Bluffton Custom Home Builder
Meet the Team
Leah England
Founder, Principal, + Licensed Builder
As a fourth generation licensed residential builder, Leah England is known in the local building industry for her attention to detail, thoughtful planning, clear communication, and sincerity.
Upon moving to her husband’s hometown of Hilton Head, Leah worked for two well-established custom construction companies over eight years, guiding more than seventy families through design and construction in the area’s finest communities.
Leah jumped to the other side of the glass in a historically male-dominated sector and launched Bellwether Design + Build in order to build homes that reflect the unique lives of her clients. Leah resides in Bluffton with her husband Chris, and their two children.
A truly custom experience, tailored to your unique lifestyle.
Our Story
Continuing my family’s legacy
After nearly a decade in the construction industry, in 2020 I formed Bellwether Design + Build, carrying on my family’s legacy of building custom homes.
Growing up, it was impossible to go anywhere without running into someone who lived in a home my family built, or a trade professional who had worked with Edwards Construction, which my great-grandfather founded in 1905. I watched with much admiration as my father used those serendipitous moments as opportunities to meet a need. I’ve never known a more noble man.
While my father, grandfather and great-grandfather were good stewards of their clients’ investments, operated their business with integrity, and took pride in their craft, they were ultimately beloved for being builders of people. They used their construction company to bring out the best in clients, employees and colleagues, to minister in times of need, and to invest in community.
The Name
I’ve named my company Bellwether to honor the men and women who came before me, each one a servant-leader and predictor of positive change.
The Icon
The company icon is an abstract rendering of my great-grandfather’s speed square, which he fabricated in 1905 to add efficiency and accuracy to the work of his construction crews. The commercial speed square wouldn’t be developed until 1925, so he was most certainly ahead of his time.
Life comes full circle
After an earlier career in publishing, marketing and graphic design, I began a career in the building industry. Working in construction was a homecoming. I was finally speaking my native language. I’ve been fortunate to work for developers and contractors who recognized my talent and skills, and offered me incredible opportunities to learn and grow.
In 2020 I launched Bellwether Design + Build to promote quality of life and human connection through thoughtfully designed and constructed homes in the Lowcountry.
As the fourth generation in my family to work within the building industry, and the first female in the family to hold a license, my great grandfather’s speed square serves as an emblem of my family’s legacy, ingenuity, and the charge to use our gifts and profession as opportunities to serve and encourage others.
free downloads
Make Planning Your Custom Home a Breeze
Gain access to our exclusive library of home planning resources and assessments to help make planning your custom home project a breeze.
Meet the Team
Daniela Perez Del Monte
-
Thoughtful design resonates in Daniela's attention to detail and client relationships. Daniela enjoys creating spaces that feel curated, timeless, and inviting. She brings 17 years of Interior Design and cabinetry experience to Bellwether Design + Build.
Born and raised in the small Central American country of Honduras, Daniela left her roots and came to the United States to pursue her dreams. She obtained a MA in Interior Design from the University of Central Arkansas and a Masters Degree in Furniture Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Daniela resides in Bluffton with her husband Pedro and their 2 young boys.
Pedro Perez Del Monte
-
Pedro is a concrete and masonry specialist. He is passionate about delivering very high-quality construction projects through his deep understanding of residential building code, thoughtful planning and execution in the field. Pedro ensures Bellwether’s field activities adhere to the highest standards of safety and craftsmanship.
A dedicated family man, Pedro enjoys spending time with his wife Daniela and their two young boys. He is also a Formula One enthusiast and spends time restoring his own antique car.
Bill Dorn
-
A licensed homebuilder, Bill has been a construction professional for over four decades with extensive hands hands-on experience including residential estate, commercial and industrial projects.
Highlights of his career include the restoration of a Frank Lloyd Wright designed family compound in North Carolina, implementing and running a Youth Mentoring program as a Construction Manager of the City of Wilmington Housing Authority, North Carolina and building log homes in the mountains of Sweden. Before joining Bellwether, one of his most recent completed estates was a waterfront residential family compound consisting of three homes on 11 acres on Cape Cod.
Zack Kelly
-
Zack has held many positions in the construction industry from working on a framing crew, to becoming a project manager, to working as CFO.
In 2014, Zack created what is now Home Builders Financial Partners where he has worked as a CFO for numerous residential builders and created the system that Bellwether uses today. Zack takes great pride in the fact that the system that we use allows the core Bellwether team to spend more time on what they do best.
When Zack isn’t helping contractors he’s either on the golf course or out on the water or volunteering his time with kids in sports.
April Bennett
-
April’s expertise encompasses all aspects of operations, staff management and leadership development, quality assurance, process improvement, and client satisfaction. Through analyzing Profit and Loss strategies she successfully manages high-growth operations and strengthens the bottom line through establishing a cohesive, top-performing, and customer-centered working environment.
Kaylah Miller
-
Kaylah graduated from Presbyterian College with a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus in Management. While she has always been interested in the construction industry, her start was after graduation in 2020. She moved to Charleston and began work providing shutters for homeowners and builders alike. Wanting a change, she eventually moved to the financial side of construction where she has called home for the last 2.5 years.
In her spare time you can probably find Kaylah at a book store, the local dog park with her two adorable dogs, or jamming to music wishing it was a Taylor Swift concert.
Kind Words
From Industry Professionals
“I have found working with Leah to be a real joy…
She brings unique and varied experience to the build process. More than just building the home, she fosters the design process, always looking for ways to make the home better.
— PEarce Scott, Pearce Scott Architects
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVE
Good Measure
Good Measure, is Bellwether Design + Build’s philanthropic initiative to create stability and self-reliance through community-wide access to food, shelter and medicine. Bellwether imagines and endeavors to build a Lowcountry where everyone has access to a hot meal, a place to call home and medical care. That’s why a portion of Bellwether profits will be invested in Lowcountry-based community organizations that drive sustainable change.
Ready to get started?