Bayshore Custom Homes

Mar 2022

I think it is rare that people who build a home would go back and do it all over again with the same company. However, I can say that if I were to build again I would definitely do it with Bayshore Custom Homes. We really enjoyed our design process with Shannon Mathews, the C.O.O. and senior designer. She was calm during chaos, laid back, reassuring when I got stressed, fun, and very knowledgable on their product and upgrades. Throughout the entire building process she was simply a text, email or phone call away never leaving us in the dark. As with any build there were issues and hold-ups along the way, but I always felt that we got straight forward communication from our builder. We were always filled-in on what to expect next and how much time things could take, which is all you can ask for during a process with so many moving parts. After closing, I can tell you that they will stand by their product at any expense. For example, we had some issues with plumbing during the warranty year after we moved in and Shannon went above and beyond to help us even when the issues were at the fault of and the responsibility of another party. Bayshore Custom Homes made it clear that their only concern was to make us happy with the service and product they provide and they came through in fixing our problems. When we had to do some repair work to the lanai doors and stucco, my favorite line from Shannon was, "This should look like the first day you moved in...like it has always been there. If it doesn't let me know and I will get someone out there." Both Dave Hill, the builder, and Shannon live right here in South Tampa. They care about their reputation and their community and are always gracious and kind. No home building process will go perfectly to plan, but I do believe that working with Bayshore Custom homes was a great decision on our part.

Dec 2019

I built a home with Bayshore Custom Homes (BCH)in 2018 and I wanted to take the time to write this review for future clients of theirs. THE BEGINNING In 2016 my wife and I reached out to 6 home builders in Tampa and had 1 objective, to build a home on Davis Islands inside $800k. Many of these builders immediately said no and a few others tried to steer us to their spec homes in different parts of South Tampa. BCH said they could likely do it and wanted to meet with us. We came to the meeting prepared with our budget, pictures of homes online and in magazines, and after a few hours together they decided they could stick to our budget but would get back to us after pricing our demands. A few days later we they committed to a fixed price and we signed an agreement to build with them. We told them we needed to be in the home by the end of the year and they said they would do their very best but cannot guarantee anything. We ultimately got into the home in March 2018. FINDING A PROPERTY This was a very pleasant process. Dave Hill, the owner of BCH, recommended I use his girlfriend Lottie with Remax and I did. They showed us several home sites on Davis Islands and when they noticed the lot we wanted would push me over my budget, they offered to not take any commission on the purchase of the lot ($12,500 in savings). We purchased the lot in March 2017. Shortly after, an architect they recommended drafted our blue prints and after a few changes, the core of our home was completed. Smooth sailing thus far. DESIGN SESSIONS This was the most stressful part of our process and partly our fault for not asking enough questions. When we first met with them we showed them finishes we wanted and when it came down to making final decisions, we realized the finishing touches pushed us way above our budget. This was not a good day. It created tension but we worked through it. BCH offered to throw in several upgrades at no or little cost (chair rails, 8” crown and baseboard, tongue and groove exterior ceiling, coffered ceilings, to name a few). You will have all of your design sessions with Shannon. Shannon is very knowledgeable about the entire building process so feel free to ask her anything. Shannon had a lot of projects going on so sometimes it felt hectic but overall, she was helpful and worked all day (we would get emails from her at 10PM). If you are particular about what goes into the home OR are on a budget, make sure you ask specific questions and ask a lot of them. For example, we didn’t know we had to use their standard products or one of the upgrade options. If we found something we liked ourself online and it was it something they offered, we could not use it. They made a few concessions for us on a few lights. We bought them and they installed it, this is not something they normally do. If you do not get your upgrades in writing when you sign the contract, they will charge you in the design session even if they verbally agreed to it. I was reminded several times to review my contract and when I did, I realized we did not include some of the upgrades we told them we wanted. If you are detail oriented or a project manager, this should not be too hectic of a process. PERMITS Hillsborough County has an excellent online permit presence. Once they submitted my permit I was able to track exactly where they were in the process. I noticed that several inspections failed and I asked BCH about this and they educated me. Apparently this happens to all homes during the building process. I did notice that BCH was not the builder on my home permit. The builder was Bayarea Shell. I asked BCH about this and they said they use a different General Contractor since they no longer carry their GC license. They are more of a marketing company. While it didn’t really matter to me who built my home, as long as I got everything I wanted, this was a little bit of a shock to me. I did not know upfront that they would not be the GC. Nevertheless, the company they used builds tons of homes and they are an efficient