Start with what you already know.
Maybe you own a lot. Maybe you've found a house plan you like. Maybe all you know is where you'd like to live and roughly what you'd like to spend. Any of those is enough to begin.
From there, we work through the property, your needs, the budget, and any conditions that could affect the project. You don't need to have everything figured out before talking to a builder. Figuring it out is part of the process.
Not necessarily.
A beautiful lot can come with conditions that aren't obvious when you're standing on it. Flood elevation, setbacks, soil conditions, septic requirements, utilities, access, clearing, drainage, and local regulations can all affect what can be built and what it will cost.
If possible, have the property looked at before you buy it. Sometimes the best advice a builder can give you is about the house. Sometimes it's about the dirt underneath it.
There isn't one honest price-per-square-foot answer.
Two homes with the same square footage can have very different costs depending on the property, elevation, foundation, roof, windows, finishes, engineering, access, utilities, septic, pool, and dozens of other decisions.
We'd rather understand what you're trying to build and give you a realistic picture of the costs than start with a number that sounds good and explain the difference later.
A good budget isn't the lowest number. It's a number you can actually build from.
It's not one product or one feature. It's how the entire structure works together.
The foundation, walls, roof framing, connections, tie-downs, windows and doors all have a job to do. Wind loads have to travel through the structure and ultimately into the foundation.
Some of the most important parts of a hurricane-resistant home will eventually be hidden behind drywall and finishes.
The strength is in the complete system.
It depends on the property.
In some flood zones, elevation is required. On other properties, building higher may still make sense because of drainage, storm exposure, insurance considerations, or how you want to use the ground level.
But higher isn't automatically better, and not every coastal home needs to sit on pilings.
We start with the property and the requirements, then determine how much elevation makes sense and why.
The biggest difference isn't simply that a Deltec home is round. It's how the structure is engineered.
Deltec homes use a radial design that distributes wind loads around the structure rather than presenting one large flat wall to the wind. They're also designed as a complete structural system.
Conventional homes can also be engineered to perform extremely well in Southwest Florida. The right choice depends on the property, the design you want, your priorities, and your budget.
We build both. Our job is to help you understand which approach makes sense for you.
Start with the things that are difficult or expensive to change later.
Structure, windows, waterproofing, insulation, mechanical systems and the building envelope usually deserve more thought than something that can easily be replaced five years from now.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't spend money on beautiful finishes. It's your home. Spend money on the things you'll enjoy.
We just like to separate what makes the home better from what simply makes the price higher.
Look beyond the finished photographs.
Ask how they approach your property. Ask what concerns them about the project. Ask how they handle changes, budgets and problems. And pay attention to whether they're willing to explain why they recommend something.
Experience with the type of home you're building matters, but so does communication. You're going to make a lot of decisions together.
You don't have to agree on everything.
You should be comfortable asking questions — and confident you'll get a straight answer.