Stonehaven Lending, a mortgage brokerage in Alpharetta, Georgia, has published a free construction loan calculator in English and Spanish, plus guides on lot release payments and construction draws, for builders whose projects are moving from land development into home construction, according to a company announcement.

The Huntsville Commerce Report reviewed both calculator pages and the related guides on November 9, 2026. The company's announcement framed the tools for builders working in North Alabama. The pages themselves contain no North Alabama or Alabama-specific figures, and the company's website lists Alabama among the states where it offers residential financing. The calculator displays results without a loan application.

Key Details

• Tools: A free construction loan calculator in English and Spanish, plus guides on lot release payments, first construction draws and contractor deposits, published by Stonehaven Lending.
• Publisher: Stonehaven Lending, a mortgage brokerage headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, NMLS #1752355, which says it is not a direct lender.
• Guide dates: Stonehaven's lot release guide is dated November 7, 2026; its construction draw guide is dated October 21, 2026, and was updated November 1, 2026.
• Cost and access: The Stonehaven calculator is free, requires no loan application, and states that it does not save or send the amounts a user enters.
• Alabama connection: Stonehaven lists Alabama among its residential financing states; the calculator and guides contain no Alabama-specific cost or lending figures.

What Does the Construction Loan Calculator Measure?

Stonehaven's construction loan calculator estimates how much of a ground-up construction project a loan might cover and how much cash the builder still needs. Users choose whether they already own the land or are buying it, then enter the land basis, any existing land debt, remaining hard and soft costs, contingency, a financing and carry allowance, and the estimated completed value.

The Stonehaven calculator also asks for an assumed maximum loan-to-cost ratio and an assumed maximum loan-to-value ratio on the completed project. It returns a modeled loan amount and a remaining funding gap, which the page calls "an overall funding requirement, not a closing statement." A scenario table tests hard costs 10% higher, completed value 10% lower, and both together.

In the calculator page's worked example, a project with a $400,000 land basis and a $2 million total cost basis, capped at 75% loan-to-cost, has a $1.5 million loan ceiling. A $3 million completed value at 65% loan-to-value would allow $1.95 million, so the lower ceiling applies and leaves $100,000 unfunded. A $200,000 land payoff raises that gap to $300,000.

Lot Release Payments, First Draws and Contractor Deposits

Stonehaven's November 7, 2026, guide, titled "Can the first construction draw pay the lot release price?," defines a lot release payment as the amount paid to a development lender to free one lot from its loan. The guide says the required payoff can include interest, fees or completion conditions in addition to principal.

In the lot release guide's hypothetical example, a $400,000 construction commitment opens with a $140,000 advance at closing. After a $110,000 lot release payment and $6,000 in closing charges, $24,000 remains for initial work. Against $60,000 of initial site work, the builder faces a $36,000 cash gap, while $260,000 of the commitment remains undrawn.

Stonehaven's construction draw guide addresses deposits. In its example, a builder pays a $90,000 payment application before reimbursement, plus a separate $25,000 deposit due before the related work becomes draw-eligible, for $115,000 in temporary cash. The guide ties that deposit to draw eligibility; it does not describe deposits as due before an inspection.

Spanish-Language Versions and Access

Stonehaven publishes a Spanish-language calculator, titled "Calculadora de construcción: LTC, terreno y capital," with the same inputs, worked example and disclaimers as the English page. The Spanish page states, "El resultado no constituye aprobación," meaning the result does not constitute approval. Spanish versions of the lot release and draw guides are also posted.

The Stonehaven calculator shows results without a loan application or account. The English page states that "the calculator does not save or send your entered amounts." A separate review request on the page asks for a name and email, with project details optional, for users who want the company to look at a project.

About Stonehaven Lending

Stonehaven Lending is headquartered at 10 Roswell Street, Suite 102, in Alpharetta, Georgia. The company describes itself as "a mortgage brokerage, not a direct lender," and says financing is arranged through third-party capital providers. Its management page names two co-founders, Dawn M. Muñoz and Chris De Leeuw, and says De Leeuw is based in the company's London office.

Stonehaven Lending's calculator pages state that the starting figures are hypothetical, are not Stonehaven program terms, and "do not constitute a commitment to lend." The guides say their examples are educational and hypothetical, and that all financing is subject to lender underwriting and program availability, which the company says varies by state.

What This Means for North Alabama

The Stonehaven calculator and guides reviewed by The Huntsville Commerce Report do not mention North Alabama, Huntsville or Madison County, and they contain no Alabama-specific cost, permit or lending figures. Alabama appears only in a footer listing the company's residential financing states. The announcement did not name any North Alabama projects, builders or lending partners.

For builders following Alabama business news on financing costs, the company presents the tools as planning aids that separate the loan a lender might size from the cash a builder must supply at lot release, first draw and deposit stages. HCR has also reported on the Federal Reserve's September 2026 rate increase and on Robins & Morton's construction work in Huntsville.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Stonehaven's construction loan calculator free?

Yes. Stonehaven Lending's construction loan calculator is free and displays results without a loan application, in English at stonehavencre.com/construction-loan-calculator and in Spanish at stonehavencre.com/es/construction-loan-calculator. The page states the calculator does not save or send entered amounts. An optional review request asks for a name and email.

What does the Stonehaven construction loan calculator estimate?

The Stonehaven construction loan calculator estimates a modeled loan amount and the remaining funding gap a builder must cover. It uses land basis, existing land debt, hard and soft costs, contingency, carry costs, completed value, and assumed loan-to-cost and loan-to-value limits, then tests 10% higher hard costs and 10% lower completed value.

Can the first construction draw pay a lot release price?

Stonehaven Lending's November 7, 2026, guide says "the first advance on a new construction loan can pay the release price on a finished lot." In its hypothetical example, a $140,000 opening advance covers a $110,000 lot release and $6,000 in closing charges, leaving $24,000 against $60,000 of site work, a $36,000 cash gap.

Is Stonehaven Lending a direct lender?

No. Stonehaven Lending describes itself as a mortgage brokerage, not a direct lender, and says financing is arranged through third-party capital providers, subject to lender underwriting and program availability. Stonehaven is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, lists NMLS #1752355, and lists Alabama among the states where it offers residential financing.

Stonehaven Lending's calculator page lists a methodology review date of October 28, 2026, and its lot release guide is dated November 7, 2026. The media contact for the announcement is co-founder Chris De Leeuw, [email protected]. More regional lending coverage is in HCR's Finance & Banking archive.