FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We build one-of-a-kind custom homes, major renovations and historic restorations along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Most are waterfront or barrier island properties designed by an architect, where the site, the permitting and the level of detail call for a builder who is involved well before construction starts.

We do not build spec homes, production homes or small remodels. See the homes we have built.

A limited number, on purpose. Every project has a dedicated team and full-time supervision, and Lee, Andrew and Jake Ross stay involved in each one. Taking on more work than that would change the experience our clients hire us for.

Because of that, our schedule fills well in advance. If you plan to build in the next year or two, it is worth starting the conversation early.

We are a good fit for clients who are building a home they plan to keep, who value an open-book process over the lowest bid, and who want their builder at the table with the architect from the start.

We are probably not the right fit if you are choosing a builder mainly on price per square foot, or if you need a fixed price before the design is complete. We would rather tell you that in the first conversation than partway through a project.

Ross Built is family owned and led by Lee Ross, Andrew Ross and Jake Ross. Andrew leads pre-construction, including budgeting, permitting strategy and coordination with your design team. Jake leads construction. Lee works with clients and designers from the first meeting through the final details.

Your project also has its own project manager and superintendent from start to finish. Meet the team.

It depends on the site, the architecture, the structure the site requires and the level of finish, which is why we do not quote a single price per square foot. Typical projects range from about $800 to $2,000 per square foot, and can go higher depending on the project. Two homes of the same size on the same street can differ by millions.

Our recent homes have ranged from about $2.5 million to more than $10 million in construction cost. Once we understand your property and what you want to build, we can give you a realistic range early, then refine it with real subcontractor pricing as the design develops.

Our total project cost is often higher than what a production or semi-custom builder would quote, because we are building a different home. We build to a higher standard, with better materials and construction practices, and with project managers, superintendents and carpenters who have spent their careers on homes like these.

Price is one variable. What you get for it, and what the home costs to own over the next twenty years, matter just as much. A home built right on the coast stands up to salt and storms, needs fewer repairs and holds its value.

For the quality of home and the level of service we deliver, we would put our price up against anyone’s.

Most of our homes are built on a cost-plus basis with a fixed fee. You pay the actual cost of the work, including materials, labor and subcontractors, plus a builder’s fee that is set at the start.

Because the fee is fixed and not a percentage, it does not go up when costs do. Our incentive is the same as yours: an accurate budget and a well-run job.

We are flexible on the contract. We also build on a straight cost-plus basis, with the fee as a percentage of cost, and on a fixed price when the plans and selections are complete. If the project is the right fit, we can make the contract type work.

Yes. Our books are open. Budgets are built from written subcontractor proposals, not rough estimates, and you receive the invoices and receipts behind each monthly draw.

Where a selection has not been made by the time pricing is finalized, we carry a clearly defined allowance and tell you exactly what it covers.

Yes, when everything is decided up front. A fixed price depends on complete plans, details and selections and a fully defined scope before we sign. With those in place, we can build your home for a fixed price.

Most clients are still making decisions as the design develops, which is why most of our homes are built cost-plus with a fixed fee. You pay what the home actually costs and you see all of it.

No. The best time to call is when you have a property, or are close to buying one, and before the design is far along. We work with architects, interior designers and landscape architects across the region and beyond, and we can help you put together the right team for your site, style and budget.

If you already have an architect or a full set of plans, we are glad to start from there.

This is where most of the outcome is decided. Under a pre-construction agreement, we work alongside your design team on feasibility, flood zone and permitting strategy, constructability, detailed specifications and a budget built line by line from subcontractor pricing.

By the time construction starts, you know what you are building, what it will cost and how long it will take. Our process walks through each step.

For a waterfront custom home, plan on two to three years from the first conversation to move-in. Pre-construction, which covers design, engineering and permitting, typically takes 6 to 12 months. Construction on our recent homes has run from 10 to 26 months, depending on size and detail.

We would rather give you a realistic schedule at the start and manage to it than promise a date that sounds good.

We do, in-house. Ross Built has a permitting manager on staff and long-standing working relationships with local building departments and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Building on the Gulf Coast usually means FEMA flood zone requirements, and on beachfront property it means state review seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line. We plan for both during design so they do not become surprises during construction.

Our home market is Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Sarasota and Bradenton, including Lido Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key and Casey Key. Half of the homes in our portfolio are on Anna Maria Island, and our office is in Bradenton.

We also build in St. Petersburg and Tampa, both within about an hour of our office. Their waterfront neighborhoods have the same flood zones, seawalls and wind exposure we build in every day, and we have a home under construction on Snell Isle.

Elsewhere in Florida, we take on a small number of projects when the architecture, the site and the scale are the right fit, and we run those jobs the same way we run the ones close to home. See everywhere we build.

Yes, and we encourage it. Flood zone, setbacks, coastal construction lines, seawall condition and soils can change what you are able to build and what it will cost.

We can look at the property and the survey with you and tell you what to expect before you close. Every area has its own rules, and Where We Build covers the ones we know best.

Many of our clients do. Every project has an online client portal with daily logs and photos from the job site, along with the schedule and project documents.

You will also have regular meetings with your project team, in person or by video, so you always know where things stand.

Send us a note through the contact page or call our office at 941.778.7600. The first conversation covers your property, what you want to build, your budget and your timing.

If it looks like a good fit on both sides, the next step is a meeting and, when you are ready, a pre-construction agreement.