About the Builder (From an article in Decatur Living Magazine...used by permission) Eric Sullivan builds brand new homes in Decatur, but they look as if they’ve been in place since the streets were first named. In fact, without a double take, one of his just-built Craftsman-style homes could easily be mistaken for one of Decatur’s charming, older homes. By paying close attention to the architectural details of surrounding houses, Sullivan has learned the art of blending new houses into established neighborhoods. The new homes range in price from $500,000 to $900,000 and are a mix of custom built and spec houses. His own spacious home showcases architectural details popular with today’s buyer. “Before I could start building for other people in Decatur, I had to establish a standard and show people what I could do, so I started by building my own house,” says Sullivan. Outside, a front porch stretches the length of the hardi-plank and brick house, and gracing the front entrance is a wide, wooden door built by his father. Inside, maple and walnut Mission-style cabinets line the large porcelain-tiled kitchen and a custom-made island anchors the room. A built-in entertainment center provides a focal point for the family room and a double-sided fireplace warms both rooms. Other period details include a butler’s pantry, wainscoting in the dining room and bead and board paneling in the bathroom. “Eric is a good communicator and amazingly good at detail,” says Patrick South who chose Eric to build his home after interviewing six other builders. “He built this house from architect Ben Dooley’s hand-drawn blue prints, so there wasn’t anything he could use that was pre-formed. He was willing to make adjustments, did what he promised to do and came in at the cost he gave me.” Currently, Sullivan and another Decatur resident, Eric Schulman have partnered to build Oakhurst Place, a community of distinctive townhouses located at 1325 Oakview Road, starting in the low $300's. The three-story 2,100-square-foot homes will feature front yards with a garage and an offi ce or bedroom on the first floor. The main living areas will have many of the features his homes do with open floor plans and fine details such as judge’s panels in the dining rooms and Mission-style cabinetry. Sullivan comes by his love of building naturally. Ever since he can remember, the Iowa native has enjoyed working with tools. “I grew up in a Victorian-style house that is now 158 years old,” he says. “My family was constantly re-doing a room—sanding floors, hanging drywall.” After finishing college and while working at Menard’s, a home improvement store in Iowa, Sullivan decided to pursue his dream of building houses. “I drew up a budget for building a house and presented it to an investor,” he says. He liked what he saw and asked Sullivan to quit his job and go to work building his first house. Using the skills he’d learned at his father’s side; Sullivan built his first house from the ground up, doing most of the work himself. “I did everything I possibly could, from framing to roofing to painting—I wanted to learn the business from the bottom up.” Nearly 10 years and 86 houses later, Sullivan moved with his wife, Cinnamon, and two young daughters to Decatur after her acceptance into the anesthesia residency program at Emory University. “We both wanted to concentrate on raising our family,” says Sullivan. “We chose Decatur because the schools were comparable to Iowa, and we believe in public education.” Since moving south nearly five years ago and founding Sullivan Homes Inc., he has built or renovated 24 homes in Decatur. Cinnamon, who is now an attending physician at Emory University Hospital and splits her time between anesthesiology and critical-care medicine, says her husband brings a lot of ideas to the table when a house is in the design phase and pays close attention to detail. “He’s a very accomplished finish carpenter and he really understands design and how families live.” For more information on Sullivan Homes Inc., call 404.378.7030.

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