MGB FINE CUSTOM HOMES ON TODAY'S BUILDER TV

Building green is simply building better. You don't look at our homes and go, "Oh, that's a greenhouse." But what you do find if you live there is that better quality of life. We make our homes tight, make sure that they're breathing from the inside out. We're hooked on performance. We're building science geeks. I don't know what else to say.

Located south of Tampa on Florida's Gulf Coast, Sarasota has more to offer than its beautiful beaches. The town of Sarasota features amazing restaurants, golf courses, an array of shopping opportunities, and an eclectic blend of culture. Sarasota is also home to MGB Built Fine Custom Homes, Sarasota's luxury home builders whose owners, Steve Ellis and Grant Castello, partnered together to create a business model that delivers positive results again and again. Join us as we take an in-depth look at MGB Built Fine Custom Homes and the outstanding homes they build right here on Today's Builder. Warm temperatures year-round, award-winning beaches, and a thriving art, history, and cultural scene have made Sarasota a go-to place for retirees and families. Sarasota's award-winning restaurants overlook beautiful beaches and downtown skylines. Each location, more often than not, comes with a side of sunshine. Sarasota's barrier islands, native bird species, dolphins, manatees, and other aquatic wildlife make Sarasota an outdoorsman's paradise. In addition, the diversity of habitat, interconnected waterways, and subtropical climate combine to make this part of Florida's West Coast a top-notch fishing destination. Sarasota and the surrounding islands provide a scenic backdrop for MGB-built fine custom homes. MGB brings more than 200 years of combined experience to the table as luxury home builders. Today we're going to visit with Steve Ellis and Grant Castello, owners of MGB Built Fine Custom Homes. They work closely with clients incorporating their personal design ideas to produce results that are beautiful and well-crafted. Steve Ellis grew up in the construction industry and has always had a passion for fine architecture and design.

I'm Steve Ellis with MGB Fine Custom Homes. My family's been involved in the building industry for as long as I can remember. My dad was a developer in Boston, Massachusetts, which is where I grew up. I moved to Florida in 1998. In Sarasota, we have so much cultural richness. We have the Sarasota Ringling Museum, we've got opera, we've got the symphony, we have several different independent theaters. It's just an amazing place. You know, the weather here is incredible, and the water is beautiful and blue and crystal clear, and our air quality is incredible. I feel like I live in paradise here.

Steve is a visionary leader managing the firm's new client engagement activities and customer satisfaction, as well as the firm's community outreach program. He regularly speaks to public and professional audiences about new trends in construction. His insights provide value and accountability to clients throughout their home building experience.

In 2006, I met my partner Grant Castello, and I found this little bungalow and I was looking for a builder. I had hired and fired about 10 different contractors, and I met Grant. Grant was the first contractor. When he told me he was going to do something, he did it.

Grant Castello provides construction operations leadership to the company. As a Florida State Certified General Contractor and Business Manager, Grant is responsible for the management and operations of MGB-built projects, including the development of short- and long-range strategic planning initiatives and procedures. He oversees pre-construction and project management services to ensure a smooth for a smooth process and timely success.

Hi, I'm Grant Castello, co-owner of MGB Fine Custom Homes. My role is managing the day-to-day operations of the business. I grew up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania and was always building fences, repairing barns. Then I went into the restaurant business for a while, was there very early in the process of opening restaurants for national chains, and was involved involved with some of the decision-making during construction and decided that was sort of the field that I wanted to go into.

I was looking for a new business at that time. I had sold my company and, and he was just starting his contracting firm, and we decided to partner up. We actually renovated this house, which became the very first home to be certified by the FGBC, which is Florida Green Building Council, as a renovated home. So our business really started off as a renovation contractor.

MGBuilt Fine Custom Homes' team of project managers and highly efficient small office staff allows them to provide unparalleled service delivery, quality, and accountability through the building process.

We've been successful in growing the business through exceptional attention to detail in all that we do: design coordination, selections assistance, office administration and billing, sustainable expertise, from pouring the slab all the way to painting the final trim. What sets MGB apart is customer service. MGB is a tight-knit group of accommodating professionals that are really good at their individual jobs and together are extremely well organized to help our clients through the process from initial design to finishing the houses to, you know, the completion anniversary at a year.

From that little startup company back in 2006 doing renovations, we've evolved into a company that does mostly high-end homes on the water. We work with our clients to give them a better product as opposed to a bigger product and have to skimp on quality. There's a lot of really special and unique features and styles of home, and we like to think that, you know, if you can imagine it, we We can build it.

MGB Built Fine Custom Homes embraces different and unique ideas. They are known for delivering a true custom home with the finest fit and finish. They have earned a reputation for being well-organized, professional, talented, and best of all, fun.

What we find ourselves doing is working with clients that are looking for a lot. If they find something that has an old house on it, we'll tear that house down and think about the land and come up with the concepts to, you know, create their dream home.

Our clients are obviously involved in the layout and the design of our homes, and we try to help them to help realize what their desires and wishes and needs are.

One of the unique things about MGB Fine Custom Homes is we've never built the same house twice. I think the clients that we attract are people that want something very uniquely their own, something that's totally, you know, is an extension of themselves, is their dream. They're very unique. Everyone's different. It requires a very skilled craftsman that we have to bring to the table. Our project managers have years of experience. We're, you know, we're talking 30 to 40 years on average. We get into really complicated architecture and structural components because we're dealing with mostly coastal and waterfront construction, which definitely requires seriously fortified homes.

We do do a lot of collaboration and design-build work where we hire the architect and he works with our team, and we work exclusively with them through the development part of design, through selections and architectural detailing. So it's sort of a collaboration through the design process. Having the builder involved is really important.

And we're fortunate enough to have some really amazing clients that love what we do. They have a lot of fun building homes. We've been really blessed with this opportunity to build some really amazing homes.

MGB Built Fine Custom Homes crafts the highest quality custom homes along the waterfront and mainland of Sarasota, Florida. MGB Built fine custom homes are handcrafted to meet their clients' specific needs. An MGB Home dovetails elegance with the highest building standards and execution to create an enduring, award-winning residence along with an environment that reflects their clients' lifestyles and values. MGB focuses on sustainability. Many homeowners cite green features as must-have features in their new home because they add value to the living experience. Build Magazine annually recognizes leading industry businesses focused on sustainable living. In 2017, during the Sustainable Building Awards, MGB Built Fine Custom Homes was recognized as the Best Luxury Home Builder in the Southeast.

Building green is simply building better. It's using the best available technology. Spending time with my dad was on a sailboat where we had to manage our power, we had to manage our fuel, we had to be really efficient and self-sufficient. And part of the green building thing is really about managing resources and quality of life. We, you know, take the time to make our homes tight, make make sure that they're breathing from the inside out. Pretty obvious stuff, although people hadn't really thought about it for very long. It's particularly important here in Florida where we have a high degree of humidity outside.

My dad had an affinity for sustainable farm, meaning that we reused nails. I remember as a kid straightening nails with my dad.

I think both Grant and I, you know, we're hooked on performance. We're building science geeks. I don't know what else to say. We like to do things better. So whether you're building a big manse on the water or some of the more boutique homes, they're all going to be built with the same quality. We're going to deliver what we do, and that's to build you an efficient home, a healthy home, and something that's going to perform for you and give back over time. Hey, this is Steve. We're at another MGB fine custom home. Why don't you come on in and take a look? We're under construction, just about to wrap things up. This house, it was built on— right on the beach. It's got a terrific view. It almost— we have a little elevation at this point of the beach, so it's kind of lifted up, which is really nice. Some of the nicer features you'll see in here are linear diffusers that allow the air conditioning to come out at a more even plane, you know, over the body, so it's just a little more comfortable. This kitchen is really kind of fun. It's kind of a manufactured concrete. Most of the coastal homes you're going to probably find, if you're— if you want to age in place in your home, you want to kick— get kicked out because you have an injury or a bad hip, you're going to find an elevator in most of our homes. One of the nice things about this, I really love this tile, and a lot of the homes were building in these linear drains into the shower, which I think is a really nice feature. So upstairs we have 3 guest bedrooms, and they're all en suite. They all have baths, and they all lead right out to this beautiful terrace. We have a, you know, nice handmade kind of unique railing design that was drawn by the architect, and our guys delivered really nicely on this. One of the things you can't really tell by looking at this house, but this is all built on pilings driven 20 feet into the ground. That's what we have to do to withstand the hurricane-force winds and weather here. But this is a kind of a cool feature. These are on most of the houses below grade where water could get inside the house. Well, if the water rises up to this level, this float will lift this up and it will open up just like that and allow water to flow through the house as opposed to creating this big mass of volume and weight to try to take it off its anchor. On a coastal home, it's really important to make sure that any elements that you have that are exposed to the weather are going to be bulletproof. So it's either going to be a heavy stucco finish, or this is all made out of a cementious board, so really there's no exposed wood to these elements, the salt, the humidity that we have here in Sarasota and the Florida weather.

Choosing the right builder for your project is a crucial decision. MGB Built Fine Custom Homes understands the importance of having a team that is committed to delivering a thoroughly planned and well-executed construction project from start to finish.

I think we're lucky to have highly discerning clients that understand the effort and the process to produce the highest quality custom home.

Sid and Anthony Hawlik loved the area and were looking for a custom house to call their forever home.

My name is Anita Hawlik and this is My husband Sidney, and we live on Casey Key on the west coast of Florida. We chose MGB to build our home because we had heard a very number of good things about their previous homes that they had built.

And we also wanted to build a green, environmentally friendly house. We built a garage and then we built the cabana, and then the main house was the last of the 3 projects.

On Casey Key, there are a number of requirements by both the county and the state. MGB was very good about coordinating things. For example, we had to keep the same number of trees on the property that we started with, so we had to find places to put all these trees.

They were very responsive. They helped us work through things. When we had disagreements between us and the builder or the architect and so forth, we sat down in the room and we worked through them.

We have quite a number of green features within the home. One of the things that we have are the countertops. My Green Buildings was able to find a cement top that had ingrained in it recycled glass.

Yeah, I think one of the things we enjoy the most is the views out of the house and then also the deck that surrounds the living features of the house. We spent a great deal of time out on the deck.

The house is so comfortable, it functions so well. I would certainly recommend MGB. They stand by their work so much. It's been really refreshing.

Yeah, and the house just functions so well, and we're more than pleased to support them in their building efforts because they did a fine job for us.

After researching local builders in the area, Bambi and Jeffrey Cain chose MGB Built Fine Custom Homes because they stood out from the rest.

My name is Bambi Famous Cain. I'm Sarah, and this is my husband Jeffrey Gain, and we live in Sarasota, Florida.

I was looking at a subdivision that they were building, and I met Steve. He said he had a spec house in the neighborhood and did I want to look at it. I looked at it, the rest is history.

The construction process was exceptionally smooth.

We had definitely preconceived notions about what we wanted, and they were very very willing to go along with what we wanted, and in fact they like what we wanted, so it's a good fit.

My favorite features in this home for me would probably be the kitchen living space, primarily because that's where I live. They made some great modifications for me. I added another 12 inches or so to the kitchen island.

In the upstairs, we wanted an art gallery essentially. That took a lot of thought and design and We had to make a bunch of modifications to accommodate that. It turned out to be my favorite part of the house, and I know it's part of Bambi's favorite too. There's a lot of house for the size that the house is. It's very efficient.

Working with MGB really wasn't just a construction process and building a home. They since have become friends. I would do it again in a heartbeat. They just were exceptional. The process was pretty much flawless.

Patrick and Linda McClain were looking for a unique home unlike any other. When they came across MGB, they knew Steve and Grant were the ones to make their dreams a reality.

Hello, my name is Patrick McClain and I live here in Sarasota, Florida. We visited the MGB Homes here at Granada Park and were immediately struck by just how attractive the homes were the coastal style of the home. And once we visited the model, we went in and the homes are so open and bright. Then we got talking with them and the more we learned about the builder, we concluded that these homes and working with MGB was where we wanted to retire. It has the privacy and the quiet. It's just a wonderful little enclave. In which to live. I think MGB really went out of their way to make it as less stressful and less difficult as possible. The builders, you know, told us their only goal is to make us happy, and they were right. At the end of the process, we were happy with the product. My wife and I both think our favorite feature of the home is our upstairs living area. We have a large indoor grate where room, and then that opens out to, through two French doors, a large outdoor great room with a full kitchen, fireplace, and television. And it really, really is a wonderful living area. I would not hesitate to recommend MGB. In fact, we already have recommended it. They're great folks, the entire team, to work with, and I can't imagine anybody wouldn't be satisfied with an MGB-built home.

Buying a home is one of the most important investments you'll ever make. At MGB Built Fine Custom Homes, they understand your home is more than a financial decision, it's a personal one. MGB assists you in every facet of making your dream home a reality. Turning your lifestyle and ideas into a home that reflects the look and feel you have envisioned. They guide you through every step of the building process to ensure you're happy with the completed project.

I've heard more than once that people drive down the East Coast looking at different locations, and they go down and they come across the Alligator Alley to Naples, and then they end up in Sarasota, and that's where they stop. This is obviously an amazing place to live.

If you would like to visit with MGB Built Fine Custom Homes about your next home or remodel, call them today at 941-366-7280 or visit them online at www.mgbuilt.com.

If you're looking for something special in Sarasota or the surrounding area and you, you haven't been able to find it, then you're probably a client for us. Come talk to us. If you can imagine it, we can build it.

Thank you for joining us. We'll see you next time on Today's Builder.