Our Story

Owner and Founder of White Oak, Finn Smith, is truly the backbone of the company’s success. Pulling from his years of experience and personal values, he has cultivated a culture that emphasizes putting people first, both inside and outside the company.

While studying at the University of Georgia in the late 90’s, Finn spent his school breaks on framing, roofing, and landscaping crews, which enabled him to get a job building homes immediately upon graduating. After a year on the job, a production agent recruited Finn to be an area manager over residential construction projects in the Atlanta area. Responsible for the production and quality of multiple sites, he gained valuable experience in purchasing and estimating to augment his construction knowledge. Over time, he was given full operational responsibility for a company that was building over 300 homes a year.

During this time, Finn purchased 35 lots in Athens, Georgia and built a craftsman-style community which sold out in approximately a year. This endeavor prompted him to diversify his portfolio, expand into the custom homes market, and start his first company. Austin Custom Homes focused on infill locations in the Brookhaven market of Atlanta and catered to a higher price point. As owner and operator of this new venture, Finn was able to gain experience on the sales, marketing, and product side of the real estate business for a more discerning clientele.

Shortly after he launched his first business, the recession hit and new homes sales came to a screeching halt. Leveraging his expertise in both production and custom building, Finn saw an opportunity to begin a renovation and design-build company. In 2008, Finn founded White Oak and has since completed well over 1000 projects, from upscale renovations to luxurious custom homes and community developments. Consistently ranked in the top of their field by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, White Oak continues to grow and exceed customer expectations.

Customer Stories

Prestwick Club Remodel

Nellie Brook Remodel

Smyrna Basement Remodel

Historic Buford Remodel

Testimonials

“The entire project was positive and the results are beautiful. My biggest concern was the renovation flowing with the rest of the house and looking like it was always part of the house. It flows beautifully with the rest of the house and my expectations were met. Michael was super easy to work with and very prompt which is not easy to do in the metro Atlanta Area. He kept me abreast and up to date with everything that was going to happen. He was very transparent with timelines. There is nothing I believe White Oak could do better for future projects.” – Terry Anderson

“White Oak was so easy to work with. They were available and great partners throughout the whole process. They were always looking out for my best interest! Everything went very well and I am very pleased with how my renovation turned out.” – Stephanie Runyan

“I am so tickled with what you have done and everything is perfect. I tell people about you guys all the time. White Oak has exceeded everything we had hoped for. You guys have done a first-class job.” – Rocky Kurland

“We were incredibly pleased with White Oaks work. I felt very comfortable with all of the polite and professional workers who were in my house. The project manager was fantastic, the pricing was very reasonable, delivered on time, quality was outstanding, and that dreaded change order never came. We are already talking about White Oak for our next project.” – Paul

“We are very pleased with the second story addition that White Oak Renovations did for us. We were looking for a company that would bring all resources that were necessary to complete the job, in addition to managing every aspect, and White Oak delivered. They worked with us through the whole process, and always acted professionally, honestly, and with concern for us and our project. The construction part was finished well before our set schedule, and the quality and attention to detail was always high. While working with White Oak, we always felt like they were working on their own house and we are happy to have worked with them.” – The Deltraps

“I want to thank you and your company for hitting our basement renovation “out of the park”. From the beginning to the end, your expertise and professionalism in achieving our goals were unmatched. The main objective was to provide livable space for our three year old son. Soon after the renovation was complete, we could barely keep him a way from the new space. He now has the freedom to grow and room to play while his mother gets a breather from time to time. The crews were polite and knew the construction industry to a tee. There talents showed in the craftsmanship of there work to insure me the upholding of value to the neighborhood and surrounding areas. Once again, thanks for your assistance in beautifying our basement.” – The Alger Family

“The level of preparation taken by White Oak meant that everything was done with minimal disruption to our home – though we were a family of 4 losing our kitchen during construction. My wife and I both remarked at the end of the project – how little disruption we had, given the amount of construction required to completely renovate our kitchen. We were very satisfied with White Oak and their team.” – Rich & Karlene Cannon