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“ During the pandemic, my father-in-law fell ill and wanted to exit the business. He was considering selling it, and I offered to buy it, leading us to become partners. This marked the beginning of my journey in custom home
building, with a mission to build upon the foundation he established. Technology is playing a huge role in custom home building these days by enhancing efficiencies. While my father-in-law was resistant to the adoption of new solutions, just before his retirement, I hired a project manager, Garrett Gregory, with 14 years of experience who shares my vision for incorporating technology to boost efficiencies wherever possible. Over the past five months, we have focused on improving the project management side of the business,” Mike adds.
Recently, Bluewater completed a project on Longboat Key that is particularly significant to Mike.“ We are fortunate to have worked on
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www. accessliftsflorida. com www. accessliftsflorida. com this project as it was for an outstanding client and the evolution of this endeavor has been truly amazing. It began with a project at the south end of Longboat Key, where the clients told us that if we did an excellent job, they would consider us for another property they had purchased at the north end. We successfully completed the renovation on the south end, transforming the home into a beautiful modern Mediterranean property. Once that project was finished, we did start work on the north end house. We introduced the client to several architects, including Sweet Sparkman, whom we thought would be a good fit. Although we had never worked with them before, Jerry Sparkman, the owner, visited the site and shared his vision for the property, which was a dated 16,000 square foot Mediterranean home situated on nearly two acres of beachfront. Over the course of a year, the project progressed through design and development. By the end, very little of the original structure remained, so we suggested that it would be more practical to start with a new foundation to give the client exactly what they wanted. Ultimately, they decided to maintain the existing footprint due to regulations from the Department of Environmental Protection regarding construction seaward of the coastal construction control line. However, they added a pool house structure and increased the size of the main house. This resulted in what we are now building, which in my opinion is one of the greatest projects along our coast,” he describes.
Sustainable practices
Building along the Florida coast offers many benefits, but it also requires important considerations due to the extreme weather events that can impact the area. Mike explains how Bluewater ensures its homes are hurricane-proof.
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