About Us

The Cornerstone Story

Cornerstone is one of Florida’s most trusted providers of small footprint homes. Based in Longwood, FL, we design, build, and deliver small footprint foundation homes across Florida.

A family-run business, Cornerstone was founded in 2014 by husband-and-wife team, Brett & Kim Hiltbrand. Brett is a Florida state licensed General Contractor with over 30 years of home building experience, and Kim is a talented designer who helps customers create their customized living environments.

Kim and Brett—along with the rest of the team at Cornerstone—have a long history of providing clients with creative “out of the box” thinking, smart space-saving functionality, and careful design execution. We pride ourselves in providing not only the highest levels of quality in design, engineering, and construction but also providing access to affordable homeownership to more people. We’re passionate about what we do and create every home with the same attention to detail as if it were our own home.

Mission & Values

At Cornerstone, our mission is to make the American Dream of homeownership accessible to more citizens by building high-quality small footprint homes at a price point that enables people to live simply and safely. The cost of apartment rentals in Florida are rising every year, so we meet more and more customers that are wishing to get out of the cycle of renting and finally purchase their own home. Cornerstone might just be the solution you’re looking for, too!

Quality

We are committed to delivering the highest levels of quality in our products and services and stand behind every home we build.

Integrity

We value honesty, integrity and transparency. We are respectful to all those around us and take responsibility for our actions.

Service

We’re dedicated to providing warm, personal customer service and ensuring our clients enjoy an exceptional home building experience.

Teamwork

We believe in the power of working with and for one another. Where there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.

Passion

There may be no force greater than passion. What we do matters to us, and we surround ourselves with other similarly passionate people.

Community

We are in the business of creating community and relish the opportunity to help give back to the communities where we live and work.

Cornerstone Leadership

Cornerstone is owned and managed by husband and wife, Brett and Kim Hiltbrand, who together with the rest of the team provide decades of homebuilding and design experience.

Brett Hiltbrand - CEO

Brett is a Florida state-licensed general contractor with over 30 years of home building experience in the Midwest, Florida and the Bahamas. He has built hundreds of homes ranging from Habitat for Humanity houses to 10,000+ square foot custom homes in Florida and the Caribbean. Three of Brett’s homes on a 13-acre island in Eleuthera withstood a direct hit from Category 3 Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

As a one-time wall panel and stair manufacturer, Brett was twice asked to participate in ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover to design components and supervise crews working around the clock to help families during their times of need.

Brett and his wife Kim left the traditional building industry in 2014 to start Cornerstone and the couple has been building small-footprint homes exclusively, since then.

Kim Hiltbrand - COO

Kim is a talented, down-to-earth designer, who guides clients through materials, product and finishes selections for their homes. She’s worked with hundreds of new home buyers to create their custom living environments.

Through a process known as “programming”, Kim works with clients to determine exactly what they need and desire. She then develops the design plan, presents it along with the various options and leads the client through the design of their new home. Kim’s goal is to always to enhance the client’s unique lifestyle and provide them with quality products for their new home, all while maintaining their budget.

Jared Kelley - Project Manager

Jared has worked with the Cornerstone team on and off for almost twenty years in various projects and roles in the construction business. Jared started with framing crews working on high-end beachfront homes. He has experience in every facet of residential construction and design. Jared led crews and oversaw multi-million-dollar houses in the Bahamas under extremely challenging circumstances and brought them to completion. Another skill Jared brings with him is a vast knowledge in mold remediation giving him the ability to circumvent any future water intrusion or mold issues. As much as we would like to take credit for our unparalleled quality of construction, we know that it’s Jared with his crew who deserve all the credit. Jared recently became a state-licensed contractor.

Leslie Raines - Sales and Marketing

When you walk through Cornerstone’s front door you’ll be welcomed by Leslie. Leslie takes care of most of our tours and our front-end sales as well as many, many other responsibilities including purchasing and logistics. She’s been a major part of our company for over seven years, Leslie knows our homes as well as anyone and it shows when she’s walking people through our shop or answering questions on the phone. When you schedule a tour with Cornerstone, Leslie will ensure that all your questions are answered and you’ll have an informative, safe, and fun time.