How it works
No surprises. No fine print.
Our Custom Home Building Process in Southeast Florida, Step by Step
This is the custom home building process we follow with every investor, from the first video call to the keys. As your construction management company from Jupiter to Melbourne, FL, we run every step at real cost, and you follow all of it from anywhere.
- 3stages
- 12clear steps
- 4milestone payments
- ~7 mo.target after permits
The process at a glance
The home building process step by step: 3 stages, 12 steps
Every build follows the same path, so you always know what's happening, who's doing it and when you pay. Tap a stage to see each step in detail.
Pre-construction & permits
Steps 1–6 · timing depends on your city or county
- Virtual Strategy Session
- Contract, signed online
- Your lot
- Your house plans
- Budget at real cost
- Permits
Fee: 25% at contract signing
See stage 1 → 2Construction
Steps 7–10 · target of about 7 months after permit approval
- Site work & foundation slab
- Block walls & roof
- Exterior & systems
- Interior & finishes
Fee: 25% at foundation slab · 25% when the roof is sheathed
See stage 2 → 3Closing & keys
Steps 11–12 · the end of construction
- Final walkthrough & punch list
- Keys + financial report
Fee: final 25% at keys
See stage 3 →Stage 1 · Steps 1–6
Pre-construction and permits: how to start the home building process
Most of the money you save is decided here, before anyone breaks ground. We plan the build with you, line by line, so construction starts with no open questions.
- 1
Free virtual Strategy Session
One or more 30-minute Zoom calls with George to get to know your goal (rent, sell or live in), your capital or financing and where you want to build, and give you a first look at whether building at cost makes sense for you. These calls are a first approach with estimates only: exact numbers need your real lot and plans.
- 2
Contract, signed online
When you decide to move forward, you sign our construction management contract electronically, from wherever you are. This is where the real work begins. Nothing starts before this step: from the day you sign, our team goes to work on your lot, your plans, your budget and your permits.
Fee: 25% at contract signing - 3
Your lot
Already own land? We build on your lot anywhere from Jupiter to Melbourne. No lot yet? We help you find and vet the right one before you buy, so you don't spend a dollar on a lot that doesn't work for your plan.
- 4
Your house plans
We don't sell plans. You choose one of three paths:
- Bring your own house plans.
- Start from an existing single-story design that an independent licensed engineer adapts to your lot.
- Have a new home designed from scratch.
You hire the engineer directly, and plans can be signed and sealed digitally. See single-story house plan options →
- 5
Budget at real cost
We break down the real cost to build your home, materials and labor, line by line. No builder's margin on top: you decide with numbers, not guesses. It's a real-cost budget, not a fixed price: it moves with the finishes you choose and with market prices for materials like lumber, block and steel, which can go up or down. The one number that doesn't move is our fee. And whatever the market does, a builder would pay the same prices plus its margin; with us, you don't.
- 6
Permits
The documents the city or county needs from the owner are notarized online, and we submit the permit package for you. Approval time is set by each jurisdiction, not by us. We do everything we can to keep it as short as possible, and the construction timeline starts the day permits are approved.
Before we break ground: have your capital or construction financing ready. You fund each stage as the build moves forward, so the money needs to be available from the first invoice.
Stage 2 · Steps 7–10
Construction: a target of about 7 months after permits
Once permits are approved, the clock starts. We hire, schedule and supervise every subcontractor, and you watch your home go up from your phone, wherever you live.
- 7
Site work & foundation slab
The lot is prepared and the foundation slab is poured. From foundation day, a live camera outside your lot lets you follow the build in real time.
Fee: 25% at foundation slabCamera 1 goes liveOptional Zoom meeting - 8
Block walls & roof
The walls go up and the roof structure is built. When the roof sheathing (plywood) is on, the shell of your home is closed and the next part of our fee is due.
Fee: 25% when the roof is sheathedOptional Zoom meeting - 9
Exterior & systems
Exterior cladding, windows and doors, plus the electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems and the insulation. Once the cladding is done, a second camera goes inside, focused on the kitchen, where you'll see the biggest change.
Camera 2: the kitchen - 10
Interior & finishes
Drywall, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and finishes. Our field team selects and buys the materials, from the rough structure to the finishes, and coordinates every trade so each one starts when the last one is approved.
At every phase of construction
A Certified General Contractor runs quality control and quality assurance on each phase, plus the inspections the city or county requires, before the next phase starts.
Every subcontractor's invoice is shared with you in your investor portal. You fund it, and we pay the subcontractor only after we inspect and approve the work.
Progress photos and the live schedule in your investor portal, plus the live cameras on site.
The 7-month target already includes a buffer for weather, hurricane season, rain, material shortages and trade delays. And because we charge a fixed fee, not a margin, finishing on time is in our interest too.
Stage 3 · Steps 11–12
Closing and keys: your home, and the full story of your investment
A builder hands you keys. We hand you keys and every number behind them, so you can analyze the investment and plan the next one.
- 11
Final walkthrough & punch list
We walk the finished home and list every detail that still needs fixing. Each item on the punch list is completed and checked before closing.
- 12
Keys + your investment report
You get the keys to your new single-story home, together with:
- A financial report: money invested vs. projected.
- The Gantt chart of your build: how time and money moved, stage by stage.
- The full history of invoices, suppliers and expenses.
Then it's your move: Rent it Sell it Live in it
How the money moves
Real cost, paid as your home is built
You never pay a builder's margin, and you never pay for work that hasn't been checked. Here is exactly how every dollar moves during construction.
Every subcontractor invoice follows the same 5 steps
- The subcontractor sends their invoice to us.
- We share that same invoice with you in your investor portal, with no markup on top. You can see every invoice received and every one pending payment, anytime.
- You fund it, with your capital or your construction loan.
- We inspect and approve the work on site.
- Only then do we pay the subcontractor, and the record goes into your investment history.
Our fixed fee, in 4 milestone payments
- 25%At contract signing
- 25%When the foundation slab is poured
- 25%When the roof is sheathed (plywood on)
- 25%At keys and closing
One fixed fee, never a percentage of your build. You know it from your first Strategy Session, and it doesn't change. Construction costs are different: they're real costs, so they move with the finishes you choose and with the market (lumber, block and steel can go up or down), and you see every one of them on your invoices. Because our fee doesn't grow with your budget, we're on your side of every cost decision. And whatever the market does, a traditional builder pays those same material prices and adds its margin on top. With us, that margin never exists, so building with Smart Builds stays the smarter choice.
Your investor portal
Follow your build from anywhere, with your own investor portal
Once your project starts, you get your own investor portal with a private login. Everything about your build lives there, so you never have to chase an update, an invoice or a document.
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Every invoice, received and pending
See each subcontractor invoice we've received and which ones are pending payment, with no markup. Nothing gets paid that you can't see.
-
Your financial summary
The total of your build, what has been billed so far and the balance left, always up to date, so you know where your money stands.
-
A live schedule
The timeline of your build, updated when anything changes, so you always know what comes next and when.
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Progress photo gallery
Photos of every stage of your home, organized in one gallery: a visual record of your investment, from slab to keys.
-
Share documents both ways
Plans, permits, contracts and project files in one place, and you can upload your own documents for the team. You don't need to be on site to send us what we need.
-
Approve changes online
If something in the project needs to change, you review it and approve it electronically. Every approval is recorded, so there are no "he said, she said" moments.
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One place to talk to the team
A direct channel with our team inside your portal, with the full history saved. Questions, answers and decisions stay in one place, not lost in emails and texts.
-
On your phone, too
Open your portal on your computer or on the mobile app, and check your build in seconds wherever you are, even from another country.
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Pay online, if you prefer
You can pay invoices right from the portal by card or bank transfer (ACH). These payments may carry processing fees charged by the payment provider, not by Smart Builds.
Milestone meetings on Zoom, if you want them
A portal and a chat aren't always enough for the big moments. At every key milestone of your build (foundation slab, roof and keys) we're happy to meet with you on Zoom to show you the progress, answer your questions and listen to you. It's your choice, never an obligation: if you'd rather follow along in your portal, that works too. And whenever your build needs it, we can schedule an extra call, so you can put a face to the voice and look us in the eye, wherever you live.
Building more than one home? One login for all your projects: switch between your builds in seconds. Add the live cameras on site, and you can follow your whole investment without getting on a plane.
Book your free virtual Strategy Session →Who does what
You make the decisions. Our construction management team does the work.
As your owner's representative, we work on your side. You keep control of the investment without having to manage permits, trades or the job site yourself.
What you do
- Set your goal: rent, sell or live in
- Have your capital or construction financing ready
- Sign the contract online
- Bring your lot, or approve the one we help you find
- Choose your plan path and hire the engineer, if you need one
- Sign the permit documents online
- Fund each invoice as the build moves forward
- Follow everything in your investor portal and on the site cameras
- Get the keys and your investment report
What our team does
Your point of contact: schedule, deliverables, investor portal and site cameras.
The construction process and quality control on every phase.
Day-to-day site work, permits, subcontractors and materials.
Process questions
Questions about the home building process timeline
Straight answers about time, delays and what happens at each stage of your build in Southeast Florida.
See all questions →How long does the whole home building process take? +
Construction has a target of about 7 months from permit approval to keys. Before that, pre-construction and permits depend mostly on your plans and on how long your city or county takes to approve them, so we never promise permit dates.
What happens if there are delays? +
The 7-month target already includes a buffer for weather, hurricane season, rain, material shortages and trade delays. If something moves the schedule, you see it on the platform and hear it from us right away. And since our fee is fixed, a longer build doesn't earn us a dollar more.
Who chooses the subcontractors? +
We do. We select and supervise every subcontractor independently, and pay each one only after we inspect and approve their work. You see every invoice, but you never have to manage the trades.
Do I need to be in Florida during the build? +
No. Contracts are signed online, permit documents are notarized online and we submit them for you. During construction you follow everything from anywhere in your investor portal (invoices, schedule and photos, on your computer or the mobile app) and on the live cameras on site. If you'd like, we also meet with you on Zoom at every key milestone (foundation slab, roof and keys), plus any extra call your build needs. It's always your choice.
What do I need before we start? +
A clear goal (rent, sell or live in), your capital or construction financing ready, and a lot, or our help to find one. If you don't have house plans yet, we'll walk you through the three paths in your Strategy Session.
What do I get at the end? +
The keys, a financial report comparing what you invested with what was projected, the Gantt chart of your build and the full history of invoices, suppliers and expenses.
Step 1 takes 30 minutes. Let's start yours.
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 and where you want to build, and walk you through how your build would work, stage by stage. It's a first approach: exact numbers and the real work start once the contract is signed.
In your free 30-minute virtual Strategy Session
- Your goal: rent, sell or live in
- Your capital or financing, and where you want to build
- Our fixed fee: the one number that's set from day one
- A first look at estimated build costs vs. a builder price
- 100% virtual: join by Zoom from anywhere