Single-story house plans · Southeast Florida
Your plans. Your lot. Real cost.
Looking at single-story home plans? A plan only works once it fits your lot. Bring your own, start from an existing one-story design that an independent licensed engineer adapts to your lot, or have a new one designed. Then we manage the build at real cost plus one fixed fee, anywhere from Jupiter to Melbourne, FL. You follow it from anywhere, or visit it in person whenever you want.
Reviewed by Mauricio Salas, Certified General Contractor (FL license CGC1509510)· Updated
Plans first, then the build
A plan from a catalog looks finished, but on a Florida lot it rarely is. Before it can go to permit, it has to fit your lot's setbacks, your flood zone, the wind design for your site and, in some communities, the HOA's design rules. That's a licensed engineer's job. So we don't push a catalog: we help you get the right plan for your lot and your goal, and if you don't have an engineer, we introduce you to one. Then we build it at real cost.
Choose the path: your own plans, an existing single-story design adapted to your lot, or a new design. You make the final call.
Yours, or one we introduce you to
No engineer? We introduce you to an independent licensed engineer in the area. Already have one? Great. Either way, you hire and pay them directly, and they adapt or design your plans and sign and seal them for permit, digitally.
We introduce you to an engineer if you need one, review the plan from the construction side, prepare the permit package and manage the build with vetted subcontractors, at real cost plus one fixed fee.
Your options
There's no single right answer. The best path depends on what you already have, your lot and how much design time you want to spend. All three end the same way: plans signed and sealed for permit, and a single-story home built at real cost.
Already have plans, an architect or an engineer, or a plan you bought online? We take it from there.
Best if
After your contract is signed, we review the plan against your lot and the build. If it needs changes to fit the lot or the code, your engineer or architect makes them and seals the final set.
Your plan · our management
An independent licensed engineer adapts one of their existing one-story designs to your lot and seals it for permit.
Best if
It usually saves design time and cost compared with a new design, and you still get a plan made to fit your lot.
Adapted & sealed
Custom one story house plans, designed from scratch by an independent licensed engineer.
Best if
We help you define the size and type of home that makes the most sense for your lot, your city and your numbers, before the engineer starts.
Rent · Sell · Live in
No engineer yet? We can introduce you to an independent licensed engineer in the area. You hire and pay them directly, so you work with them on your terms, and the plans can be signed and sealed digitally, wherever you live.
Before it goes to permit
Whichever path you choose, these are the points we check with you and your engineer before a plan goes to permit, so your budget and your schedule start from real information, not from a pretty drawing.
The home has to sit entirely on your lot, meet the setbacks for its zoning district and stay out of easements, with room for the driveway and drainage. On an infill lot, a narrow lot single-story house plan, longer than it is wide, is often the answer.
If your lot is in a FEMA flood zone, the lowest floor has to be built above the required flood elevation. That changes the fill, the foundation and even the front steps, so it belongs in the plan from the start, not as a fix at permit time.
Every home we build follows the Florida Building Code, with block walls and a roof designed for hurricane winds. The wind design for your site shapes the walls, the roof connections and the windows and doors, which must be impact-rated or protected, as the code requires for your area.
Renting, selling or living in it changes the plan. 3 bedroom one story house plans, a four-bedroom layout, a garage or not: we help you weigh each option against your lot and your numbers before the engineer draws it. Your realtor can tell you what sells or rents in your area.
In an HOA community, your design also needs the HOA's architectural approval, on top of the building permit, before construction starts. We check the rules early, so the plan is drawn to them, and we prepare and follow that submittal for you.
Every extra corner, roof line and special detail adds labor and material. A simple, well-planned single-story footprint is usually easier to build and to budget. The finishes are where you decide how far to go, from the most affordable to the finest.
Once your plan is ready, our General Contractor turns it into an approximate budget per trade, with a 5–10% contingency that stays with you.
See how costs and payments work →How it works
This is how your plan becomes a permitted project with us. Nothing starts before your contract is signed. Every step can be done online, from another state or abroad, and you're always welcome to visit your lot and your build in person.
A 30-minute Zoom call to talk about your goal, your lot and the plans you have or are considering. It's a first approach, with estimates only.
When you decide to move forward, you sign our construction management contract electronically. From that day, our team goes to work on your project.
We review your lot from the construction side and you choose your path: your own plans, an existing design adapted to your lot, or a new design.
Your engineer adapts or designs the plans and signs and seals them digitally. We review them with you before they're final, from the construction side.
From the final plans, an approximate budget per trade, with no builder's margin on top, plus a 5–10% contingency that stays with you.
Your owner documents are notarized online, and we submit the permit package, plus the HOA submittal if your community has one. Approval time is set by each jurisdiction.
Then, about 7 months after permits: that's our target to build a single-story home. It's a goal, not a promise, and our fixed fee means finishing on time is how we win.
See the full process, step by step →Who runs your build
You'll know who's in charge from day one: one point of contact for you as the owner, and two general contractors running the site. Together, 30+ years of experience.
Construction Manager
Your point of contact. 16 years managing projects; in Florida he has worked as an estimator and scheduler for a new-home builder, a construction manager and an inspector.
General Contractor · QC & QA
Certified General Contractor, Florida license CGC1509510. Building homes since 2005, with 300+ homes in New York and Florida.
General Contractor · Field Operations
30+ projects since 2022. Handles permits, subcontractors and the selection and purchase of materials.
House plan questions
Straight answers about plans bought online, engineers, costs, narrow lots and changes.
Costs, timing or building from abroad? See all questions →Often, yes, as a starting point. A plan bought online wasn't drawn for your lot, so it usually has to be adapted to your lot, your flood zone and the wind design the Florida Building Code requires for your site before it can go to permit. A licensed engineer or architect, hired by you, makes those changes and seals the final set. Check the plan's license terms too: some allow changes and building it once, others don't. Once your contract is signed, we review it with you from the construction side.
In our process, an independent licensed engineer prepares your plans and signs and seals them for permit, digitally. If you already work with an architect or engineer, they can do it. If not, we can introduce you to an independent licensed engineer in the area. Either way, you hire and pay them directly. We don't draw plans: we review them from the construction side, prepare the permit package and build them.
The engineer sets the price of the design and you pay them directly, so it isn't part of our fee. Adapting an existing design usually costs less and takes less time than a new design from scratch. What we add is what the plan means for your build: an approximate budget per trade, so you can compare options before you decide.
Usually, yes, with the right plan. On a narrow lot, the home has to fit within the side setbacks and stay out of easements, with room for the driveway and drainage. That often means a narrow lot single-story house plan, longer than it is wide. Once your contract is signed, we confirm the footprint your lot allows, and your engineer adapts or designs the plan to it.
Yes, but it's best to plan changes early. A change to permitted plans usually needs a revision approved by the building department before that part of the work is built, and it can move your budget and your schedule. The best time to change the plan is before the permit package is submitted. If you change something during the build, we quote it first and you approve it, like any other trade.
Before you choose your plan, check your project with The Formula That Never Fails: the 10 strategic moves we use to decide if a build is ready to start.
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Where we build
Same process and same team in seven cities on Florida's Southeast coast. Each city page covers its permits, flood zones and utilities.
Why build in Southeast Florida? →Book a free virtual Strategy Session. In a 30-minute video call we'll get to know your goal (rent, sell or live in), your capital, your lot and the plans you have or are considering, and walk you through which path makes sense and how your build would work. It's a first approach with estimates: the real work on your project starts once the contract is signed.
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