Founder · Lead Designer + Builder
Max Fulbright Sr.
Georgia Tech engineer, framing-crew veteran, alumnus of John Wieland Homes. Personally draws the Principal-tier custom designs and still picks up the phone. 35 years and counting.
The Fulbrights · A Georgia Family Who Designs & Builds
A family who knows how to build a home.
Max Fulbright Sr. started framing houses the summer before college. Four decades later, he and his family have designed and built homes across West Georgia — and now sell plans in all 50 states.
This is the real story of how that happened. Full circle, one house at a time.
35
Years of Design + Build Experience
Hundreds
Of Homes Designed Over The Decades
50
States Served · Plus Canada
6
Fulbrights on the Team
It started with a summer job framing houses.
Max Sr. took a long road to get here — engineering school, corporate homes, a detour through a sewing machine factory. The full-circle moment came when he decided to build his family's first house himself.
High SchoolSummer Job
A summer job framing houses
Max Sr. spent several summers in high school framing houses for a local crew — long days on a jobsite, learning how a house actually goes together from the studs up. That hands-on framing experience would turn out to be the foundation for everything else.
Georgia TechEngineering
Graduated with an engineering degree
Max went to Georgia Tech and came out with an engineering degree — a rigorous technical education that taught him how structures behave, how loads transfer, and how to think about a building as a system. Engineering school plus framing summers turned out to be an unusual combination.
After TechFirst Career
Designed homes at John Wieland Homes
Out of Georgia Tech, Max took a job designing homes at John Wieland Homes — one of the largest and most respected homebuilders in the Southeast at the time. This is where Max learned how the professional residential design process works from the inside.
The DetourFactory Work
Designing sewing machines in a Georgia factory
Life took an unusual turn: Max left residential design to take a job designing industrial sewing machines in a Georgia factory. Engineering was still the work, but the subject matter couldn't have been further from houses. He thought the home-design chapter might be behind him.
First HomeFull Circle
The moment it all came full circle
When it came time to design and build his family's first home, Max thought: "Well, I know how to do this." Georgia Tech engineering, years at Wieland, all those summer mornings on a framing crew — he had the whole stack. He designed the house himself and built it himself, one of the first homes in the cul-de-sac.
The Cul-de-sacUnexpected
The neighbors started asking
Once the first house went up, neighbors who bought lots in the same cul-de-sac started asking Max to design and build theirs too. By the end, he'd designed and built roughly half the homes in the neighborhood. The career-that-wasn't-supposed-to-happen had started.
DecadesWest Georgia
Building across West Georgia
For decades after that cul-de-sac, Max designed and built homes throughout West Georgia — mountain homes, farmhouses, cabins, lake houses. Custom builds for families he met at church, friends of friends, clients who walked through one of his homes and knew they wanted one of their own.
2010Online Business
Max Jr. graduated and built the online business
In 2010, Max Jr. graduated from the University of West Georgia with a business degree. He took his dad's decades of residential designs and turned them into a nationwide online business — building the website, setting up distribution, handling the operations side. The catalog went from West Georgia to all 50 states in a few short years.
TodayNationwide
All 50 states. Plus Canada and Alaska.
Today Max Fulbright Designs serves clients in all 50 states, with regular orders from Canada and Alaska. Ryan, Rhett, and Tony — three of the Fulbright sons — joined the team to help Max keep up with the growing design demand. Sherrie keeps everyone fed. The family still designs every home from West Georgia.
Six Fulbrights. One firm.
Every person on the team has "Fulbright" on their birth certificate. No offshore designers, no outsourced customer service. The people you talk to are the people who design, build, and stand behind every plan.
Founder · Operations
Max Fulbright Jr.
Graduated from the University of West Georgia in 2010 with a business degree, then turned his dad's decades of designs into a nationwide online business. Runs operations, strategy, and the site you're reading right now.
The Glue
Sherrie Fulbright
High school sweethearts — she's been along for the whole ride. Keeps everyone fed and holds the family (and the business) together. Without Sherrie, nothing works.
Designer · Fulbright Team
Ryan Fulbright
Joined the firm to help handle the growing demand for Max's designs. Draws Associate-tier custom designs and modifications under Max Sr.'s oversight. Grew up watching his dad draw.
Designer · Fulbright Team
Rhett Fulbright
Joined the firm to help with growing design volume. Handles Associate-tier custom designs and plan modifications. Learned the craft the same way his brothers did — at Max's desk.
Designer · Fulbright Team
Tony Fulbright
Rounds out the design team. Handles Associate-tier drawings and plan modifications. All three brothers learned the same way — watching Max draw, then drawing themselves with him looking over their shoulder.
Credentials
Real training. Real recognition.
The educational and professional background that informs every plan we draw — and a design award we're particularly proud of.
GT
Georgia Tech · Engineering Degree
Max Sr. · Georgia Institute of Technology
JW
Former Designer · John Wieland Homes
Max Sr. · Post-graduate residential design experience
UW
University of West Georgia · Business
Max Jr. · Class of 2010 · B.B.A.
★
ADEX Awards · Design Nomination
Camp Creek Cabin · Awards for Design Excellence
The Homestead · Off The Clock
And when we're not at the drafting desk…
6
Kids
Too many
Grandkids
to count
12
Chickens
3
Dogs
2
Ducks
that think they're chickens
Max and Sherrie are high school sweethearts. She's been along for the whole ride — engineering school, sewing machines, that first house in the cul-de-sac, and every one since. We wouldn't have gotten here without her.
Why We Do This
When a customer sends us a photo from their front porch with a note that they're so thankful they found us — that's what makes all the hard work worth it.
Max Fulbright Sr.
Founder · 35 Years
Building a home is one of the biggest decisions a family will ever make. We take that seriously. We design homes for families because we are a family — and because we've spent 35 years designing and building them for families just like yours.