Services / Custom Homes
Custom home builder
in South Florida.
Ground-up construction for private clients across Miami’s coastal and estate neighbourhoods — from lot analysis and permitting through structure, systems and final turnover.
Building new in Miami-Dade is a different exercise from building almost anywhere else in the country. The lot dictates the house: flood elevation sets your finished floor, the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone sets your envelope, and the zoning setbacks and lot coverage rules set the footprint before an architect draws a line. We work through those constraints early, so the design that goes to permit is the design that gets built.
VE Group manages the whole arc — site and survey review, coordination with your architect and engineer, permitting and agency review, foundations and structure, building systems, finishes, and handover. One team, one schedule, one point of contact.
What a ground-up build with us covers
- Site and feasibility review — survey, flood zone and base flood elevation, zoning setbacks, lot coverage and height limits, tree and utility conditions.
- Design coordination — we sit between you, the architect, the structural engineer and the MEP consultants so the drawings resolve before they reach the counter.
- Permitting and agency review — Miami-Dade or municipal building department submittals, comment responses and resubmittals, plus design review where the neighbourhood requires it.
- Foundation and structure — piles, footings, slabs and tie-columns engineered for coastal soils and wind loads.
- Building envelope — impact-rated windows and doors carrying Miami-Dade Product Control approval, roofing assemblies and waterproofing detailed for hurricane exposure.
- Systems, finishes and turnover — electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-in through selections, inspections, punch list and closeout.
What changes by neighbourhood
Coral Gables
The city runs its own review, and exterior design is scrutinised closely. Elevations, materials and landscape need to be resolved before permitting rather than during it.
Miami Beach and the barrier-island neighbourhoods
Flood elevation drives the whole ground floor. Expect elevated finished floors, careful grade transitions to the street, and salt-air specifications on anything exposed.
Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay
Larger lots and mature tree canopy. Coverage limits, setbacks and tree protection tend to shape the footprint more than the budget does.
Coconut Grove
Tight, irregular lots with significant canopy and a mix of historic context. Access and staging need planning before mobilisation, not after.
Our Process
How a project moves from first call to handover.
Discovery & Consultation
We begin with a conversation or site visit to understand the property, goals, style, priorities, and budget range.
Planning & Investment Strategy
We define scope, schedule, budget considerations, required professionals, and the path needed to move the project forward.
Design & Selections
We coordinate with architects, engineers, designers, and suppliers to develop plans, visualizations, materials, and selections that align the team.
Build
We manage site supervision, trade coordination, inspections, scheduling, and construction execution throughout the build, adapting the schedule to your timeline while keeping each phase properly sequenced.
Final Walkthrough & Handover
We complete the final review, punch-list items, closeout, and project turnover.
Where we work
South Florida, with most of our work in Miami-Dade.
- Miami Beach
- Coral Gables
- Coconut Grove
- Pinecrest
- Palmetto Bay
- Key Biscayne
- Bay Harbor Islands
- Surfside
- Bal Harbour
- South Miami
- Sunny Isles Beach
- Golden Beach
Common questions
Custom Homes, answered.
How long does a custom home take in Miami-Dade?
It varies with size, complexity and how quickly plans clear review, and permitting is usually the least predictable stretch. We give you a schedule built around your specific scope after the site review rather than a generic figure — and we tell you where the schedule risk sits.
Do I need an architect before I talk to a builder?
No, and there is an argument for the reverse. Bringing a contractor in during early design means the budget, the site constraints and the drawings develop together instead of the drawings arriving at a number nobody expected.
What is the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone and why does it matter?
Miami-Dade and Broward sit in the HVHZ, which applies stricter standards to the building envelope. In practice it means windows, doors, roofing and attachments must carry Miami-Dade Product Control approval, and substitutions late in a job are not simple.
Can you help before I have bought the land?
Yes. There is a licensed real estate agent within the group, so we can look at a lot with you and talk through what it will actually support — elevation, zoning envelope, access — before you commit to it.
Also from VE Group
Every great project begins with a conversation.
Tell us about the property and what you have in mind.