Crafting Luxury Waterfront Homes: A Conversation with Perrone Construction (Podcast #41)

Introduction

In this section, the host introduces the guests and their company, Perrone Construction. They discuss the focus of the conversation and what listeners can expect to learn.

Introducing Perrone Construction

• The host introduces Ricky Perrone, President of Perrone Construction, and Jacqueline Mazer, Vice President of Business Development.

• The guests are known for building custom waterfront homes in Sarasota and surrounding areas.

• The conversation will focus on finding a home site, choosing finishes and fixtures, and bringing a vision to life.

Finding the Right Land

In this section, the guests discuss how they help clients find the right piece of land to build their dream home.

Sourcing Land for Custom Homes

• Clients need to be proactive in finding choice pieces of land that fit their needs.

• Jackie works with clients directly to put feelers out in the community for available properties.

• Jackie taps into her relationships with real estate agents to find off-market transactions or upcoming listings.

• Having an extra set of boots on the ground early on can expedite the process of finding a client's dream property.

Designing Your Dream Home

In this section, the guests discuss how they work with clients to design their dream home once they have found a suitable piece of land.

Understanding Client Needs

• Perrone Construction works to understand their clients' needs and desires for both the property and the home.

• They work to marry the client's program with what they are looking for in a property.

• This helps them create a unique design that fits the client's vision.

Conclusion

This conversation provides insights into how Perrone Construction helps clients find the right land and design their dream homes. By understanding client needs, they can create one-of-a-kind custom waterfront homes that exceed expectations.

Involving Creatives Early in the Project

The speaker discusses the importance of involving creatives, particularly architects, early on in a project to develop the conceptual plan for the property.

Importance of Involving Architects Early On

• Involving architects early on allows for questions to be answered and for excitement about the project to build.

• Most people enlist an architect after they have honed in on a particular style, but it is surprising how much value can come from bringing a builder on board early on.

• Bringing a builder on board early can help offer suggestions of professionals that they have seen successful outcomes from and work well with.

Benefits of Involving Creatives Early On

• Involving creatives early on allows for excitement about the project to build and vision begins to unfold.

• Clients get to dream up their dream home and create this space that is unique to them, their needs, desires, goals, family.

• Building generational wealth is also important for many clients who are building custom homes.

• Clients approach projects differently depending on how busy they are in their personal and professional lives.

Understanding Client Visions

The speaker discusses how clients approach projects differently depending on how busy they are in their personal and professional lives. There are different levels of understanding what clients want to achieve in their project.

Approaching Projects Differently

• Clients approach projects differently depending on how busy they are in their personal and professional lives.

• Tailoring business approaches each project based upon client preferences.

Levels of Understanding Client Vision

• Different levels of understanding what clients want to achieve in their project exist.

• Some clients have a fully baked idea of what they want.

• Others go through a process with the speaker to see what is possible and go from there.

Understanding Architectural Styles

In this section, the speaker talks about their experience working with a client to understand their vision for their home's architectural style. They discuss the challenge of melding different styles and how they arrived at a fusion of modern and British West Indies styles that is unique to Florida.

Melding Different Architectural Styles

• Traditional architectural styles used to have their own boxes, but now people's needs are changing.

• Clients often struggle to define what they want in terms of architectural style.

• The speaker worked with a client who wanted warmth and wood in their home, but also clean lines and modern elements.

• This led to the development of a new evolution of architecture called "Florida or tropical modernism," which combines favorable elements from both modern and British West Indies styles.

Collaborating on Design

• Collaboration between the client, architect, and design team is key to creating a dream home.

• It's important to understand what's important to clients when designing their homes, such as practical considerations like mud rooms.

Excitement for Starting New Project

In this section, the speaker discusses how excited they are about starting work on the new project after collaborating with the client on defining their vision for the home's architectural style.

Defining Client Vision

• The client had trouble defining what they wanted in terms of architectural style.

• The speaker worked with the client to understand their vision for warmth and wood in their home, while also incorporating modern elements.

Starting Work on New Project

• The client has landed on what they want to do as far as architectural style.

• The speaker is excited to start work on the project and collaborate with the design team to create a dream home.

Touring Homes and Selecting Finishes

In this section, the speaker discusses touring homes and selecting finishes for custom-built homes.

Touring Custom-Built Homes

• Clients have allowed the speaker's company to tour their completed homes.

• The company has great relationships with its clients.

• The company tries not to bother clients unless it is necessary.

Selecting Finishes for Custom-Built Homes

• After designing the concept and floor plan, the next step is selecting finishes and fixtures.

• The company operates on a concierge level where they create finish and selection schedules with clients.

• Clients are escorted to showrooms, appointments are set up, inspiration photos are taken, and collaboration with the design team occurs.

• There are many choices to be made throughout a home, including how doorknobs feel when opened or what sound they make.

• The construction side of the company lends experience during the selection process by giving advice and pointers to guide clients.

Introduction to Smart Home Technology

In this section, the speaker introduces himself and his expertise in smart home technology. He discusses how some clients are interested in it while others find it complicated.

Smart Home Automation

• The speaker explains that home automation is not new and has been around for decades.

• He mentions that pretty much every system in a home can be automated, but it's the little things that matter.

• The speaker talks about how they work with talented architects, interior designers, and landscape architects on high-end projects. They absorb all the new technology and ideas from each project like a sponge.

• He shares an example of how he introduced a new product to an architect working on a modern home project. The architect was thankful for the information as it was brand new to him.

Architectural Features

• The speaker explains that architectural features need to be taken into consideration during the schematic design phase before hiring structural and mechanical engineers.

• He gives an example of using commercial-style elevators and how you need to think about hydraulics and leave room for them.

• The speaker mentions that due to their experience, they have created an architectural checklist that they provide to clients and design teams.

Conclusion

The speaker provides insights into smart home automation technology. He emphasizes the importance of considering architectural features early on in the design process.

Generators and Changes in Custom Home Building

In this section, the speaker discusses generators for homes built in hurricane-prone areas and how changes can occur during custom home building projects.

Generators for Homes

• 99% of homes built by the speaker's company have generators.

• The size of the generator depends on whether the homeowner wants it to run the whole house or just certain priorities during a power outage caused by a storm.

Changes in Custom Home Building

• Changes are inevitable during custom home building projects.

• Clients may decide to change something at the last minute, which can cause issues.

• The speaker's company is accustomed to clients changing things on the fly and is not opposed to it.

• A recent project had a significant change where a guest suite was turned into an open-air pavilion, requiring changes to the height of the slab and structural input.

• The speaker emphasizes that they welcome input from clients as it is their home and they want to get them exactly what they're looking for.

Working with Clients During Custom Home Building Projects

In this section, the speaker talks about working with clients during custom home building projects and how their company likes to be a single point of accountability.

Single Point of Accountability

• The speaker's company likes to be a single point of accountability for clients during custom home building projects.

• They disperse information amongst their team where it needs to go.

Communication Channels Between Teams

• There will always be communication channels between architects and interior designers.

• Most clients bring their preferred interior designer to the table.

• A good interior designer brings value to a project.

Outsourcing Decisions

• The process of picking out fixtures, paint, and flooring is a huge job with a lot of decisions.

• The speaker suggests outsourcing most of it to someone the client trusts because it's what they do day in and day out.

Interior Design and Waterfront Homes

In this section, the speaker discusses the role of interior designers in their projects and how they work with clients to achieve their vision. They also talk about their experience building waterfront homes.

The Role of Interior Designers

• Interior designers play a crucial role in helping clients achieve their vision for a project.

• The speaker's colleague, Jackie, helps them corral information from client meetings and bring it back to the office.

• Some clients choose to design on their own, but most do a good job with it.

Building Waterfront Homes

• The speaker compliments a recent project completed by the company on Longboat Key where the dock came up to the same level as the seawall cap.

• Most of the company's projects are waterfront homes; they have only built seven non-waterfront homes in 43 years.

• The speaker has been working in construction since he was 13 years old and has gained valuable knowledge from his experience.

Passion for Building

• The speaker is proud of his team's knowledge and service.

• Working with influential people who have made lasting impacts on our world is one of the greatest privileges for him.

• He ensures that every stage of the process is fully supported, heard, informed, and advocates for his clients.

Conceptual Design of Longboat Key Property

In this section, the speaker talks about the conceptual design process for a property on Longboat Key. The goal was to achieve a certain square footage while ensuring that the house looked good. The speaker explains how they maximized the pool and expanded the pool deck by having the dock run over the seawall.

Maximizing Pool Deck Space

• The room for the pool was extremely limited, which forced them to think about how to lay out the pool deck.

• They realized that if they maximized the pool, there wouldn't be much room left for the pool deck.

• They had an idea to have the dock run over the seawall and become part of the pool deck, which would make it bigger.

Checking Seagrass for Dock Placement

• The owner called because he was worried about seagrass impacting where they placed the dock.

• The speaker went out on a Saturday with his dive gear and took pictures around where they wanted to put the dock.

• He sent pictures back to reassure the owner that there was no seagrass in that area.

Custom Dock for Boats

• The owner had a fleet of boats that needed to be accommodated in a custom dock.

• They worked with his captain early on to understand every detail of those boats and built a custom dock not only to accommodate but also turned into this really neat Grotto effect.

Encouraging Planning and Communication

The speaker encourages clients to take advantage of the planning phase to make selections and work closely with their interior designer. They emphasize the importance of communication throughout the project, keeping everyone up-to-date on progress and any outstanding issues.

Encouraging Planning

• Encourage clients to make selections during the planning phase.

• Work closely with interior designers and architects.

• Clients can sit back and enjoy the process if they have everything selected.

Importance of Communication

• Keep communication channels open.

• Use communication tools to keep everyone informed about progress, questions, or outstanding issues.

• Set schedules accurately and communicate any changes promptly.

Avoiding Delays and Maintaining Confidence

The speakers discuss how they avoid delays by communicating effectively with clients, maintaining confidence in their abilities, and ensuring that every day brings some sort of comforting feedback that things are moving forward.

Avoiding Delays

• Unexpected delays can kill excitement for a project.

• Communicate effectively with clients to avoid unexpected delays.

• Put yourself in your client's shoes when approaching every aspect of the project.

Maintaining Confidence

• Use systems appropriate for each scenario (e.g., weekly reports with photos).

• Fly drones to take photos for clients who cannot be on-site regularly.

• Ensure that not a single day goes by without giving some sort of comforting feedback that things are moving forward.

• Work hard every day to maintain confidence in their abilities.

Making the Process Fun

The speakers discuss how they want the process to be fun for clients and themselves, emphasizing the creative aspect of working with clients to pull their vision out of them.

Emphasizing Creativity

• Want the process to be fun for clients and themselves.

• Enjoy the creative aspect of working with clients to pull their vision out of them.

• Approach every project as if you were in your client's shoes.

Punch List and Project Completion

In this section, the speaker discusses their approach to project completion and punch lists. They emphasize the importance of in-process review and working closely with tradesmen to ensure a smooth finish. They also mention their unique approach to creating a punch list before doing a walk-through with clients.

Approach to Project Completion

• The speaker emphasizes that projects should be fun for both builders and customers.

• They stress the importance of in-process review, understanding installation instructions, and working closely with tradesmen.

• The speaker mentions that they create their own punch list internally before doing a walk-through with clients.

• Clients can hold back 100-150% of the value of any punch list items until they are completed.

Unique Punch List Approach

• The speaker mentions that their punch list is typically small due to their in-process review approach.

• They set up one day (or more depending on the size of the punch list) to knock out all items on the punch list quickly.

• The goal is to ensure that clients are happy and excited about moving into their new home without any frustrating little things at the end.

Number of Homes Built

In this section, the speaker talks about how many homes they have built over time. They mention that they seek out unique projects associated with good teams, architects, and owners.

Number of Homes Built

• The speaker estimates that they have built over 200 homes in total.

• They note that they seek out unique projects and have built some of the most iconic landmark homes in Sarasota and Southwest Florida.

Building Beautiful Homes

In this section, the speaker talks about their commitment to quality and how they turn away projects that do not align with their vision.

Commitment to Quality

• The company turns away many beautiful projects because they prioritize their clients' needs.

• They know their limitations and maintain quality by not taking on too much at any given time.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of staying committed to one's personal mission and vision for the company.

Scale of Projects

In this section, the speaker discusses the scale of projects they take on and clarifies that they build beautiful homes for great clients, regardless of size.

Project Scale

• The company typically works on six to eight homes at a time, but it varies depending on project scale.

• They have built homes as small as 1000 square feet and as large as 20,000 square feet.

• The speaker emphasizes that their litmus test for a project is whether they would be proud to have been part of it at the end of the day.

Fine Home Maintenance Program

In this section, the speakers discuss their fine home maintenance program and how they stay involved with clients even after completing a project.

Home Maintenance Program

• The company has a fine home maintenance program called Conserva Find Home Stewardship that handles small remodel projects and additions.

• They build strong connections with clients and have built up to four homes for some clients over 43 years.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of relationships, trust, and being there for clients years after they've lived in their home.

Building a Custom Dream Home on the Water

In this section, Jacqueline and Ricky discuss how to begin the process of building a custom dream home on the water.

Contacting Perron Construction

• To begin the process of building a custom dream home on the water, interested parties can reach out to either Jacqueline or Ricky at Perron Construction.

• The best way to contact them is by phone.

• Richard and Ricky are directly involved in the process and will take an active role in discussing the client's vision for their dream home.

Unique Approach

• Perron Construction takes a unique approach when working with prospective clients.

• One of the first calls that clients receive is from Richard or Ricky to get excited about their vision for their dream home.

Contact Information

• Interested parties can find more information about Perron Construction on their website: coronconstruction.com

• Contact information will be included in notes with posts made about this conversation.

Recommendation

• As a company, they are enthusiastic about recommending Perron Construction to customers seeking an incredible, unique, one-of-a-kind home with high-quality finishes.