FAQ

Your roof is your first line of defense against the elements. A well-designed, well-built roof system is critical to the longevity of your home and the avoidance of the dreaded roof leak. There are many systems and products to choose from so it is important to educate yourself on the various methods available. We believe in going the extra mile when it comes to your roof system to provide our clients with a roof that will better protect them from our typical afternoon thunderstorms to the unfortunate hurricane strike.

As a custom luxury homebuilder, we have helped to design and build homes in all the major architectural styles seen in Southwest Florida. We have built homes in the style of Mediterranean, Soft-Mediterranean, Transitional, West Indies, Coastal-Contemporary, Colonial and even French Country. Each style brings unique characteristics to the design and it really comes down to what appeals most to your personal tastes. Our familiarity with all these styles allows us to help guide our clients through the design process.

This refers to the building as a singular unit or system. Closing the “envelope” of a home means that we are eliminating any easy access points for the hot, humid Florida air. By doing so, your house systems (wiring, lighting, HVAC etc) should have an extended life. It also improves air quality by greatly limiting the possibility of mold or mildew growing in your attic space. A closed envelope is thought to be more resistant to the extreme pressure changes that occur during a hurricane as well.

There are several ways one can improve the energy efficiency of their home. Specifying Energy Star rated appliance is an easy one. Using gas appliances versus electric can make a dramatic difference, especially if you are using an on demand gas water heater. There are several options related to your insulation and HVAC system that can greatly reduce your electric bill. Installing LED lights is another easy way to increase the efficiency of your home – it can even be done as a retrofit. A 6” recess can in LED may only draw 4-5 watts versus 60-75 watts of a traditional incandescent light.

As with architectural styles, there are myriad options when it comes to your windows and doors. Whether it is the style of the window, insulated glass or not, impact glass or not? Or what grid pattern fits best? French Doors versus Sliding Glass Doors? What manufacturer, Andersen, PGT, Tischler? The choices are endless. We educate our clients on the differences, pros and cons of all the above to help them select the best fit for the style of their home and project budget. Once a decision is made our focus turns to ensuring that the installation and waterproofing meets our strict standards. A leaky window or door can cause tremendous damage, but can be easily avoided with proper installation.

Green building considers comprehensive environmental issues such as indoor air-quality and emissions from the manufacture and transport of materials to a jobsite. The goal is a home that uses fewer resources in its construction, consumes less energy for heating and cooling, and has a lower overall impact on the environment. A green home will typically look exactly like a conventionally constructed home and there are varying levels of green standards and implementations. Energy efficiency, water management, air-quality and responsibly sourced materials are individually worthwhile efforts in constructing a home – combined they will help certify a home as Green or LEED. A homeowner can choose any and all methods depending on their interests or project budget.

Living in Southwest Florida, there is always a threat of major thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes. Any one of these can cause major disruption to our local power grid. To protect our clients and their homes, we strongly recommend they install a back-up generator with an automatic transfer switch. The generator only needs to be sized to run the most important systems of a house during a power outage (i.e. HVAC, security, refrigerator, etc), but can also be sized to run all of the systems of a house. When the power goes out, the generator automatically switches on to keep your home secure and mold/mildew free because your AC system is still running. We also recommend that to run your generator for an appropriate amount of time you should bury a liquid propane tank in the yard (minimum of 500 gallons, but 1,000 gallons is suggested).

Water management is an important aspect of sustainability and green building. More practically, it is seen each month on your water bill. Using water saving plumbing fixtures and designing your irrigation system properly are two easy ways to reduce your overall water usage and save money each month.

We are always thinking ahead when we build a home. Reducing your homeowner’s insurance premium is also a consideration. Knowing what building methods generate the most credits to your homeowner’s Wind Policy, we design and build to those standards. We document everything, so when your Wind Mitigation Inspector calls, we provide all details they require.