How Zahn Builders creates stunning waterfront homes
President Roger Zahn, Jr. describes Zahn Builders’ history and his personal background to Modern Home Builders: “The business was founded in 1958 by my grandfather Robert Zahn, who was soon joined by my father Roger Sr. around 1965. They started building one-story ranch style homes in Broward and Palm Beach County, and then over the years, they were able to grow the company into a much larger and very successful multi-family development business while remaining based in Pompano Beach, Florida.
“I graduated from the University of Florida’s building construction program in 1992 and then began working as a project manager for the family business in 1994. My first project with the company was a 75-unit (13 building) townhouse project located in Pompano Beach. I did another 23-unit townhome project located at the Lighthouse Point Marina between 1998 and 2000 before deciding to change the direction of the company to focus on building custom homes in Lighthouse Point and surrounding communities.”
Roger then sheds more light on the full range of services that the company offers: “Zahn Builders specializes in building luxury waterfront homes from the ground up, managing all aspects of the building process from start to finish. This includes helping clients find lots, demolition of existing structures, design, permitting, and construction management. Occasionally, we will take on a large-scale renovation or addition, but it all depends on our current workload.
“The waterfront communities where we build normally require deep foundations using auger-cast piling which are typically installed to a depth between 30 and 45 feet to reach the limestone shelf below the surface. If a home is required to be built on pilings, then it will also require the foundation to be a structural slab instead of the typical slab-on-grade.
“Building on the water requires having an extensive knowledge of marine construction methodologies. This includes new precast concrete seawalls, precast batter piles, king piles, as well as poured-in-place seawall caps and concrete docks. It is now mandatory for every new waterfront home in Broward County to raise the height of the existing seawall cap to the new minimum elevation above sea level. On average, the seawall caps are being raised 24 inches above the existing elevation.”
Extraordinary features
Roger then shares an example of one of the company’s unique waterfront projects: “We are currently building a new contemporary style estate home here in Lighthouse Point. This home is just under 13,000 total square feet, 9500 square feet of which is air-conditioned living space. The home is situated on an entire cul-de-sac, after the owner joined two separate lots together to create a combined 450 feet of new dock and seawall.
“Some of the key features of this home include six bedrooms, six baths, four powder rooms, two home offices, and a theater with stadium seating. The home also boasts a full-size gym with a sauna and steam shower, as well as a walk-in wine room, a billiard room, and a second-floor media room. The four-car garage is a multipurpose and flexible space designed to also serve as a game room with a small kitchen, media room, and space for a golf simulator. The other two-car garage serves as an air-conditioned luxury car showroom with floor to ceiling glass looking into the home office with porcelain tile floors.
“The entire smart home is fully automated by the Control4 system, which also integrates with the Lutron lighting control system and the Lutron motorized window/door shades. Outside, there are two covered loggias, summer kitchen, wet bar, outdoor gas fireplace, as well as a 75-foot-long pool, spa, and sun shelf. The outdoor living space also includes an oversized second-floor covered balcony, spiral staircase that leads up to the rooftop sun deck with artificial turf, two fountains, and two 12-foot-high waterfall features.”
The personal touch 
Repeat business constitutes a significant factor in the company’s success. Roger reflects on Zahn Builders’ approach: “I’m proud to say that currently three of our projects in Lighthouse Point are being built for repeat clients. I try to ensure clients return to us by staying personally involved with boots on the ground all the way through to the end of the project. I have a project manager assigned to each home we build, in addition to a project coordinator and myself who visit each job several times a week. I treat every project like it is my own home and truly pour my heart and soul into keeping our clients happy, always ensuring they receive my personal attention. I also stand behind our work and address any problems or concerns in a timely manner.”
Roger then reflects on the design trends that he has seen evolve over recent years: “The downsizing trend has disappeared, while the average size of our homes has greatly increased over the last few years. I also see a big increase in the number of clients looking to build contemporary, modern-style homes rather than the more traditional or coastal style homes.
Working smarter
“This is in part because of the modern style architecture but it also helps exceed the very demanding hurricane building codes in our area. All four of our current projects will be built on deep foundations with auger cast piling, structural slabs, precast concrete second-floor systems and precast concrete roofs instead of wood joists and wood trusses. Every exterior component or cladding on the home is required to be impact rated for hurricanes.
“Another popular interior design trend in our homes is the use of porcelain slabs. These manmade slabs are now widely used for countertops, fireplaces, shower walls, backsplashes, and accent walls instead of natural stone.”
Looking forward, Roger concludes with the company’s ambitions for the coming year: “I am always searching to find new ways to work smarter and to be more efficient with my time. One of my goals this year is to implement new software to help streamline tasks, track change orders, scheduling, and improve overall communication with subs and clients. I also want to continue improving our website and our social media presence. And, of course, continue to grow the business and our long-standing reputation for building quality custom homes.”