Residential · Commercial · Investment
Build with what you’ve collected.
Put a collector car, a yacht, an aircraft, real estate or a business toward a home improvement, a collector garage, a tenant improvement or a ground-up build. We agree on the asset’s value with you, confirm it independently where needed, and credit the purchase price against the construction contract.
Confidential. Nothing is binding before a signed contract.
The idea
Some of the best work gets paid for in Shelby Cobras.
A collector car spends most of its life under a cover. A yacht spends most of the year on a lift, accruing slip fees and premiums. They are among the most cherished things an owner holds, and among the least productive.
Builders have long accepted such assets in trade, privately and on a handshake: a Cobra for a kitchen, a Riva for a boathouse. The Collector’s Build puts the arrangement on paper. The value is agreed with you, confirmed independently where needed, and credited toward a residence, a commercial space or an investment property, with the balance in cash. Capital at rest becomes the building.
What the program provides
- Certainty in place of a listingNo commission, no months of carrying costs, no public sale. The asset is settled in a single private transaction.
- A value agreed with youThe figure is negotiated directly with you first. Where an asset calls for it, an independent appraiser, surveyor, assayer or inspector confirms it. Title is examined in full before anything is signed.
- Any projectA kitchen or a whole-house renovation, a tenant improvement, a ground-up residence or a commercial building.
- One accountable principalBen Hoadley reviews the asset, writes the contract and runs the work himself.
- No obligationSubmissions are confidential. You may withdraw at any point before a signed contract, at no cost.
The clients we build for
Collectors, and the spaces they keep.
The owners who trade with us are the owners we most like to build for: people who notice a panel gap, read a service record and keep a car for decades. Sometimes the work is a kitchen or a whole house. Often it begins with the garage.
A thickened, lift-rated slab at every post. Diamond-plate wainscot and gallery lighting. Conditioned, dehumidified bays with a tender at every car. A simulator room, a lounge behind glass, a hangar or a boathouse.
The process
- 1SubmitOutline the project and the asset. Ben reviews each submission himself, usually within one business day.
- 2ValuationWe agree on a value with you. Where needed, an independent party inspects, surveys, assays or appraises the asset, and title is reviewed.
- 3AgreementsA construction agreement and a separate purchase agreement for the asset are signed together, before work begins. The asset is secured from that day.
- 4Construction and closingThe purchase closes at a defined construction milestone, and the price is credited against that invoice. One principal sees the work through to final inspection.
Submission
Outline the project.
Scope, budget and any asset you would apply to it. Submissions are confidential.
Residential
Collector spaces
Commercial
Investment
An approximate figure is sufficient.
The List
Assets we actively seek.
Shelby & Ford
Shelby Cobra 289 / 427
Porsche
Porsche 356 Speedster and 356 Carrera
American classics
1963 Corvette Split-Window Coupe
Yachts
Sportfish: Viking, Hatteras, Bertram and Carolina custom builds
Aviation
Private jets: Gulfstream, Citation, Challenger and Phenom
Real estate
Waterfront lots and teardowns
Submissions from The List are reviewed first. Other assets of $50,000 or more, owned outright with clear title and documented provenance, are considered as well.
View The List
The principal
One principal, accountable from start to finish.
Hoadley Construction, LLC is a Florida Certified General Contractor (CGC 1518691) in West Palm Beach, led by Ben Hoadley. Ben holds an engineering degree from Purdue and has been on job sites since 1995, from hospitals and heavy infrastructure to waterfront estates.
He reviews the asset, writes the contract and runs the work himself. He takes on a few projects at a time and chooses them carefully, so you will not be handed off.
Questions
Why trade rather than sell?+
A private sale costs a commission, months of carrying costs and the exposure of a public listing, and the price usually softens along the way. A trade is one private transaction, valued by agreement and credited against your construction contract.
How is value determined?+
By negotiation first. You and Ben agree on a figure, informed by recent sales, condition and documentation. Where an asset calls for it, the figure is then confirmed independently: an inspection for a car, a marine survey for a boat, a pre-buy inspection for an aircraft, an assay for metals, an appraisal and title commitment for real estate, a review of earnings for a business. If we cannot agree, you may withdraw before contract at no cost.
Can a trade cover an entire project?+
Rarely. The economics of a build seldom allow a trade to carry an entire project, so most are structured as trade plus cash, and each is considered individually. With an asset of exceptional value, a trade may cover the whole. That is the exception, not the norm.
Must every project include an asset?+
No. Most of our work is paid in cash. The program is for owners who would rather put a car, a yacht, an aircraft, metals, property or a business to work in a building than spend a year selling it.
Must the asset be owned outright?+
Yes. Every asset arrives with clear, marketable title in your name, free of loans and liens. Anything financed should be settled before it is submitted.
May I offer more than one asset?+
Yes. A car and a parcel, a boat and a coin collection. Each is valued on its own merits.
Which projects do you build?+
Residential, commercial and investment construction: home improvements, renovations and additions; collector garages, car galleries, hangars and boathouses; tenant improvements and commercial build-outs; renovation and repositioning; and ground-up residences and buildings, including multifamily, hospitality, industrial, flex and self-storage.
Which businesses do you consider?+
Any business or asset with steady, documented cash flow: service companies, manufacturing and fabrication, distribution, franchise units, storage, car washes, marinas, equipment fleets, routes and royalties. Each is valued on its earnings, usually as an asset purchase, with your CPA and ours involved.
Must real estate be in South Florida?+
No. A lake house, a mountain property, land or an income property in another state may be considered when title is clear. If you would rather sell than trade, Ben can list a Florida property or refer one elsewhere to a broker he trusts, with that relationship disclosed.
Do you work outside Florida?+
Yes, on projects of $10 million and more, residential, commercial or investment. Ben serves as owner’s representative nationally: the owner contracts with the local builder, and Ben advises on the owner’s behalf from design through completion. In states without state-level contractor licensing, and subject to local requirements, Hoadley Construction can also lead construction. Assets may be applied to either engagement.
Is a trade treated as a sale for tax purposes?+
Generally, yes, and no sales-tax trade-in credit applies to construction. The consequences depend on your situation; please consult your CPA before you sign. We do not provide tax advice.
Who builds the project?+
Hoadley Construction, LLC, a Florida Certified General Contractor (CGC 1518691) in West Palm Beach, led by Ben Hoadley. Ben holds an engineering degree from Purdue, has been on job sites since 1995, and runs every project personally.
Confidential. Nothing is binding before a signed contract.
Photography of the collection: Rylan Kealey, via Unsplash.