Custom Home
Building.
Built from your
vision, not ours.
Custom home building is what we do at the core. Not spec builds dressed up with a few client selections. Not semi-custom builds where you choose from a catalog. Ground-up custom construction where every decision starts with you, your architect, and your lifestyle requirements.
Collin leads construction operations on every project. He coordinates trades, manages the schedule, maintains quality standards, and is on the ground regularly throughout the build. Tyler handles client communication, scheduling, and business logistics so that what needs to happen, happens on time.
We build across Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, and the Tampa Bay waterfront. Each market has different code requirements, soil conditions, and supplier relationships. We know all of them from active project experience.
We hold the license, manage every trade, pull every permit, and carry the project from groundbreaking to certificate of occupancy.
We work with your architect or can connect you with trusted local firms we have collaborated with across both markets.
Every allowance number is documented and agreed upon before construction begins. We do not pad budgets or hide costs in selections.
Southwest Florida coastal code and Tampa Bay waterfront permits are different. We have navigated both repeatedly on active builds.
Custom homes in Naples
and on Marco Island.
Most of Naples' historic waterfront neighborhoods, including Old Naples, Aqualane Shores, Port Royal, Coquina Sands, the Moorings and Park Shore, sit inside the City of Naples, which permits through its own Building department. Much of greater Naples is unincorporated Collier County, with a separate review. We confirm which one governs your lot, and its flood zone, before design starts. More on building a custom home in Naples.
Marco Island is its own city, so permits go through the City of Marco Island's Building Services department, not Collier County. The city requires the finished floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, and homes are designed to a 170 mph wind speed. Our Orchid Court Residence on a Marco canal stands on 10-inch concrete piles with the living level at 10.1 feet NAVD. More on custom homes on Marco Island.
We also build in Fort Myers, St. Petersburg and Tampa. For budgets, see what it costs to build in Naples and on Marco Island.
Custom Home Building, Frequently Asked
What is the difference between a custom home builder and a general contractor?
A general contractor is the licensed company that runs a construction job: it holds the permit, hires and schedules the trades, and answers for the work. A custom home builder does that job for one kind of project, a one-off home designed for a specific owner and lot. In Florida, anyone building a home for someone else needs a state contractor license. The practical difference is focus. A general contractor might build a remodel one month and a retail space the next, while a custom home builder spends every job on homes, which on the Gulf Coast means flood elevations, wind code and waterfront permitting. Alexander² is the licensed contractor of record on every home we build (Florida Certified Building Contractor, CBC1266523), and homes are our focus.
Is there such a thing as a hurricane-proof home?
No, and a builder who promises one is overselling. What exists is hurricane-resistant construction, and coastal Florida's building code sets a high bar for it: a continuous load path from the roof to the foundation, impact-rated windows and doors, a roof system rated for the local design wind speed, and a finished floor set above the flood elevation. The Orchid Court Residence we built on Marco Island, for example, was designed for 170 mph winds, with the living floor above the base flood elevation. The realistic goal is a house that keeps its roof, openings and structure through a storm and stays dry.
What is a stilt home, and do I need one?
"Stilt home" is the everyday name for an elevated home: the living floor sits on concrete piles or columns so floodwater can pass underneath. In FEMA coastal V zones, a pile or column foundation is required. In AE zones, which cover many canal and bay lots, a home can be raised on piles, stem walls or fill, as long as the finished floor is at or above the base flood elevation. The Orchid Court Residence, in an AE zone, stands on 10-inch concrete piles. The ground level below can hold parking, storage and an entry, built with flood vents or breakaway walls as the zone requires. Whether you need one depends on your lot's flood zone and base flood elevation, which we check before design begins.
Let's talk about
your project.
We take on a limited number of custom home projects each year. Call or email us and one of the principals will respond within one business day.
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