About

Principal

Gary Williams

Sanctuary Developers, LLC, the parent company of Sanctuary On 1st, was founded by Gary Williams of Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Williams first came to Highlands in the early 1960’s when his family owned its first home on the top of Big Bear Pen mountain. Following his college education and active duty service as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Williams spent a long career as founder and CEO of two oil service companies in Texas. After selling the last of his two companies in 2015, Mr. Williams retired from the oil services business and started a new career in residential development. Recently, when two rare legacy properties inside the town limits of Highlands became available, Mr. Williams acquired both properties and began to develop his most current and exciting project, Sanctuary On 1st. Mr. Williams is married with three children and five granddaughters.

Creative Director

Jim Weinberg

Jim Weinberg is the founder and principal of Jim Weinberg Lifestyles, a design firm specializing in high-end residential and commercial projects. Jim is a third generation interior designer, practicing over 40 years. Jim opened a design studio in Miami focusing on Furniture and Residential Interior Design.  During this creative period of design and innovation is a sports highlight; Weinberg, along with former pro tennis player Mike Davies and psychologist Vic Braden, is responsible for changing the color of the tennis ball from white to yellow in the 1970s. What began as a concept for better hand-eye coordination for beginners he changed the face of one of our world’s most popular sports.

Jim Weinberg is a design visionary and leading force in the interior design community. For more than 35 years, “Surrounded By Excellence,” is the core from which his success has blossomed. Weinberg has been known for his sophisticated yet soothing interiors, mindful that every color, every texture creates the backdrop of his clients’ lives. With a love of architecture, a fascination with light, and respect of form and function, Weinberg partners with his clients to create sensational and livable environments that reflect their individual taste and lifestyle.

After Miami, came Aspen, where Weinberg worked on a number of vacation and second homes for major celebrities and public figures. His integrity and commitment to privacy of the client made him a favorite among the A-listers, which brought him to Hollywood, California. While continuing to work on celebrity and high-profile homes, Weinberg (referred to as “Mr. Color” in numerous print media) also played an instrumental part in the renovation of the Hollywood sign, and pioneered the Adopt-a-Highway program through his efforts to clean up the city of Los Angeles and other cities across the US. While traveling from coast to coast, he also worked with world-famous designer and architect Adam Tihany, whom Weinberg regards as one of his inspirations. Three furniture designs by Weinberg can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

The early 2000s brought the designer to Atlanta where he has focused his efforts on residential and commercial projects, one of the latter being Trump Towers Atlanta. Always continuing his philanthropic efforts, he is a benefactor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Learning Community and was one of the top designers in the ASO’s renowned Decorators’ Show House. Throughout his career, Weinberg has received the Designer of the Year Award more than six times in both California and Florida. His projects and achievements have been published in the Architectural Digest, Interior Design, the Atlantan, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Southern Seasons. Most recently he has been selected as “Best in the City” by the Atlantan, “Best of Houzz 2015” by Houzz.com and “Top 25 Interior Designers in Georgia 2018” by theLuxPad.

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Architectural + Engineering Design

We believe a great architectural design requires the input of both a professional designer and a licensed architect. Our lead designer and architect work closely together to achieve a unique custom design that meets your specific objectives on the property you have selected. Architectural Design phases include:

Pre-Design is the first phase of Architectural Design. The objective of Pre-Design is to consult with the client and determine their vision, project goals, scope, features, functionality, purpose and budget. Meetings will take place on both the property and in our office in Cashiers, NC. This phase ends with the client’s decision to move forward.

Schematic Design is the second phase of Architectural Design. Under this phase we consider local codes and architectural guidelines, provide floor plans and exterior elevations and provide 3D imaging of the home’s exterior. For an additional fee, Sanctuary offers digital fly-through graphics and videos that allow you to move from room to room viewing spacial relationships, scale and views from each room. This capability is unique to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau and allows a client that is not well versed in reading or visualizing one dimensional architectural plans the opportunity to see exactly what is being delivered in your design before construction.

Design Development is the third phase of Architectural Design. This phase involves finalizing the design and specifying items such as materials, window and door locations, appliances, electrical, lighting systems and general structural details. Our lead designer will work closely with you during this phase to ensure items selected meet your approval and design intent.

Construction Documents is the fourth and last phase of Architectural Design. At this stage, we have a final design and can now prepare construction drawings/blueprints, notes, and technical specifications necessary for bidding, construction, and permit application. Construction contractors will use these detailed drawings and specifications to construct your new home. Engineering is not always required or necessary for all building sites. In the event the services of a licensed engineer are needed, Sanctuary will contract with a local third party engineering firm to provide engineering services.

Landscape Design

Landscape Design involves both the science and art of designing outdoor spaces. Fundamental design concepts including proportion, unity, balance, perspective, color and texture combine to create a fully integrated design.

A landscape designer is far more involved than just deciding where to install recommended trees and plants after your home is constructed. A professional landscape designer is an important part of the Sanctuary team and is highly involved in the early stages of your project starting with the Site Planning phase.

Why? A professional landscape designer will help you map out a vision for your outdoor living space while considering best views, climate, sun exposure, utilization of special land features, and terrain elevation changes – all within the confines of your budget.

Site Planning

Once your property has been identified, the second stage in the process of building your dream home is Site Planning. Selecting the ideal building site on your property involves much more than consideration of the best views. We can assist you in contracting with a local survey company who will generate a Boundary Survey Map and Topographical Map for your property.

Using both maps, our lead designer, landscape designer, builder, and architect will tour the property with you to determine the best site location for your new home considering all factors. Proper Site Planning for your new home can maximize home and outdoor space functionality and often minimize building costs.

The team will provide you with a topographical map showing boundaries, terrain elevations, special topographical features, and the preliminary footprint of your proposed home positioned on the recommended building site. For mountain home construction, positioning a home correctly on the property can often reduce home construction costs associated with pouring concrete stem walls and foundation walls.

Property Selection

The first stage in the process of building your dream home is Property Selection. If you would like help in finding a property that meets your objectives and plan on building a new home, Sanctuary can assist you.

Selecting the ideal property for any client is highly dependent upon their interests, desired location, lifestyle, views and budget. These factors will greatly drive the decision.

Our team is experienced and well positioned to provide you with options for finding the perfect property. Once your property has been selected, we will provide all the other process elements needed to design, build and furnishing your perfect dream home on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.