Team
A Sustainable Team
Greg Ramsey and Dennis McConnell have been collaborating on leading edge projects for over 30 years. They are both pioneers in developing ecologically oriented, energy efficient, healthy homes & neighborhoods.
After the Pendergrast family contacted Greg about their dream of a Conservation Community for their family legacy, Dennis joined Greg as the perfect development partner to make the project financially viable and a true success for generations to come.
Greg Ramsey
Pendergrast Farm, Development Partner
Greg Ramsey is co-founder, principal, and director of villagehabitat.com as well as Co-author of Conservation Communities, an agrarian and community design primer.
Greg Co-founded Village Habitat Design in order to promote conservation communities – integrating farms and natural habitats into the development of hamlets and villages and intentional/supportive communities.
Village Habitat Design has spent the last 25 years focused on raising the bar on conserving lands that are being developed to widen stream buffers, protect woodlands and set aside open areas for urban agriculture.
Greg brings a unique perspective to these types of projects from a long immersion in traditional agrarian village planning, synthesizing community and sustainability as a second generation conservation community planner and designer (Greg’s father George Ramsey introduced ecological villages to the US in the 1970’s).
Greg with Village Habitat has planned a variety of conservation community projects including the Dominican Republic El Valle Ecotourism Region Plan, Turks and Caicos Islands Sustainable Design Initiative in the British West Indies, the Chattahoochee Hill Country in Georgia (the first use of regional transfer of development rights in Georgia to protect farmland), East Lake Commons in Atlanta (the first community supported farm village in Georgia), Choice (urban agricultural overlay in west Atlanta to incubate urban farms) and Lake Claire Conservation Community (urban block plan/land trust plan and affordable co-housing project) . Additionally Greg has planned with Farmer D many farm communities across the US. Greg works nationally and internationally as speaker, workshop and charette leader, conservation community planner, designer, and consultant.
Awards and Recognition
• UN World Habitat Award – Building & Social Housing Foundation
• AIA National, HUD – Community Design Award
• AIA Georgia – Excellence in Design Sustainability
• AIA Georgia – Merit in Design Sustainability
• Southface Energy Institute – Award for Excellence
• Atlanta Regional Commission – Development of Excellence Award
Dennis McConnell
Pendergrast Farm, Development Partner
Dennis McConnell is a third generation home builder with 50 years’ experience who has built or renovated over 400 homes in the City of Atlanta over the last 40+ years from $60,000 to $2,500,000.
Dennis has been a leader in the effort to build better homes in Atlanta. All homes built by his company have been built under the energy efficiency programs like Energy Star, Environments for Living, Good Cents, Energy Wise, Energy Watt Count or EarthCraft House. He has built American Lung Association “Health Homes” certified as allergen free homes. He was a founding board member for the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association (HBA) Green Building Council and served on the HBA’s Green Building Council Board of Directors from 2009-2011.
In 2004, he was named the EarthCraft Custom Builder of the Year.
In 2005, he also won the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Exceptional Merit Award for Context Sensitive Neighborhood Infill Design for the Lampkin Street Cottages.
In 2015, Dennis was named the Greater Atlanta HomeBuilders Association Home Builder of the Year.
Awards and Recognition
- 2021 Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2015 Builder of the Year – Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association
- 2014 Presidential Award – Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association
- 2006 Builder of the Southern Building Show demonstration house
- 2005 Atlanta Regional Commission’s Exceptional Merit Award for Context Sensitive Neighborhood Infill Design – “Lampkin Street Cottages”
- 2005 Atlanta Urban Design Commission Award – “Lampkin Street Cottages”
- 2004 EarthCraft Custom Builder of the Year
- 1991 Builder of the Year, Inner Atlanta Chapter, GAHBA
- Numerous Agent Choice Awards- Community Magazine
- Numerous Professionalism Awards – Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association
- 1988 Top Residential Development of Fulton County Award – “Oaklands of Grant Park”
Jason Tillery
Pendergrast Farm, Builder
Launched in Atlanta in 2008 by industry veteran, Jason Tillery – Domain Custom Homes is founded on the concept of “Making a House a Home.” This highly custom spec builder is best known for its work in some of the city’s most sought after intown neighborhoods, including Decatur, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs and Virginia-Highland. Showcasing homes priced from the $600’s to $2M, Domain Custom Homes are timeless – while pushing the envelope toward trendy.
Excited to bring a bit of that non-traditional urban-conservation charm to Pendergrast Farm, Domain Custom Homes will launch construction on a series of spec homes driven by the homebuyer’s vision. After all, the name of the company was as carefully selected as all of the unique and surprising elements that are incorporated into each home it builds. “Domain” is an all-encompassing term for an individual’s space – specific to how they want it, where they can be themselves, surrounded by the people and things that bring them comfort.
“I’ve always enjoyed doing things a little differently. While the intown area of Atlanta is where we’ve honed our skills, we believe there’s a market for the homebuyer who craves the scenic beauty of the foothills but desires a more contemporary feel in the place he or she calls home. I love blending design elements in the homes we create and view our presence at Pendergrast Farm as a broader take on that same concept. I look forward to shaking things up at Pendergrast Farm and bringing a little bit of the city out into this big beautiful country setting.”
~ Jason Tillery, Founder – Domain Custom Homes
Tamara Van Tuyl
Pendergrast Farm, Interior Designer
In 2006, Tamara started DesignSpec Atlanta, LLC and began applying her talents to new homes and renovations in her intown Atlanta neighborhood and beyond. Her projects range from $10K finish & color updates to $2,500,000 new home builds.
Through collaboration with Dennis McConnell – and again, here at Pendergrast Farms – the projects are approached with a driving philosophy: For people to see these spaces and think “someone really thought about this…” Tamara’s inherent passion and expertise in design allows her to create the best possible home for each person and family that resides within it.
With Interior Design degrees from UGA and SCAD, Tamara applies all facets of good design with expert vision and consideration. Unsurpassed attention is given to each detail, from plan & layout review to kitchen & bath design to storage & organization solutions. She believes that a well-designed home is a supportive home.
Tamara’s unique and practical understanding of construction, project management, budget and vendor management makes her a vital part of the team. She provides communication between all parties, helping translate concept into reality. As a member of NKBA, GAHB, Design Collective, and other professional organizations, Tamara continues to stay engaged in both design and construction fields to provide the best to her project teams and clients alike.
“The spaces that surround us – interior and exterior; built and natural; for living, working, healing, playing – have an impact on our well-being. Good design is thoughtful design, allowing each space to support us in positive ways, in all aspects of our lives.
Good design comes down to one thing: PEOPLE. It should look good and feel good. It should inspire us. It should speak to and bring out the best in us.”
~ Tamara Van Tuyl
