Buying land, understanding what you’re actually allowed to build on it, and navigating Florida’s permitting process, whether you’re hiring a contractor or acting as your own.
Energy Code, AC, and Termite Protection for a New Florida Home
Some of the most important parts of a new Florida home are the ones you’ll never see once the drywall goes up: how tightly the house is sealed, how the AC is sized, and how the ground under the slab is treated for termites. Florida’s code sets minimums for all three, and they’re tested or ... Read more
Building a House in Florida
The Steps and the Timeline Building a new home in Florida follows the same basic sequence as anywhere else: land, plans, permits, construction, and move-in. But Florida adds its own layers, including flood zones, wind design, termite protection, a construction lien law that reaches homeowners, and a hurricane season that runs half the year. This ... Read more
Building a Home Near the Coast or a Lake in Florida
Permits, Setbacks, and Design A lot on the beach or a lake is what many people picture when they move to Florida. Building on one, though, brings a second layer of rules on top of the usual permits. On the coast, the state controls construction near the beach and dunes, and sea turtle lighting rules ... Read more
Building a Florida Home While Living Out of State
The Roadmap Many people moving to Central Florida don’t buy an existing house. They build one, often while still living and working somewhere else. It can work well, but being 1,000 miles away changes how you choose a builder, how you pay, how you check the work, and what you sign. This guide is the ... Read more
Choosing a Roof for a New Florida Home
Metal vs Shingle vs Tile The roof is the part of a Florida house that takes the most punishment, and it’s the part hurricane studies keep pointing to. On a new build you get to pick the roofing material before the trusses are designed. That’s the cheapest moment to choose, because tile needs a structure ... Read more
Hurricane-Resistant Home Construction in Florida
Load Paths, Roofs, Storm Shutters, and Beyond Code Every new home in Florida is built to resist hurricanes, but “built to code” covers a wide range, and the details are where homes succeed or fail. A new build is your one chance to get those details right at the lowest cost. The connections hidden in ... Read more
Site Prep, Land Clearing, and Foundations in Florida
Rules, Costs, and Slab vs. Stem Wall vs. Elevated Before a single block is laid, your lot has to be surveyed, cleared, built up, and prepared for a foundation. In Florida, this stage is where many first-time builders run into rules they didn’t expect. These include tree permits, protected gopher tortoises, wetland permits, stormwater permits, ... Read more
Designing a House in Florida
Plans, Engineering, and Climate-Smart Choices The design stage is where your new home is cheapest to change. A wall moved on paper costs a few hours of drafting, but the same move after framing can cost thousands. In Florida, the plans also carry more technical weight than in many states, because they have to show ... Read more
Production, Semi-Custom, Custom, or Design-Build
Choosing Your Build Path and Builder in Florida “Building a house” can mean very different things. Some buyers pick a floor plan and options in a builder’s community. Others hire an architect and a general contractor to build a one-of-a-kind house on their own land. Most fall somewhere in between. The path you choose shapes ... Read more
Overseeing a Florida Home Build Remotely
Inspectors, Owner’s Reps, and Virtual Site Visits Once construction starts, the hardest part of building from out of state is knowing what’s actually happening on your lot. Photos from the builder help, but they show what the builder chooses to show. Remote owners do best when several independent sets of eyes are checking the work, ... Read more
Construction Loans and Draw Schedules
Paying for a Florida Build From a Distance On a custom build, you don’t pay for the house all at once. Money goes out in stages, called draws, as the work gets done. Who checks that the work is really done before money moves is one of the biggest questions for an owner who lives ... Read more
Florida Construction Liens: How-To, From Out of State
Protecting Yourself From Construction Liens When You’re Building From Out of State Florida’s construction lien law surprises many new owners. If your builder doesn’t pay a subcontractor or supplier, that company can file a lien against your property, even if you’ve already paid the builder in full. When you’re building from another state, you can’t ... Read more
Vetting and Hiring a Florida Builder When You Live Out of State
When you’re building from another state, your builder is the most important decision you’ll make. You can’t drop by the site, run into the foreman, or drive past other houses they’ve built on a Saturday. So you need to do your checking on paper and online, and get a contract that protects you when you’re ... Read more
Closing Out a Florida Home Build and Moving In
Certificate of Occupancy, Liens, Insurance, and Homestead The last few weeks of a build are where remote owners can lose the most leverage. The house looks done, everyone wants to wrap up, and the final payment is the biggest one left. Getting the closeout right means the house is legally complete, the liens are cleared, ... Read more
Wells and Water Lines in Florida: Permits and What Buyers Should Know
Water follows much the same pattern as sewer and septic. Where public water is available, most properties connect to it. Where it isn’t, you need a private well, and that comes with a permitting process most people underestimate the first time they look into it. Short version: Well construction in Florida falls under Chapter 373, ... Read more
Sewer, Septic, and Drainage in Florida: What Land Buyers Need to Know
Connection Rules, Permits, and Central Florida’s Springs Protections Whether a property uses public sewer or its own septic system usually isn’t your choice. It depends on what service is available nearby, and Florida layers specific rules on both options. In parts of Central Florida, springs protection laws add another layer on top. Short version: If ... Read more
Florida Hurricane Building Code by Region: Wind Speed Requirements Explained
HVHZ, Wind-Borne Debris Regions, and What Applies in Central Florida It’s tempting to think of Florida’s wind code as organized by county, but mostly it isn’t. It’s organized by mapped design wind speeds and by distance from large bodies of water. County lines just happen to cross those maps in different places. That’s why two ... Read more
Building and Permitting in Florida
What Needs One, Owner-Builder Rules, and Inspections Florida has a single statewide building code, which many states don’t. But a uniform code doesn’t mean a uniform process. Every county and city still runs its own building department, with its own forms, fees, and way of handling the gray areas. That’s where most of the real ... Read more
4-Point and Wind Mitigation Inspections in Florida
What They Check and How They Affect Your Insurance Buy a home in Central Florida and your insurance agent will likely ask for two short inspections that most out-of-state buyers have never heard of: a 4-point inspection and a wind mitigation inspection. Neither replaces a full home inspection. The 4-point tells the insurer whether the ... Read more
The Hidden Costs of Building a House in Central Florida
A builder’s price per square foot covers the house. It usually doesn’t cover everything else: getting the lot ready, permits and inspections, utility connections, interest on the construction loan, and the rules that apply to the land itself. In Central Florida, some of those costs are specific to the state: protected gopher tortoises living on ... Read more