From vacation retreats to investment properties, Eason Builders Group incorporates luxury living with storm resilience
Based in Longboat Key, Florida, Eason Builders Group (EBG) builds high-end custom homes, vacation rentals and investment properties designed to provide a luxury coastal experience. General contractor, Scott Eason, founded EBG in 2011 when he was 25 years old and the business has since gone from strength to strength. The full-service custom build firm has clients on Florida’s barrier islands, including Anna Maria Island, as well as Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and St. Petersburg. It works seamlessly with like-minded designers, engineers, surveyors, and architects who are all dedicated to the same processes, visions and promise to grow, lead and innovate. Scott expands more on his career journey and the range of projects EBG undertakes: “I began my career straight after college, working in the commercial sector and focusing on energy efficient buildings. Eventually I got an instinct to go out on my own. I launched EBG and it’s been evolving since.”
EBG doesn’t specialize in a particular housing style, but does focus on an area, building predominantly on Florida’s barrier islands. “It may be a little selfish, but I’ve been concentrating on barrier island construction because I just love living on the water and being close to the beach,” explains Scott. “I’m a keen boater myself and I wanted to build in the area that I enjoyed living!”
Challenging conditions
The barrier island location brings its own expectations, as clients are generally looking for elegant custom homes, waterfront retreats and investment properties. “A lot of our clients in Florida aren’t full-time residents, so short-term rentals have been a large part of our business over the past five years,” adds Scott. “If anything, I would say we specialize in barrier island construction. We aren’t building anything farther than two-to-three miles from the water, which means we are building in different flood zone applications.”
Building coastal properties in a barrier island environment has its challenges, especially when adverse weather conditions hit, as Scott explains further: “In 2024 we had two severe hurricanes that hit Anna Maria Island and within a three-week period, we had extreme flooding and category four winds. One of the things that amazed me was the extent we go to protect these homes when building them, to prevent damage from hurricanes. I saw first-hand that all this effort works – everything that makes building on the barrier islands so hard, whether it be piling supported structures, or the way we are building to wind codes, we were truly tested in 2024, and the evidence showed us that everything worked. When we’re building on the water, we’re dealing with a water table that’s roughly two and a half to three feet below grade, and when we’re building 15 feet from the water, inserting pilings 30 feet into the ground, we’re constantly dealing with water. It’s certainly not easy!”
Close collaborations
Furthermore, Scott has successfully applied his background in the commercial housing sector to EBG, enabling the company to stand out in Florida’s home building landscape. “The way we distinguish ourselves is by handling every project as though it were a commercial project,” continues Scott. “We have Gantt chart schedules for every project and a whole team of people assembling the project. The way I’ve organized EBG means that when we complete a project for a client, we have one project manager who is fully in charge of everything in the field. Our project manager then has project coordinators supporting them in the office, handling most of the paperwork – we have an estimating department, a permitting department, and an accounting department. It’s not uncommon to have a team of four or five people working on one project.”
Not only does EBG work well as a team internally, but it also collaborates closely with external designers, such as Samantha Wilson from Sole Studios Design, and Beacon Home Design, a boutique residential design firm that also specializes in luxury coastal design. Beacon has been named Florida’s best architectural firm by ‘Guide to Florida’ for the last two years running and Scott has been working with Beacon since it began. “I’m close personal friends with AJ Barnard, the owner, and they’re an excellent company to work with on our typical barrier island projects,” says Scott. “Real estate on the barrier islands is expensive, plus there isn’t much of it, so we’re having to navigate the Florida building code, flood zone rules and a lot of very strict local zoning ordinances to execute these projects. It takes a lot of interaction between the builder and design firm to achieve that.”
Balancing priorities
In terms of projects, EBG has more collaborations with Beacon Home Design on the horizon, alongside several Gulf-front projects and a unique Bali-inspired house. “With the upcoming Gulf developments, it’s always nice when you can look at the project and watch the sunset from it,” Scott describes. “In addition, our new collaboration with Beacon is two bayfront houses on the beach and I’m really excited for this project. We’re building a rooftop garden on a 45-foot-tall structure, which is also going to have a swimming pool on the roof. Another build I’m thrilled about is a gorgeous property on Anna Maria Island. When I first saw the rendering of this house, I hadn’t yet been awarded the project – I didn’t know where the house was going or who it belonged to. AJ from Beacon put it up and I just thought, ‘Wow…I need to figure out a way to bring that house to life.’ Then I learned the house was a spec build by a client I had previously worked for, and it all fell into place from there.
“The house has many individual features, but overall, I love how the house itself fits perfectly into the built environment. We’re building this on a mangrove shoreline property, a mere 15 feet from the water. We’re taking what we learned from the hurricanes last year and putting it all to good use. A lot of that includes composite type wood outside and we’re using a keystone which looks like coral, but it’s actually a simulated product. We also have a sister company called Elements, Pools and Spas, which constructs outdoor living-related features, such as natural rock waterfalls, water slides, swimming pools and outdoor kitchens. Elements, Pools and Spas has incorporated a pool partially underneath this Bali-inspired house and it’s just a beautiful home that fits flawlessly into the landscape.”
Looking ahead to 2026, EBG is continuing its focus on building coastal properties throughout Florida’s barrier islands and carrying out the aforementioned projects, while balancing the business with personal priorities. “I’ve just celebrated my five-year wedding anniversary, and my son turns two-years old in January,” concludes Scott. “My family is incredibly important to me so, anytime I’m not focusing on the business, I’m trying to be as present as I possibly can with my loved ones.”