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Design a space you’ll love as much as the neighborhood.

Chattanooga’s walkable, downtown neighborhoods match your values, but the housing options are old, small, and tired. Don’t settle for the suburbs. Let’s transform that blank slate or vintage fixer to a modern home that complements your urban lifestyle.

Led by architect Melissa Graveline, Build Sage Design is an architecture practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee specializing in residential design and construction in our city’s most walkable communities. By partnering with local builders and craftspeople, our services can take you from house hunting to move-in ready at your new urban oasis.

Tell me about your project and you’ll be one step closer to a personalized home with character that meet’s your family’s modern needs and enriches your day to day experiences.

You should be able to choose a neighborhood that matches your lifestyle

The suburbs can offer space and newness but have drawbacks. Living in a walkable neighborhood, you can avoid:

  • Dependency on cars and long commutes

  • Generic houses with generally low quality

  • Limited walkability with little connection

  • Environmentally unsustainable

  • Lack of diversity

Don’t let available housing stock limit your location

Vintage homes in dense, walkable neighborhoods have loads of charm but can have flaws of their own:

  • Small square footage and bed/bath count

  • Limited storage, few basements or garages

  • Tired systems and finishes, exterior weathering

  • Structural age or deterioration

  • Strange, choppy layouts

  • Compact lots and tricky regulations

| BUILD SAGE DESIGN

| architecture + interiors

| Chattanooga, Tennessee

| BUILD SAGE DESIGN | architecture + interiors | Chattanooga, Tennessee

My “WHY”?

“Historic neighborhoods can be vibrant, walkable communities that bring NEIGHBORS back downtown”

-Melissa Graveline, Build Sage Design

  • Renovation

    Some of Chattanooga’s downtown homes have beautiful details and character. They can also come with hidden surprises and unusual layouts. I have experience making historic homes function for modern lifestyles while preserving those charming elements.

  • New Build

    Your downtown lot may be a blank slate but it comes with zoning rules and code regulations that can be difficult to navigate. I can help make the most of those compact plots while simplifying complex codes and neighborhood politics.

  • Investment

    Construction projects can be expensive. However, I can help you make strategic investments that will immediately increase the value of your home. Neighborhoods close to the city center tend to see more accelerated appreciation as downtown is continuously developed and improved.

Learn more about our Process

CREDENTIALS

Graduated with honors from Auburn University’s College of Architecture Design and Construction, including time spent at the respected Rural Studio

Licensed Architect

Fifteen+ years experiences at high-end residential architecture firms in New York City; Portland, Oregon; and Chattanooga, Tennessee

Renovated several personal homes with large value-add projects

Real estate investor focused on the Chattanooga market and local neighborhood development

Passionate about walkable, diverse communities

What’s involved?

Locate

Identify your ideal neighborhood. Snag that empty lot, fixer upper, or finally decide to renovate your current home to serve you for the long haul.

Not sure what makes a good site? I offer real estate consulting and will tag along on your house hunting journey to offer vision and insights.

Design

Plan your space for your current lifestyle and beyond. Make sure spaces are balanced and flow, maximize storage, and allocate square footage to all the right places, even if that means adding on when necessary.

Coordinate interior and exterior views for cohesion inside and out.

Document

Select all the elements that bring the design to life, including finishes, plumbing, lighting, appliances, cabinetry, hardware, etc.

Create drawings that include all these details so a contractor can price and implement with limited surprises.

Visual and written communication keeps everyone on the same page and accountable to the success of your project.

Build

Guide you through the construction process and coordinate purchase and delivery of select design elements.

Navigate interaction with contractors and trades, inspecting progress and quality to meet budget, schedule, and expectations

Our Mission

  • Your home is a personal extension of your ideals. You put so much thought into the brands you support through the car you drive, the groceries you buy, and the clothes you wear. Why should your home be any different?

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  • Living in a dense, walkable neighborhood can reflect your commitment to sustainability, diversity, and building community without a reliance on cars. The dream of walking to local coffee shops, biking to downtown concerts, and running into friends on an evening stroll are all possible when you rethink the suburban status quo.

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  • We all know the mantra: location, location, location! You can change anything about a house except its address. Once you find that ideal location, let’s get to work building the ground-up home of your dreams or renovating that vintage charmer to fit the needs of your modern family.

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  • Build Sage Design specializes in designing homes in urban areas. Whether it’s navigating tricky city regulations, working with small footprints, or aligning your style with your lifestyle–I can help you love your space as much as the location.

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