How Long Does It Take to Build a Custom Home in Florida?

By Derrick Henderson, President of Lifestyle Design Homes and a Florida Certified Building Contractor with more than 20 years in construction across Southwest Florida. Updated September 2026.

In this guide

• The short answer: 9 to 12 months
• Why other builders quote 12 to 24 months
• The timeline, phase by phase
• Why the phases overlap
• Two real projects: 4 months and 9 months
• The shorter route: a home that is already permitted
• What causes delays
• What you can do to protect the schedule
• What makes Florida different
• How you follow the schedule during construction
• Frequently asked questions

A typical custom home in Southwest Florida takes 9 to 12 months from the first meeting to the day you move in. That covers design, engineering, permitting, and construction. Construction alone takes 6 to 8 months once the permit is issued.

Those numbers assume you already have a suitable homesite, you make decisions on time, and the design does not change halfway through. A home that is already permitted is faster, because 3 to 4 months of design and permitting are already done.

Below is the timeline by phase, two of our own projects that took 4 months and 9 months, and the reasons a schedule slips.

The short answer: 9 to 12 months

Phase	Typical duration
Discovery and homesite evaluation	Varies with the lot
Floor plan design	2 to 3 weeks
Engineering and architectural development	6 to 8 weeks
Selections	During pre-construction, alongside the other phases
Permitting in Collier and Lee County	4 to 6 weeks
Construction	6 to 8 months from permit
Total, first meeting to move-in	9 to 12 months

Pre-construction takes about 3 to 4 months, and construction takes 6 to 8 months from the day the permit is issued. Several phases run at the same time, so the total is shorter than the sum of the rows.

Projects that take longer usually have one of four things in common: extensive customization, complex site conditions, homeowners association review, or late selections. Projects that finish sooner usually have a well-defined design and an owner who decides quickly.

Why other builders quote 12 to 24 months

If you search how long it takes to build a custom home in Florida, you will find timelines of 12 to 24 months. Most of the difference from our 9 to 12 months is in the months before construction starts.

Many of those schedules include several months of design with an outside architect, followed by a handoff to the builder. Our design and construction teams are in the same company. We plan 2 to 3 weeks for the floor plan and 6 to 8 weeks for engineering, and selections and pre-construction planning run during that time.

Permitting is the other part. We plan on 4 to 6 weeks in Collier and Lee County for a complete application with no major corrections. Correction cycles, flood zone reviews, and association approvals are what turn weeks into months.

Size matters as well. Our 9 to 12 months describes a typical custom home. A large or highly customized house takes longer with us too, and the Pelican Bay project below is an example.

The timeline, phase by phase

Here is where the time goes.

Phase 1

Discovery and homesite evaluation

The first conversations cover what you want to build, where, and the budget the project has to fit. If you already own land, we evaluate it. If you are still looking, bring a builder into the search, because the homesite affects cost and schedule more than most buyers expect. Our guide to building on your own lot covers what to check.

The evaluation covers survey and zoning, setbacks and buildable area, flood zone and required elevation, drainage, utility availability, equipment access, and any architectural review the community requires. Problems are cheapest to fix at this stage. The same issue found after the design is finished can set the project back by months.

Phase 2

Floor plan design: 2 to 3 weeks

The floor plan takes 2 to 3 weeks, whether we adapt one of our floor plans or start from a blank page. The layout follows the lot, the way you live, and the budget set during discovery.

Phase 3

Engineering and architectural development: 6 to 8 weeks

This phase takes 6 to 8 weeks and turns the drawings into a set the county will accept: structural engineering, wind load calculations, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing coordination, and the full architectural documents.

Our design and construction teams review the same drawings at the same time. Feedback on buildability and budget goes into the documents before they are submitted, which avoids a round of revisions later.

Phase 4

Selections: during pre-construction

Selections do not have their own block on the calendar. You choose cabinetry, tile, plumbing fixtures, appliances, flooring, and lighting during pre-construction, while design and permitting are under way.

Homeowners underestimate this phase more than any other, and it is the one most likely to add weeks. A long-lead item ordered late holds up every trade scheduled after it.

Phase 5

Permitting: 4 to 6 weeks in Collier and Lee County

We plan on 4 to 6 weeks for a complete application with no major corrections.

Florida Statute 553.792 gives a local government 30 business days to approve, approve with conditions, or deny a complete and sufficient permit application for a structure under 7,500 square feet. That covers the review itself. Issuance takes longer when revisions are required, or when flood zone requirements, utility connections, septic and well approvals, or homeowners association review are involved.

A builder has less control over permitting than over any other phase. The part we do control is submitting an application that is complete and correct the first time.

Phase 6

Construction: 6 to 8 months from permit

Construction takes 6 to 8 months for a typical custom home, counted from the day the permit is issued.

“For most of our homes, we tell clients to expect about six to eight months of construction once the permit is issued. The size and complexity of the home ultimately determine the timeline.”

Derrick Henderson, President

A straightforward home on a clean lot is at the short end. A large home with long structural spans, detailed architecture, and many specialty finishes is at the long end, because more of the work has to be sequenced between trades.

For the schedule questions to ask before you sign, see our guide to choosing a custom home builder in Southwest Florida.

Phase 7

Completion, orientation, and handover

The last stage is the walkthrough, the orientation to the house and its systems, the handover, and the start of the warranty period. Set aside time for the orientation. It is where you learn how the house works.

Why the phases overlap

If you add up the phases in the table, you get more than 9 to 12 months. The phases do not run one after another.

Selections run through design and permitting. Engineering begins before the floor plan is fully final. Pre-construction planning happens while the permit application is with the county.

This is why we keep design and construction in one company. The people drawing the house and the people building it work from the same decisions, so one phase can start before the previous one closes. With separate companies, each handoff is a pause, and the pauses add up.

Two real projects: 4 months and 9 months

These are the shortest and the longest projects we have completed.

The two homes were very different, and so were their schedules. We can give you a reliable number for your project once we have seen your lot and your plans.

The shorter route: a home that is already permitted

Everything above assumes you start with a blank page. A home that is already permitted skips the first part of the schedule.

We keep a number of homes that are designed, sited, and permitted, on lots we own. They are tagged Permitted and Ready to Build on our available homes page. Nothing is built yet. The plans are drawn, the lot is secured, and the county has issued the permit.

For a buyer, these phases are already complete:

What remains is 6 to 8 months of construction, which starts as soon as the home is reserved. You still choose your finishes. On homes already under construction, the structural decisions are fixed, and cabinetry, fixtures, flooring, and lighting often remain open.

This route suits you if timing matters more than designing the plan yourself. Current available homes are in East Naples in Collier County and in Lehigh Acres in Lee County.

See available homes

What causes delays

In our experience, delays come from six sources, roughly in this order:

1. Permitting and third-party approvals, which are outside a builder’s direct control.
2. Homeowner decisions or changes made after their deadline.
3. Material procurement, especially long-lead selections.
4. Significant scope changes once construction is under way.
5. Weather, particularly when it affects site work or exterior construction.
6. Unforeseen site or field conditions.

Two of the top four are homeowner decisions. That is the part of the schedule you control.

What you can do to protect the schedule

The most useful thing a homeowner can do is make each decision by its due date.

• Complete selections on schedule, starting with long-lead items.
• Review and return approvals promptly.
• Avoid redesigning scopes that have already been finalized.
• Respond quickly when the team asks for a clarification.
• Treat a late decision as a change, because it affects procurement and every trade that follows.
• Keep decisions in the project platform so they are documented.

A custom home requires hundreds of decisions. The earlier they are made and documented, the more control everyone has over the calendar.

What makes Florida different

Part of the timeline depends on where you build.

How you follow the schedule during construction

Every project runs through Buildertrend. Communications, selections, photos, documents, approvals, and change information are all in one place.

“A client shouldn’t have to constantly chase their builder to understand what’s happening with their home.”

Derrick Henderson, President

Clients typically receive updates every 2 weeks. Some phases show visible progress and others are mostly coordination, so each update reflects the current stage.

If you want to change something during the build, we evaluate the request before pricing it: what is changing, whether the affected work is already complete, which trades and materials are involved, the cost, and the effect on the schedule. The change is then documented in a change order that you approve before the revised work proceeds. This keeps informal field changes from causing confusion about cost, schedule, and responsibility.

Frequently asked questions