Building a waterfront home in Tampa Bay starts with a beautiful idea—but coastal living comes with realities that need to be addressed long before construction begins. Flood elevation, hurricane exposure, structural requirements, lot configuration, and material selection all influence what can be built and how the home should be designed. The Pompano is a real-world […]
Building a waterfront home in Tampa Bay starts with a beautiful idea—but coastal living comes with realities that need to be addressed long before construction begins.
Flood elevation, hurricane exposure, structural requirements, lot configuration, and material selection all influence what can be built and how the home should be designed.
The Pompano is a real-world example of how KH Build approaches those challenges: not as compromises, but as part of the architecture from day one.
Built for Florida’s Flood Zone
The Pompano was designed specifically for a waterfront property in a flood zone.
The property sits approximately five feet above sea level, requiring the home’s primary living areas to be elevated significantly above the existing grade. Instead of treating that elevation simply as an engineering requirement, it became part of the home’s architecture.
The result is a dramatic elevated entrance leading into a 24-foot-high foyer and a home positioned to take advantage of its waterfront setting.
Coastal Engineering Starts Below the Finishes
The Pompano uses concrete block construction, reinforced concrete, steel structural elements, and materials selected for Florida’s demanding coastal environment.
PGT aluminum impact-rated windows and doors are used throughout the home, while critical equipment is positioned with flood exposure in mind.
These decisions aren’t upgrades added at the end of a project. They are fundamental parts of designing a home intended to remain resilient through years of Florida weather.
For KH Build, a true forever home starts with engineering for the environment in which it will actually live.
Designed Around Waterfront Living
Flood resistance is important—but it’s not the reason someone buys waterfront property.
The Pompano was designed to make the water part of everyday life.
Large expanses of glass connect the interior with the bay. The primary bedroom is positioned around the waterfront view and opens onto a private balcony reserved for the homeowners.
Downstairs, the main living areas transition into a large covered outdoor space overlooking the pool, Jacuzzi, lawn, seawall, and private dock.
The result is a home that responds to the water in two ways: protecting itself from it while making the most of living beside it.
A 24-Foot Entrance and Floating Staircase
One of the Pompano’s defining architectural features appears immediately upon entering the home.
The first floor features 12-foot ceilings, while the two-story foyer rises approximately 24 feet.
A fully custom floating staircase becomes a centerpiece of the interior rather than simply a way to move between floors.
Storefront-style windows bring natural light deep into the space, while architectural cladding, natural stone, wood, and carefully selected finishes connect the exterior architecture with the interior.
A Home Designed for Entertaining
The Pompano wasn’t designed simply around bedrooms and bathrooms. Much of its floor plan is dedicated to the way people actually use a waterfront home.
The main living area centers around a large custom kitchen with Thermador appliances, an oversized island, integrated lighting, and custom cabinetry.
A separate entertainment room includes another bar area, refrigeration, custom cabinetry, and space for a dedicated wine room.
There is also a secondary kitchen that can support entertaining and catering without disrupting the main kitchen.
Outside, the entertaining space continues with a covered outdoor kitchen, pool and Jacuzzi area, lawn, and direct access to the waterfront.
The Waterfront Primary Suite
The primary suite is one of the defining spaces of the Pompano.
Its position was determined specifically by the lot and the waterfront view, allowing the owners to wake up overlooking the bay.
The bedroom opens onto a private balcony inaccessible from the home’s other living spaces—a dedicated place for the homeowners to enjoy the waterfront in the morning or at the end of the day.
A Primary Bathroom Designed as a Retreat
The primary bathroom continues the same approach.
It includes separate vanities, an oversized soaking tub positioned beside a large window, floating fixtures, and a large shower equipped with two separate shower systems.
Beyond the bathroom is an oversized shared walk-in closet with extensive storage, custom shelving, natural light, and a dedicated beauty station.
The objective wasn’t simply to make these spaces larger. It was to make the entire primary suite function as a private part of the home.
One Design, Inside and Out
One of the biggest differences between building a structure and creating a finished home is what happens after the floor plan is complete.
KH Build approaches architecture, exterior materials, interior finishes, cabinetry, lighting, and functional spaces as parts of the same design.
Throughout the Pompano, natural stone, wood ceilings, architectural wall panels, marble surfaces, custom cabinetry, integrated LED lighting, and different material palettes work together rather than being selected independently.
Even secondary spaces—including bathrooms, laundry, closets, outdoor kitchens, and storage—receive the same design attention.
The goal is not to finish construction and leave the homeowner with a shell that still needs to be figured out.
The goal is to deliver a home that feels complete.
Developer-Direct Pricing
Complex custom construction involves dozens of specialized trades, suppliers, and material decisions.
KH Build approaches those relationships from a developer perspective.
Long-standing relationships with subcontractors and established purchasing channels allow the company to access developer-level pricing rather than treating every custom home as an isolated retail construction project.
Combined with early budgeting, this allows design decisions to be evaluated against real construction costs before a project progresses too far.
That creates something particularly important in custom construction: greater budget clarity before expensive decisions become difficult to change.
One Team From Design Through Construction
A waterfront home can require coordination between architects, structural engineers, designers, permitting specialists, subcontractors, and the general contractor.
When those groups operate independently, the homeowner often becomes the person responsible for connecting them.
KH Build brings architecture, engineering, permitting, interior design, budgeting, and construction management together within one process.
That means fewer disconnected decisions and one team responsible for moving the project from the initial concept to the finished home.
Building a Waterfront Home in Tampa Bay?
Every coastal property is different.
Flood elevation, setbacks, zoning, soil conditions, lot dimensions, drainage, waterfront access, and local building requirements can fundamentally change what makes sense to build.
That’s why the first question shouldn’t necessarily be:
“What house do I want?”
A better question is:
“What can we build intelligently on this property?”
KH Build works with homeowners throughout Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, and surrounding coastal communities to answer that question before the major decisions are made.
Watch the Pompano Waterfront Home Tour
Take the full video tour of the Pompano to see how flood-ready engineering, modern waterfront architecture, and complete interior design come together in a finished home.
Planning your own waterfront or flood-zone home in coastal Florida? KH Build can help evaluate your property, understand the challenges, establish a realistic budget, and develop a home specifically for your lot.
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