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Storm damage demolition · Miami-Dade County

Storm damage demolition in Miami-Dade

After a hurricane, the first decision is not demolition. It is whether the building can be repaired at all, and in a Miami-Dade flood zone that decision has a number attached to it.

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An aerial view of a neighborhood with damaged roofs and uprooted trees after a storm.

The county's 50% rule says a flood-zone house damaged or improved to more than 50% of its market value must be brought up to current elevation. That can change a repair into a rebuild. Get the substantial damage question answered by the building department before demolition starts.

Hurricane Andrew made landfall in south Miami-Dade on August 24, 1992, and destroyed about 49,000 homes there. The statewide Florida Building Code that followed, and Miami-Dade's product approval system, still shape what goes back up. Anything rebuilt in this High-Velocity Hurricane Zone needs products with a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance.

Storm-damaged buildings are often wet. Mold remediation is coordinated with a licensed mold remediator, and asbestos surveys are arranged with a licensed consultant before we take out damaged materials.

Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor. We quote storm damage demolition at any size, partial or full, and we keep a clear record of what came out for your adjuster.

Sequence

  1. Walk and photograph the damage, and coordinate with the adjuster.
  2. Ask the building department about substantial damage under the 50% rule.
  3. Arrange the licensed asbestos survey and mold remediation where needed.
  4. Confirm utility disconnects.
  5. File the permit for partial or full demolition.
  6. Remove damaged material or the full structure, sorting debris.
  7. Leave the site ready for repair or an HVHZ rebuild.

Known risks

Where this work slips, and what we do about it

Demolishing before the adjuster sees it

Removing damage before it is documented can cost the claim. We photograph conditions and coordinate with your adjuster before removal, except where an official orders immediate action.

The structure is weaker than it looks

Wind and water loosen connections that still look sound. We treat damaged framing as unreliable and work under rigorous safety protocols.

Wet materials spread contamination

Soaked drywall and insulation carry mold. We coordinate a licensed mold remediator and contain the work area.

What sits outside our scope

Insurance claims, adjusting and public adjusting are outside our work. Whether a house counts as substantially damaged is decided by the building department, not by us. Mold remediation, asbestos work and engineering are licensed work by others that we coordinate.

Questions

About storm damage demolition

What is the 50% rule for storm-damaged homes in Miami-Dade?

A flood-zone home damaged or improved beyond 50% of its market value must be brought to current elevation. The building department makes that call.

Should I wait for my insurance adjuster before demolition?

Usually, yes. Document the damage first unless an official orders immediate action. Ask your insurer before removal.

How much will my demolition cost?

We quote each job after seeing it, in person or through photos and plans when they show enough. The figure moves with the construction type, the floor area and height, the asbestos survey result, the utilities to be cut off, how machines reach the work, what stands next door, what must be kept, and how far the loads travel. A 1950s concrete block house and a 1990s frame addition can sit on the same street and quote very differently, which is why we publish no rates.

Is there a minimum or maximum job size?

No. A single partition wall, a shed, a pool deck or a full apartment building can all be quoted, and so can partial work where most of the structure remains. Describe what is there and what needs to survive, and the quote follows that scope.

Is Romco a licensed contractor?

Yes. Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor based in Fort Lauderdale. Trades that need their own license, such as asbestos abatement, electrical and plumbing disconnects, mold remediation or tree removal, are done by firms holding that license, and we run them on one schedule.

From first call to final

The order a Miami-Dade job follows

  1. Call or send the request

    Give us the address, photos or plans if you have them, and a plain account of what goes and what remains.

  2. Site visit

    We check how the building is framed, where the services enter, how trucks and machines get in, and what stands on either side.

  3. Scope and quote in writing

    You get a written scope listing removals, protections and haul-off, with any item that hangs on the asbestos survey called out.

  4. Survey, notice and permit

    A licensed asbestos survey, the DERM notice where it applies, the utility disconnects, then the permit from the city or the county.

  5. Take-down and hauling

    Work runs in the agreed sequence. Loads go to permitted facilities, and we keep the tickets.

  6. Final and closeout

    The inspector signs off the permit. You are left with a clean lot, or the shell you asked us to keep.

Storm damage demolition throughout Miami-Dade, including Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Doral, Homestead, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Aventura, and every other Miami-Dade city.

More demolition

Other work we quote

Every type, every size, all of Miami-Dade

Tell us what is coming down. We will put a quote on it.

Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single interior partition or a complete building gets the same thing: a written scope and a quote.

Request a quoteCall (305) 760-9827
Call (305) 760-9827Request a quote