RCI Builders is the builder you call when you want a new house on an acre or more in Hanover or New Kent without running a custom build yourself. Founded in 1999 and headquartered on Shady Grove Road in Mechanicsville, RCI sold $85 million of homes in 2024 (tenth in the metro by dollars) and its current list runs from 55+ carriage homes in the upper $300s to ten-acre estates in the low $900s. Its Google rating is 4.5 across 212 reviews, the best of any semi-custom builder in the region, and it does not publish a warranty.
This guide covers RCI’s 14 active communities, what “acreage with a production process” actually means, the Atlantic Bay lender relationship, the warranty question, and what buyers say. Daniel Yoon is a Certified New Home Co-Broker (NHCB) representing buyers on new construction across the Richmond metro, and our guide to well water and septic in Hanover applies to most RCI lots.
RCI Builders at a glance
| Ownership | Private, locally owned by Todd Rogers, Mike Chenault, and Patrick Ashley. Founded 1999. 9245 Shady Grove Road, Suite 200, Mechanicsville. About 30 employees. |
| Volume | 118 homes and $85 million in 2024 (HBAR); more than $100 million in sales in 2021 per the company |
| Price range in the metro | Upper $300s (Kennington Meadows 55+ carriage homes) to low $900s (Santee Farm estates) |
| Product types | Single-family on one to 15-plus acre lots, 55+ carriage homes and villas, build on your lot |
| Warranty | Not published. Company references a 45-day and one-year service inspection. |
| Lender | Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, dedicated banker Abby Allen (NMLS 1688847) |
| Awards | HBAR MAME Builder of the Year 2020; Builder of Integrity four times; “Best of Virginia” 2025 and 2026 per company; ten entries in the 2025 Richmond Parade of Homes |
| Website | rcibuildersnewhomes.com communities |
2024 volume from the HBAR rankings via Richmond BizSense, March 2025. RCI did not appear in the 2025 top ten by units or dollars.
Where RCI is building right now
| Community | County | Lot size / product | From price (Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennington Meadows | King William (Aylett) | 55+ carriage homes, 1,474-plus sq ft | Upper $300s |
| Kennington | King William (Aylett) | Single-family, carriage, townhomes | $400s |
| Hickory Grove | Hanover (Ashland) | 55+ maintenance-free | $500s; Eastwood and StyleCraft also build here |
| Stags Trail | Hanover | 55+ carriage homes | $500s |
| Shady Grove Park | Hanover (Mechanicsville) | Half-acre lots | Low $600s |
| Hula Farm | New Kent | 2 to 15-plus acres, limited homesites | Low $600s |
| Spring Run Estates | Hanover (Mechanicsville) | 10 to 11 acres | $600s, coming soon |
| Viniterra Villas | New Kent | Villas, lawn care included | Mid $600s |
| Sheppards Fold | Western Hanover | 1.3 to 1.6 acres | Upper $600s |
| Pomeroy Park | New Kent (Quinton) | One-acre lots | Upper $600s; StyleCraft also builds here |
| Rock Creek | Hanover (Old Church) | 6 to 8-plus acres; Mechanicsville HS | Low $700s; Eastwood also builds here |
| Dunham Farms | Hanover | 10-plus acres | Upper $700s |
| Leber Estates | Hanover | 5 to 11 acres | Upper $700s |
| Viniterra, The Enclave | New Kent (golf, winery) | Single-family | $754,999 and up |
| Santee Farm | Hanover (Mechanicsville) | One-acre estates | Low $900s |
No other builder in the region offers this many large-lot communities at once. Main Street has Fine Creek Manor and MontRose in Powhatan; Schell has StillCroft; everyone else is on quarter-acre lots or smaller. If the search is “new construction, Hanover, at least two acres,” RCI has more answers than the rest of the market combined. The trade-off is that nearly every one of these lots is well and septic, and several (Hula Farm, Leber Estates, Dunham Farms) are far enough out that the commute to downtown Richmond runs 45 minutes or more. Every RCI inventory home, and every other builder’s, is on our new home search at showingnew.com/dyoonnewhomes.
What you get in an RCI home
RCI sells a catalog of plans with structural options and a design studio, and it will modify plans on estate lots. Exteriors lean traditional Hanover: brick or stone water tables, side-load garages on the acreage lots, deep front porches. The included tier is above Ryan and roughly level with Main Street. Buyers praise the project managers by name in reviews more consistently than at any other builder in this series, which matters on a one-acre lot where site work, driveway length, and drainage are the expensive decisions. Sales for several communities run through Hometown Realty agents rather than an in-house team.
The warranty RCI does not publish
RCI’s website has no warranty page, and no community page states the terms. What the company does describe is a service department that runs a 45-day and a one-year inspection after closing. Whether the structural coverage is one year, five, or ten, and whether a third party insures it, is something you have to ask. For a builder selling $700,000 to $900,000 estate homes on septic systems and long driveways, that is the first question to put to the sales agent. Get the booklet before contract. Our Richmond builder warranty comparison shows which builders publish and which do not.
Lender and incentives
RCI’s financing page is branded with Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group and names a dedicated banker. Atlantic Bay handles VA, FHA, USDA, Virginia Housing, and construction-to-permanent loans, and USDA matters here: several RCI communities in New Kent, King William, and outer Hanover sit in USDA-eligible areas, which means zero down for qualifying buyers. RCI does not publish standing dollar incentives; ask per community and get any credit in writing. Our incentives guide covers how to compare a builder-lender offer with an outside one.
What RCI buyers say (with links)
- Google reviews via Birdeye: 4.5 out of 5 across 212 reviews, 211 of them from Google. The majority praise project managers and design help. The notable one-star: “New home built in 2022 was full of black mold. Had to pay over $50,000 for remediation.” That review describes crawl space and attic moisture within 18 months of closing.
- Better Business Bureau: A+, accredited since 2006, two reviews averaging 3. The five-star: the project manager “was very professional and accommodating from the start of our build to the final walk through.” The one-star: “We had to fight like crazy to get standing water in our yard addressed after closing.”
- BBB complaints: two in three years, both about post-closing punch items left unresolved (paint and ceiling work in one, a cabinet shelf and return vent in the other).
- BuildZoom: 1,317 permits, one five-star review. Zillow profile lists the awards.
Our read: 4.5 across 212 is a strong number for a builder doing 100-plus homes a year, and it is Richmond-specific, which most builders in this series cannot say. The complaint themes (drainage, post-closing follow-through, one moisture case) are the themes you would expect from large-lot construction on clay soil with septic fields and long grading runs. On an RCI lot, spend the money on a crawl space moisture inspection at the final walk and a grading check after the first hard rain. Our article on foundation and moisture problems in Richmond homes explains why.
Who RCI fits
RCI fits the buyer who wants acreage in Hanover, New Kent, or King William and a builder who has done it 1,300 times. It fits the USDA or VA buyer in the outer counties. It fits the 55+ buyer comparing Hickory Grove, Stags Trail, and Kennington Meadows, where RCI is usually the value option. And it fits the landowner, since RCI builds on your lot.
It does not fit the buyer who needs a published warranty before signing, the buyer who wants public water and sewer, or the buyer who needs to be inside Route 288. For estate lots west of the metro, compare Main Street Homes in Powhatan and Goochland; for gated acreage in Ashland, Schell’s StillCroft; for full-brick estates in Montpelier, Boone Homes.
Frequently asked questions
Is RCI Builders a good builder? RCI averages 4.5 out of 5 across 212 Google reviews, holds an A+ BBB rating with two complaints in three years, and won HBAR’s Builder of the Year in 2020. Complaints center on post-closing drainage and punch-list follow-through. It does not publish its warranty terms.
How much does an RCI home cost? From the upper $300s for a Kennington Meadows 55+ carriage home to the low $900s at Santee Farm. Most acreage communities in Hanover and New Kent start between $600,000 and $800,000.
Where does RCI build? Hanover (Mechanicsville, Ashland, Old Church, western Hanover), New Kent (Viniterra, Pomeroy Park, Hula Farm), King William (Kennington), and Essex, plus build on your lot across central Virginia.
Does RCI build on your own lot? Yes. RCI offers a build-on-your-lot program across its central Virginia footprint.
What lender does RCI use? Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group is its featured partner, with a dedicated banker. Atlantic Bay offers USDA loans, which apply in several RCI communities in the outer counties.
Looking at acreage in Hanover or New Kent?
We know which RCI lots perc tested well and which sections have the shortest driveways. Daniel Yoon is a Certified New Home Co-Broker, ABR, and SRS with eXp Realty. Call or text 804.896.2694, or browse every new home in the region at showingnew.com/dyoonnewhomes. For the full field, read our Richmond builders comparison and our Hanover County guide.