Renovation Contractor in Aventura, FL

Aventura, Florida

Aventura is a city of towers. It covers about three and a half square miles between Biscayne Boulevard and the Intracoastal, and most of the people who live here own an apartment in a high-rise rather than a house. When someone in Aventura calls us, it is usually about a condo: a full gut of a unit bought from the original owner, a kitchen and two bathrooms, or new floors throughout before moving in for the season.

Renovating here is different from renovating a house in Broward or a bungalow in Miami. The city issues the permit, but the association decides when, how and whether the work happens. Most of the buildings went up in waves that started in the early 1970s, so a lot of what we open up is original to the building, and many of those buildings are now in the middle of Florida’s new inspection and reserve cycle.

We have worked on condo apartments in buildings across Aventura, and 26 Builders is based a few minutes south in North Miami Beach. What follows is what we tell owners here before they sign anything with anyone.

What people actually own in Aventura

The city grew out of a development first known as Turnberry, with the golf course at its center and Country Club Drive looping around it. The towers along that loop, the gated island community of Williams Island, and the buildings facing Dumfoundling Bay and Maule Lake make up most of the housing. The 2020 census counted about 26,500 housing units for roughly 40,000 residents, and close to 29% of those units were vacant on census day, which tells you how many are second homes.

That matters for a renovation in three practical ways:

• The building is older than the finishes suggest. A unit redone in the 2000s can still have original supply lines, cast iron stacks in the shared chase and a slab that was never level. We budget time to find out what is behind the drywall before we promise a schedule.
• Many owners are not here during the work. That is workable, but it needs a contractor who sends photos, handles the association directly and does not need you on site to make decisions. Our article on renovating a condo while you are away covers how we run those jobs.
• Sound travels. Hard flooring over a concrete slab is a classic source of neighbor complaints in a high-rise. Before you choose tile or wood, ask management which acoustic underlayment the building requires and what proof of its rating they want.

Older towers, milestone inspections and what they mean for your unit

Florida now requires condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more to undergo a milestone structural inspection by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, and every 10 years after that. Local building officials may move the first one up to 25 years based on conditions such as proximity to salt water. Associations must also complete a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years, covering the roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing and windows.

For an owner planning an interior renovation, this has two consequences. First, if the building is in phase two of its milestone process or has concrete restoration underway, the association may restrict elevator use, balcony access or noisy work for months. Second, if you are replacing sliding doors or windows, ask the board whether a building-wide replacement is coming before you spend on your own. We explain the owner side of this in what milestone inspections mean for condo owners.

Flood zones in a city on the Intracoastal

The city states that most of Aventura is mapped by FEMA as a Special Flood Hazard Area. For a unit on the 20th floor that sounds irrelevant, but it is not entirely. Ground-floor units, townhouses and the handful of single-family homes are subject to the city’s 50% rule: if the cost of improvements or repairs equals or exceeds half the building’s market value within a one-year period, the structure has to meet current flood standards, including elevation. For a condo building, that calculation is made against the whole building, not your unit.

Aventura participates in FEMA’s Community Rating System at Class 7, which the city says gives policyholders a 15% flood insurance discount inside the high-risk zones. New construction generally needs a lowest floor 12 inches above base flood elevation or 18 inches above the crown of the road, whichever is higher.

What we would recommend before you start

1. Read the alteration rules first. Ask management for the building’s renovation packet before you choose finishes. Flooring specifications, working hours, deposit amounts and insurance requirements differ from one building to the next.
2. Decide early whether plumbing moves. Relocating a toilet or a shower drain in a high-rise means coring the slab and tying into a shared riser, which needs engineering and association approval. Our guide to moving plumbing in a high-rise condo explains when it is worth it.
3. Plan around the season. Seasonal owners tend to arrive in the cooler months. Board approvals, elevator bookings and deliveries are easier to schedule in the summer months.
4. Check the contractor on DBPR. Before you hire anyone, look them up on myfloridalicense.com and ask for their certificate of insurance naming your association. Our contractor hiring checklist lists what else to ask.