Some defects older homes have are not visible to the naked eye:

• Roofs with shingles that are not high-wind rated.
• Large windows that are not pressure and impact rated.
• Gable end walls in homes with cathedral ceilings that have not been designed to resist high winds.
• Garages and garage doors are not correctly attached to the structural frame of the house.
• An inadequate or non-existent foundation connection.
• Improperly connected walls in multiple-story homes.

And the list goes on.

Starting in the mid-1970s, construction standards for many mass-produced homes in Florida became less rigorous. The State building standards were improved after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and in 2002, the new Florida Building Code, with stricter hurricane requirements, was put in place.
​
Keep in mind that just because a house was built after a particular year, it does not necessarily mean it meets all current code requirements.  In addition to withstanding the wind and rains of hurricanes, potential flooding from rising water is also a concern.  The building code does not allow substantial renovation to homes that do not conform with current FEMA guidelines for minimum floor elevation.
 
There are substantial financial and non-financial resources required to inspect and retrofit an existing home during a remodel. When added up, the advantages of building new become more apparent. You can often design and build a new custom home that, on a cost-per-square-foot basis, is less expensive (and time-consuming) than a remodel with retrofitting. Another consideration is because every home has its peculiarities in design, construction, and location, it is impossible to use a standard template for retrofitting.

Florida's stringent standards and other complex variables that come with older homes in the state can make it far more manageable, more efficient, and, in some cases, less costly to build a new home instead of remodeling and retrofitting an existing one. While some structures with inherent quality and craftsmanship in their original construction are worth the time and financial investment of retrofitting, many homes are not.
​
A home designed and solidly built to resist a hurricane's damage  respects the forces of nature to protect against them. It also offers you and your family a greater protection level and greater peace of mind when the next storm hits. An experienced design-build firm brings smart, resilient designs, materials, and processes to the table and ensures your new Florida home is not only aesthetically pleasing but built to withstand whatever Mother Nature throws at it. 

​Building codes are the first, best defense against destructive hurricanes. After years of record damages from increasingly powerful storms, Florida enacted the most stringent building codes in the country. They require:

• Impact protection for doors and windows.
• Stronger ties between walls and roofs.
• More secure attachment of roofing materials.
• Documentation that building components withstand wind and wind-driven rain.
• And more.

Meeting Florida's building code is not prohibitively expensive.  Taking fortification to the next level does not necessarily add significant costs to a construction budget.  The long term benefits and the return on the investment translates into fewer repairs, more insurance savings, peace of mind.

Designers, builders, and homeowners alike are looking for new ways to fortify their homes from hurricanes without sacrificing aesthetics. While there's no such thing as a hurricane-proof home, there are levels of resistance, and levels of investment that can protect your home and your family from serious hurricane damage. Partnering with an experienced design build firm ensures your Florida home is designed with quality of engineering, structural integrity, and aesthetic values in mind. ​

​Author Izaak Walton once wrote that "good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter." While designing and building a custom home is a careful and deliberate process, picking the right partner for your dream home can make it an enjoyable and even fun experience. With a custom home, you get to decide which materials, features and finishes are best matched to your tastes and lifestyle. It's an exciting time that calls for a collaborator who will do the job right and work with you the entire way.

Your home reflects who you are and what you want your life to be. The custom home design-build process is one where the final result very much depends on getting every detail right.

The Banov team differentiates itself in two important ways: excellent design and great service. Of course, everyone believes in excellent service, but we approach it a little differently than others might. In our view, exceptional client service is:

• Sharing our client's vision, helping them see it more clearly, and keeping them informed as we transform their vision into reality. We pride ourselves on providing clients with a full-service custom home design experience, designing innovative floor plans tailored to their individual lifestyle. Creative and drama-free, our goal is to shape an inviting and memorable feeling for everyone who walks through the front door.
• Anticipating needs and, whenever possible, exceeding expectations.
• A highly personalized approach to each client's desires. We ask the right questions—ones that help us craft a custom home that's perfect for them. We listen to our clients' questions, concerns, and values to provide them with an unparalleled experience.

We see every design challenge as a design opportunity! Merging inspired architecture with superior construction and modern amenities, our process focuses on details such as energy efficiency, durability, and cutting-edge technologies and products that are environmentally friendly. Weather and environment are critical factors when building in Florida. Your home will be designed and built to withstand the Florida heat, humidity, rain, wind, and of course hurricanes.In the end, great service brings client, designer, and builder together in an integrated way that encourages collaboration by all three. The client is rewarded with an experience that is  positively memorable and a custom home that beautifully captures their values and dreams.

The Banov team provides  custom home design and construction with a difference. We specialize in architect-driven projects. Our years of experience and expertise ensure your dream home is brought to life without compromising on beauty or structural integrity. That's what we mean when we say we are "Drawing from Experience and Building on Reputation!" We invite you to explore our website and encourage you to reach out with any questions about your own project. 

Good design has a profound impact on how people live and work, enhancing lives in ways we often can’t predict or expect. It must also be able to adapt to the desires and needs of the people who inhabit the completed spaces. The Banov team strives to incorporate all these principles into every architectural design we create. We take an innovative approach to residential and commercial design but never lose sight of how the basics of functionality, sustainability, and accessibility can transform lives and the world. ​

​In our design-build process, both the design services and the build services are delivered by the Banov team in Vero Beach, FL that’s solely responsible for your project. From the initial concept to finishing touches, architects, engineers, estimators, and project managers work as a unified team. It’s an efficient process that makes the most of your time and money, eliminating many of the stresses that happen in a traditional design-bid-build approach.

​With over 35 years in architectural design and construction services, Banov has built a solid reputation for creating beautiful custom living and working spaces for our clients. Our goal is to bring your unique vision to life in a way where all your needs and wants are given careful consideration.  Proper planning from the beginning insures you will be delighted with an exciting finished project?
 
The design and planning stage is when the “magic” begins. If you can imagine it and it’s physically possible and structurally sound, we can help make it happen. Here’s how this phase typically plays out.
After a successful initial design consultation, we present you with a proposal for the design and construction services on your new home or renovation. Our creative team begins producing concept designs and sketches that meet your program, your building site and the community requirements. Plans are fine-tuned with attention paid to the smallest of details. It’s a truly collaborative process that includes multiple consultations with you and the talented professionals involved in your project.
 
This is also the stage where you choose cabinetry, flooring, countertops, fixtures, and more, with our design experts carefully guiding you each step of the way. Practical details like permitting, scheduling, and pre-construction meetings also happen at this time.
 
One of the greatest advantages to design build is that it’s a process where each professional weighs in on costs and feasibility during the design phase. This allows our team to realistically and accurately estimate the construction cost of the project and eliminates needless change orders.
 
Ready to get building? Next up: the construction phase!

​We understand that designing and building a custom home or renovation is one of the most important investments you can make. It’s an exciting and fulfilling process that’s made all the more enjoyable by the right guidance and support. That’s why choosing a firm that will be your partner as well as your architect and builder is so important. Banov Architects and Banov Construction can make this complex process understandable and fun.

In our previous blog post, we talked about the benefits of working with a design build firm. But what really makes what we do so special is  how we customize the project to our unique clients. Our design-build process is a simple one, but it’s been carefully constructed to provide you with professional yet highly personalized service. 
​
In these next few posts, we’ll introduce you to the key phases of the design build process: initial consultation, the design, and planning stage, construction, and final walk-through.​

​Whether you’re building a custom home, enlarging a kitchen, or doubling the size of your house, hiring an architect can be a sound investment. Many people ask, “If I know what I want, why do I need an architect?” Or, “Why should I pay two people, can’t my builder just handle it?” 

While it’s important to weigh the impact hiring an architect will have on your budget, over the long term doing so can actually save you money. Here’s how.

Architects are trained to see the big picture. Few people fully understand how complex a building project is. Design options, contractors, zoning laws, and building codes are the major pieces of the puzzle but there are many smaller pieces that must also fall neatly into place for a project to succeed.

As no two projects are exactly alike, an architect’s training, experience, and vision can guide you through the entire design and construction process. They’re masters at turning design aspirations into square feet and three-dimensional space, and they do it in a way that makes your project cost-effective:

• As your design ideas evolve, they make changes “on paper,” not during construction. 
• Architects stay abreast of the latest advances in materials, technologies, and building methods.
• Detailed drawings make it easier for your contractor to accurately budget and build your project.
  ​

Finally, good design sells. If you plan to one day sell your home, a well-designed home generally has a higher resale value.​