Glen Harris III, the son of a Florida cowboy and cattle rancher, went a different direction than that of his father.   

Harris III became a luxury home builder.   

Harris and colleague Kevin Scott operate Alair Homes of Sanibel. It’s one of four Alair franchises in Florida. During the summer of 2018, they landed their biggest client yet.   

A former theme park executive entrusted Harris to build his family’s forever dream home. The executive, who did not want to be named, entrusted Richard Guzman of R.G. Designs with the architecture, Michelle Stahl of Freestyle Interiors with the interior decorating and Alair as the lead construction contractor.  

The five-bedroom, six full and three half-bathroom house, located on Fort Myers Beach on the bay side, measures 16,530 square feet, with 8,482 of that under four air conditioning units.  

The land and existing house cost $2 million. The old house was razed, and about $6 million in construction costs went into the new home.  

“They live in the house, and they wanted it to feel that way,” Stahl said. “Everything is very casual. And it’s party proof.”   

Stahl was pretty much given free reign with the interior design.   

“That was the fun part,” she said. “They wanted casual, and they were going to entertain a lot of people. It’s transitional coastal. We didn’t want anything too formal.”   

In case of a hurricane or extended power outage, there are two 1,000-gallon propane tanks that can power the house through a generator for three to four weeks.   

The house is wired for stereo sound. Smart technology allows the owners to lock doors, draw down blinds and shades, adjust the air conditioning, etc., from their phone or a tablet.   

There are two three-car garages, one on each side of the house. There’s a workout room, a 300-bottle wine cellar chilled at 55 degrees, and a “butler’s kitchen” hidden behind what look like two long cupboard doors.   

One of the bedrooms is part of a built-in guest suite with its own laundry room, living room and kitchenette. Three more bedrooms, each with its own bathrooms, are on the ground floor with a pool table in a common area

.   

The house was built with entertaining guests in mind, which was why the living area, raised about 14 feet above the ground, opens to an elevated infinity-edge pool overlooking Estero Bay.   

The underside of the pool connects with the garage and looks like an upside-down table made of concrete.   

“With our company, this was our first elevated pool,” Harris said.   

Harris began construction before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Groundbreakng began in late 2019. By March 2020, he had most of the foundation in place. The timing made for a few complications thereafter.   

“Glass manufacturers began shutting down,” Harris said. “Glass became a really difficult item to get.”   

The owners moved in July 2021. Conception to completion took about three years, with construction taking about 18 months.   

“We have gotten a lot of traffic, a lot of buzz,” Harris said of what the home gave back to his company. “This is the largest house we have done. It has put us on another level.   

“What’s great about this property, is it’s in front of a no-wake zone.”  

For about 18 months, Alair Homes had a sign with its phone number posted in full view of all the boats that passed by it each day. The big project helped lead to more.   

Up next for Alair: Renovations to the house next door to the mansion, which is owned by the same couple; a 6,000-square-foot addition to a house on the north end of Fort Myers Beach owned by another client; and a custom home on the south end of the island.  

Look for photos and images from the house next week on WINK-TV.