Thirty years ago, Ford Classic Homes was a new idea taking shape on a drafting table. Today, its homes are part of the everyday scenery in Williamson County in neighborhoods where children ride bikes on sidewalks, neighbors gather around fire pits, and kitchen islands are the heart of busy households.
“We are incredibly proud of the fact that our company has been able to thrive and grow into becoming one of the most prominent home builders in Williamson County,” said Chesney Ford. “To date, we have built over 1,000 homes and employ over 50 employees.”
That growth tells only part of the story. Ford Classic Homes’ three decades in business have unfolded alongside the county’s own transformation, as farmland gave way to bustling communities. The company, founded by Mike Ford in 1995, has remained rooted in family even as it has grown. His sons, Jason and Andrew, now help lead the business, which still keeps a small-company feel.
“Ford Classic Homes has always been a family-oriented company,” Ford said. “The culture has always maintained a smaller business feel with direct access to all of our owners, vice presidents, and managers who are involved in the day-to-day operations of Ford Classic Homes. Everyone is very hands-on on whether it be plan development, design selections, or field construction. Through that hands-on mentality, we’ve maintained a very family-oriented business.”
That hands-on approach has shaped how the company builds. From the beginning, Ford Classic Homes set out to create houses that felt timeless, yet personal, designed not only to look beautiful but to be lived in. Even now, as the company builds entire communities, the process is still intimate.
“A big part of maintaining the architectural distinction and quality craftsmanship at Ford Classic Homes is due to the direct involvement of our entire team in the homebuilding process,” Ford said. “From plan design to color selections to construction, Mr. Ford is directly involved in overseeing the process and ensuring each home is built to the standard buyers have come to expect from Ford Classic Homes.”
Those standards have been showcased in the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee’s Parade of Homes, where Ford Classic Homes has been featured five times. First in 1999 at The Enclave, 2006 at Annandale, 2017 at Witherspoon, 2022 at Rosebrooke, and now again in 2025 at Rosebrooke in Brentwood. But the company’s focus extends beyond curb appeal.
In recent years, Ford has shifted from simply building houses to designing entire neighborhoods, including SouthBrooke, SouthVale, Richland Hall, Blossom Park, Witherspoon, and Rosebrooke. Each is designed to encourage the kind of daily connections that make a place feel like home.
“As we develop our communities, we strive to include features that can help foster that sense of community,” Ford said. “From sidewalks and walking trails to gathering spaces like fire pits and clubhouses, the community itself must be designed with those elements in mind. Our goal is always to maintain a distinct design to each home. We try to focus on fostering that sense of community in our floor plans as well by featuring outdoor living spaces, open concept plans, and large gourmet kitchens with islands for gathering.”
That same sense of community shows up in the company’s philanthropic work. Ford Classic Homes has supported Youth Encouragement Services (YES) for the past eight years, providing school supplies and holiday gifts for children who attend the nonprofit’s after-school and summer programs. The company also supports High Hopes Preschool and Pediatric Therapy and regularly contributes to local school and community events.
“These organization’s missions are to help families grow and thrive,” Ford said. “Those same family-oriented goals have helped Ford grow to where we are today.”
One of Ford Classic Homes’ most meaningful community efforts came in 2021, when the company helped rehabilitate the historic McLemore House and Museum in downtown Franklin. Built in 1880 by a formerly enslaved man, the home now serves as a museum honoring the lives and culture of African Americans in Franklin. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum had fallen into disrepair when the African American Heritage Society of Williamson County set out to save it.
“Ford Classic Homes shared the African American Heritage Society’s vision for supporting this historical Franklin site and continuing to promote historical preservation, education, and increased understanding of African American culture for future generations,” Ford said. “In an area so rich with history, Ford was privileged to be involved in a part of Franklin’s heritage.”
Even as the company looks forward, those ties to history linger. In 2022, Ford Classic Homes launched Rosebrooke in Brentwood, a 248-home luxury neighborhood, as well as SouthBrooke in Franklin. Its sister community, SouthVale, broke ground in 2024, with more than 680 homesites planned over the next decade in those two communities. The company’s next project, Colletta Park, will debut in 2026 near Lockwood Glen with townhomes, alley homes, and manor homes.
For longtime residents, these developments are a reminder of how quickly Williamson County is changing—and of the responsibility that comes with shaping its growth. Ford said the company’s steady expansion has been fueled as much by word of mouth as by marketing. Many families have bought two or more Ford homes over the years, often moving to new Ford neighborhoods as their needs change.
“In early years, and even now, our homes and communities continue to spread by word of mouth,” Ford said. “We have repeat buyers across our communities who have lived in two or more Ford homes and shop Ford again when looking for new homes. They have helped our communities grow by spreading the word to friends and neighbors regarding how much they love their communities. By maintaining our core vision and commitment to quality, the company has continued to grow.”
As Ford Classic Homes marks 30 years, its legacy can be seen in the porches, parks, and sidewalks where neighbors wave to one another at dusk. The company has grown up alongside Williamson County, helping shape its neighborhoods while holding onto its family roots.
And as the county continues to grow, Ford Classic Homes shows no sign of slowing and is still building not just houses, but homes.
FordClassicHomes.com
Pull Quotes: “As we develop our communities, we strive to include features that can help foster that sense of community,”
“We are incredibly proud of the fact that our company has been able to thrive and grow into becoming one of the most prominent home builders in Williamson County,”