What we build · Outdoor Living
Half the House Is Outside
Lanais, pools, summer kitchens and terraces. On the Gulf coast they are a substantial share of both the budget and the use.
The property, its age, and what you are contemplating. We will tell you whether it is a renovation or a rebuild before anybody draws anything.
50%
The rule that turns a renovation into a rebuild
Half empty
A seasonal house is unoccupied for months at a time
Elevation
What you can build is decided before you draw it
Licensed
General contractor, licensed in the state of Florida
Exposure and elevation both apply outside
Outdoor structures on a Gulf coast property face the same salt, wind and flood conditions as the house. Screen enclosures fail at their attachments, summer kitchens corrode, and anything at grade on an elevated property is in the flood zone the house was raised out of.
Elevation makes the outdoor question harder rather than easier. A raised main floor means the pool and terrace are either at grade — a story below the living space — or built up to meet it, and each option changes the cost and the way the house works substantially.
What has to be considered
- Enclosure attachment and anchoring, where they fail.
- Salt exposure on appliances, fixings and finishes.
- Whether structures at grade sit in the flood zone.
- Pool and deck drainage and waterproofing.
- How the outdoor space relates to an elevated house.
Specifying for the environment
Outdoor kitchens, fixings, hardware, lighting, railings and pool equipment all live permanently in salt air. Standard grades of stainless that perform adequately inland corrode visibly within a season or two of Gulf-front exposure.
The upgrade to appropriate marine-grade materials is modest against the cost of the space, and the difference is the most common complaint on a new coastal home.
How we handle it
- 01Build enclosure attachments and anchoring properly.
- 02Specify outdoor appliances and fittings for salt exposure.
- 03Design the transition between an elevated house and grade.
- 04Waterproof decks over structure properly.
- 05Coordinate with community architectural review.
Specify outdoor kitchen appliances and fittings for coastal exposure specifically. Standard stainless corrodes quickly in Gulf salt air, it is one of the most common complaints on a new coastal home, and the upgrade is modest against the cost of the space.
Said plainly
Where we stop
Structures at grade on an elevated property remain in the flood zone. That is worth understanding when deciding what to build down there and how to finish it.
FAQ
Common questions
- Where do screen enclosures fail?
- At the attachments and the anchors, not the framing.
- Does standard stainless work outdoors here?
- It corrodes quickly in Gulf salt air. Specify for coastal exposure.
- Is space under an elevated house usable?
- It remains in the flood zone, which limits what it can be and how it is finished.
- Does architectural review cover outdoor work?
- In many communities, yes.
Local specifics
The Improvement Rule
On an older home in a flood zone, improvement cost reaching a defined share of the structure's value can trigger full compliance — including elevation.
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Seasonal Homes
Much of this market is occupied in winter and closed through the summer, which is the hottest and most humid part of the year.
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Architectural Review
Many Gulf coast communities operate architectural review, and it judges appropriateness rather than compliance.
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Gulf Exposure
A Gulf-front home is in a corrosive environment continuously, and the specification has to reflect it throughout.
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How We Work Here
We are on the other coast, licensed in the state of Florida, and we work here on scheduled projects.
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More what we build
New Construction
A new house on a Gulf coast lot, designed from the required finished floor elevation upward.
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Tear-Down & Rebuild
Removing an older house and building new. On many Gulf coast lots it is the sensible answer once the improvement rule is understood.
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Major Renovation
Substantial renovation of an existing home, where the improvement rule determines what is actually possible.
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.