Custom Residential Design on the Florida Gulf Coast

A custom residence on this coast is governed by its site before it is governed by its architecture. Wind exposure, flood elevation, soil conditions, and the Coastal Construction Control Line set the design criteria before the first framing decision gets made. Two lots on the same street can carry different requirements.

We work the foundation question first, because it drives cost more than anything else on the drawing set. Depending on the soil report and the flood zone, that can mean shallow footings, deep foundations, or an elevated pile-supported structure with breakaway construction below the design flood elevation.

From there the structural system follows the architecture. Long spans over glass, cantilevered decks, roof geometry, and the load path from those elements down to the foundation get resolved with the architect while the design is still changing cheaply.

Where the site needs it, our civil staff carry grading, drainage, and stormwater alongside the structure, and permitting runs through the county and the water management district with jurisdiction. The same firm and the same project manager carry the structural and civil drawings.