecouch/
Website: gritblueprint.com
Podcast Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grit-blueprint/id1739088553

#ModularHomes #WalkableNeighborhoods #Trilith #Serenbe #NewUrbanism #Millwork #BuildingMaterials #CustomHomes #LewOliver #BehindTheBuild

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