Building a Custom Home on a Challenging Wooded Lot in Toano, Virginia
Bluewater Building Company completed a beautiful custom home in Toano, Virginia, after extensive lot clearing, grading, soil work, and engineered retaining wall
Bluewater Building Company / Williamsburg, Virginia
Room for the life you want.
A team to help you build it.
PHOTOGRAPHED IN FORD’S COLONY / A Bluewater custom home in the Williamsburg area.
VA
CLASS A · RBC
RBC specialty
License #2705172705
Your city. Your home. Your next chapter.
Bluewater Building Company provides renovations, roof replacement, decks, additions and custom home building in Williamsburg and nearby communities, plus multi-family and commercial services. Explore a Williamsburg waterfront home, a local roof replacement, and custom homes in Ford’s Colony and nearby Toano. Then tell us what you want your own property to become.
YOUR PROPERTY. YOUR NEXT CHAPTER.
From the first room to the whole property, find the right starting point.
A better kitchen. A bathroom that works for you. Rooms that connect. Talk with Bluewater about renovations and additions for your Williamsburg-area home.
DESIGN INSPIRATION / Interior of Bluewater’s Ford’s Colony custom build.
Start with the condition of your existing roof and a clear replacement scope. Bluewater’s GAF Certified Plus™ team serves Williamsburg and the surrounding area.
PICTURED IN WILLIAMSBURG / Bluewater’s GAF HDZ roof replacement on a brick home.
The full Bluewater Building Company offering
Explore all of our services for Williamsburg homes and properties. Start with one improvement—or connect several into one plan.
Roof replacement and roofing services. Gutters, soffit, fascia and metal wrap for a coordinated exterior.
Window replacement and siding services that renew your home’s exterior and connect with the rest of your project.
Kitchen remodeling, bathroom renovations and whole-home transformations—including layouts, flooring, trim and finishes.
Wood and composite decks, patios and screened porches. Discuss fencing, concrete driveways and walkways as part of your plan.
Home additions and custom home building, from your initial priorities through the scope and construction process.
Renovation and construction services for multi-family and commercial properties. Tell us about the building and the work you have in mind.
BLUEWATER REGIONAL PORTFOLIO / OUTDOOR-LIVING IDEAS
A large Trex deck can connect several spaces into one outdoor gathering place. This project from Bluewater’s regional portfolio pairs Foggy Wharf and Island Mist decking with cocktail rails, post-cap lights, a gazebo and stairs to an upper balcony.
BLUEWATER REGIONAL PORTFOLIO / Deck design inspiration.
WATCH THE WORK / WILLIAMSBURG & TOANO
Watch the Ford’s Colony steel-beam installation, then explore the finished Toano home and its construction decisions. Keep going for the Williamsburg waterfront homeowners’ own story.
FORD’S COLONY / STRUCTURAL FRAMING
A crane lifts a structural steel beam into place during the Ford’s Colony custom-home build. James explains the coordination behind this framing milestone.
TOANO / COMPLETED CUSTOM HOME
Take a walk around Morning Dew in Toano. The completed home follows extensive clearing, grading and site preparation, with a wooded setting that still feels like a retreat.
TOANO / DESIGN & FRAMING
During the Toano build, James explains the vaulted ceiling and open overlook. See how the layout changes the feeling of the living space.
TOANO / A HOMEOWNER’S REQUEST
A homeowner asked for another window after framing was complete. James walks through the bathroom layout changes in this Toano custom build.
TOANO / FOUNDATION PHASE
A short look at backfilling during the Toano custom-home build—one of the construction steps that happens well before the finished-home photographs.
TOANO / BEHIND THE BUILD
James shares a candid look at steep terrain and vehicle access on a Toano job site. Bring site conditions and access into the planning conversation early.
WILLIAMSBURG / HOMEOWNER STORY
Watch the homeowners discuss their Williamsburg custom-home experience. The opening views and interior show the waterfront home featured in this gallery.
A 31-second homeowner story from the completed waterfront custom home.
One home. A closer look.
One Toano home, several chapters. Follow Morning Dew from a cleared wooded lot through its foundation and exterior work to the finished living spaces. These photographs document the same custom-home project.
REAL DETAILS / REAL LOCAL HOMES
Filter the gallery to explore the Williamsburg waterfront home and roof replacement, Ford’s Colony, nearby Toano and the construction behind the finished spaces.
PROJECT CHAPTERS / A CLOSER LOOK
Explore framing, sitework and outdoor-living details from the same local homes. Each story offers another view of the work.
Construction chapter / Ford’s Colony
Go inside the framing phase of the same Ford’s Colony home, including the steel beam that helped shape its open layout.
Sitework chapter / Toano
The Morning Dew story begins with clearing, grading and an engineered retaining wall on its wooded Toano lot.
Construction detail / Williamsburg waterfront
At this Williamsburg waterfront custom build, James explains the Dec-Tec membrane during installation. Watch the original reel for a closer look at that construction detail.
Patio installation / Williamsburg waterfront
Blue French Stone takes shape on the covered patio of the Williamsburg waterfront custom home. These photographs show installation in progress, before the finished-home reveal.
THE SOURCE STORIES
Keep going with the original project articles, Instagram and Facebook stories, and homeowner video.
Explore the completed St. Andrews Village home: dual primary suites, private guest space, custom trim and an open living area.
See an earlier chapter of that same home, from the floor system and wood framing to the steel-beam installation.
Read the framing story ↗ · Original Instagram framing clip ↗ · Original Instagram beam clip ↗ · Watch the beam lift on YouTube ↗
Read the full custom-home story and explore its project photographs, finished tour and construction clips.
A separate behind-the-scenes clip shows James navigating the challenges of a steep Toano job site. The video confirms Toano; it is not presented as an additional completed home.
Follow the same waterfront home from siding and final construction stages to completed move-in photographs and the homeowner story.
Move-in photos on Instagram ↗ · Siding-progress photos ↗ · Matching Facebook photo story ↗
Final-stage video on Instagram ↗ · Matching Facebook video story ↗ · Homeowner testimonial ↗
See Bluewater’s original November 2024 roof-replacement photographs of this Williamsburg brick home.
Three construction chapters from the waterfront custom home: the deck membrane, the stone patio and the interior tile work.
Dec-Tec deck detail ↗ · Blue French Stone patio ↗ · Custom tile work ↗
WILLIAMSBURG AREA / BEYOND ONE HOME
Homes are part of a bigger place. If you are planning improvements for a neighborhood, shared property or local business in the Williamsburg area, tell us about the work. Bluewater also offers multi-family and commercial services.
THE LATEST / GREATER WILLIAMSBURG
Project stories from Ford’s Colony, Toano and the Williamsburg area.
Bluewater Building Company completed a beautiful custom home in Toano, Virginia, after extensive lot clearing, grading, soil work, and engineered retaining wall
See how Bluewater Building Company built a custom forever home in Ford’s Colony, designed for retirement living, comfort, and long-term flexibility.
At Bluewater Building Company, we take pride in building homes that are not only beautiful but structurally sound and built to last.
A CLEARER START
A few things to know before your Williamsburg-area project begins.
Yes. Bluewater serves Williamsburg and nearby communities, including Toano, with renovations, roof replacement, exterior improvements, decks, additions and custom home building. Multi-family and commercial services are also available. Share the property address and scope so the team can discuss your project.
We show the broader Williamsburg area. Ford’s Colony is in James City County and uses a Williamsburg address; Morning Dew is in nearby Toano. The waterfront home and roof-replacement stories are identified by Bluewater as Williamsburg projects. Check your own property’s jurisdiction when planning the work.
A Williamsburg mailing address can fall in the City of Williamsburg, James City County or York County. Confirm the property’s jurisdiction before planning permit submissions. Start with the City’s address guidance, then the appropriate Williamsburg, James City County or York County office. Neighborhood or HOA review may be a separate step.
Bluewater offers kitchen, bathroom and whole-home renovations as well as additions. Start with what is no longer working: space, layout, storage or finishes. The team can discuss a scope that fits your goals and the property.
Tell us the roof’s age if known, any leaks or visible concerns, and whether you are also considering gutters, siding or windows. Request an estimate so the team can review the property and discuss the work and available roofing options.
Yes. Bluewater offers wood and composite decks, patios and screened porches. The waterfront project shown here includes a deck-membrane installation and a Blue French Stone patio. Share how you want to use the space, along with photos and rough dimensions, so the team can discuss materials and a scope for your property.
Site conditions deserve attention early. Our Toano project involved clearing, grading, soil removal and an engineered retaining wall before the home could take shape. Your own site may be different, so discuss access, terrain and the planned home with the team before setting expectations.
Bluewater is a Virginia Class A contractor with the Residential Building (RBC) specialty, license 2705172705. The company is a GAF Certified Plus™ roofing contractor and displays its TrexPro® deck-builder designation.
Its 2026 Coastal Virginia Magazine Best Of Readers’ Choice awards are in the Southside division: Home Builder Bronze (tie), Bath Remodeling Bronze and Painting Silver (tie). These are company recognitions, not Williamsburg-only awards. Use the links in the credentials strip to learn more.
Send your project details with the address, type of work and best way to reach you, or call (757) 524-0090. Photos and a short description of your priorities help start the conversation.
Williamsburg / Your next chapter
A new roof. A room that works. A home from the ground up.
Tell us what you have in mind for Williamsburg or nearby Toano.
PICTURED / Morning Dew, a completed Bluewater custom home in Toano.