Dream Finders Homes LLC wants to build out two floors for its headquarters and a showroom at the Bartram area structure it developed at 14701 Philips Highway.
The site is just north of St. Johns County. It is north of Race Track Road and not far from Interstate 95.
The company plans to occupy the new office space in early 2018. The company expects the total investment in the new headquarters to be about $8 million.
Dream Finders is based in Orange Park.
Dream Finders partner Batey McGraw said Monday the company is moving its headquarters to Duval County to consolidate its corporate and Jacksonville region operations under one roof and for more convenient access for both staff and customers.
The new headquarters also will house an expanded design center and title division.
“With the upcoming completion of (Florida) 9B and the proximity to the interstate, the location is central to the fastest-growing area in our region in St. Johns County,” said McGraw.
He said because the design center and the title company will be under one roof, customers can select their finishes and return to the same location when they close on their home.
Dream Finders initially will occupy the first and third floors of its three-story, 47,117-square-foot building.
The permit reports Dream Finders will use 26,500 square feet of space.
Brasfield & Gorrie LLC is the contractor for the $1.1 million build-out project. Rolland, DelValle & Bradley is the project architect.
The third floor will comprise offices for the CEO and other executives and staff, a conference room, a permitting/closing room and open office space.
The first floor will provide the showroom, design offices, closing rooms, title offices and open office space.
About 75 employees will work in the headquarters when it opens early next year.
McGraw said the second story is being built out with the intent to lease some of the space.
He said Dream Finders ultimately will occupy the entire building.
Dream Finders, through DFH Office LLC, bought the 30.24-acre site in July 2014 for $750,000. The company was formed in 2009 and is led by Patrick Zalupski as its president.
“The total site was 30 acres, 12 of them useable,” McGraw said. “We only needed about one-third of that.”
The permit application for construction of the building was filed in April 2015. It was designed on 1.6 acres.
Two other 4.5-acre sites were included in the original land purchase. McGraw said the parcel to the south has been sold and is under development as a sports training facility and day care. The parcel to the north is on the market.
Brasfield & Gorrie also was the contractor for the almost $3 million shell building. Rolland, DelValle & Bradley was the architect and the civil engineer was Taylor & White Inc. Financing is by Hancock Bank.
Dream Finders is the largest private homebuilder in Northeast Florida and the second largest overall in the region.
Dream Finders Homes announced in January 2015 that it had expanded into two new markets, securing land in Savannah, Georgia, and Boulder, Colorado.
The company also builds homes in Orlando; Austin, Texas; Hilton Head Island; and in Maryland/Northern Virginia.
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