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One homeowner. One scoped project. One vetted Miami contractor.
AskBaily Miami — AI-scoped remodel estimates with live FL CILB verification
AI-scoped remodel estimates with live Florida CILB license verification. One homeowner. One scoped Miami project. One FL-CILB-licensed builder who actually pulls Miami-Dade NOAs.
Read the promise →Who is Baily?
Baily is named after Francis Baily — an English stockbroker who retired at 51, became an astronomer, and in 1836 described something on the edge of a solar eclipse that nobody had properly articulated before: a string of bright beads of sunlight breaking through the valleys along the moon’s rim.
He wasn’t the first to see them. Edmond Halley saw them in 1715 and barely noticed. Baily’s contribution was clarity — describing exactly what was happening, in plain language, so vividly that the whole field of astronomy paid attention. The phenomenon is still called Baily’s beads.
That’s what we wanted our AI to do. Every inbound call and text has signal in it — a homeowner’s real question, a timeline, a budget, a hesitation that means “yes but.” Baily listens to every one, 24/7, and finds the beads of light.
Baily was a businessman before he was a scientist. That’s our vibe too.
Why remodel with a FL-CILB-licensed Miami contractor
Miami is the fourth-wealthiest US metro by household remodel spend and — outside New York City — the hardest US metro in which to run a residential renovation legitimately. A remodel in Dallas or Atlanta touches one state licensing board and one permit authority. The same project in Miami-Dade touches the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board, the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, the Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance product-control system for every exterior opening, the Florida Building Code 8th Edition HVHZ chapter for structural and envelope design, the relevant municipal building department (City of Miami vs Coral Gables vs Miami Beach vs Aventura vs Doral — each operates its own), the homeowner association or condo board, frequently the FEMA 50% substantial-improvement rule on any property within a Special Flood Hazard Area, occasionally the City of Miami Historic & Environmental Preservation Board, occasionally the Florida Coastal Construction Control Line permit on barrier-island work, and — on 3+ story condos built before 1996-2001 — the post-Surfside SB 4-D milestone inspection regime. Miss one of those, and a 12-week project becomes a 12-month project.
The Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board, a division of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), licenses three residential-relevant certified contractor classes statewide: CGC (Certified General Contractor, unlimited scope), CBC (Certified Building Contractor, commercial under 3 stories or residential any size), and CRC (Certified Residential Contractor, 1-2 family dwellings). Certification is statewide — a CGC licensed in Tallahassee is equally licensed to work in Miami-Dade — but every contractor must still separately register with the local municipality’s business tax receipt system. A CILB-certified GC carries a minimum $300,000 in general liability insurance, workers’ compensation on every employee, and — for CGC specifically — the documented experience and exam history to take on unlimited-scope projects. Unlicensed contracting is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years imprisonment. Florida enforces. The DBPR complaint docket runs 4-9 months behind reality, which is why verifying the license at contract-signing — not at bid time — is the honest way to do this.
On top of state licensure, every Miami contractor working on HVHZ exterior envelope (windows, doors, garage doors, skylights, and most roofing) must know how to specify Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) products. An NOA is a per-product approval demonstrating that a specific window, door, roofing assembly, or opening has passed Large Missile Impact testing under ASTM E1886 and E1996 for the 175-185 mph design wind speeds the FBC requires inside Miami-Dade and Broward. NOAs are not forever — they expire on a rolling 5-year cycle. A contractor who filed a permit on an NOA that expired between submission and rough-in will have every exterior product rejected at inspection. Reading NOA dates at three separate points in the project — at bid, at submission, and at rough-in — is a basic Miami-Dade competence; contractors who do not pull NOAs for a living routinely miss the rolling expiration. Baily’s matched GCs do.
AskBaily built a government-direct verifier for exactly this. Wave 104 shipped the FL CILB validator that queries DBPR myfloridalicense.com directly, parses the license class, active-status flag, disciplinary history, and bond + insurance filings, and caches the result for per-project reference. Every Miami page that will eventually reference a matched FL GC backs the claim with a cached verification pulled directly from DBPR — no contractor-submitted credentials, no screenshot-as-proof, no lapsed licenses sitting on the roster for months because the contractor controls the refresh schedule. When a Miami partner GC signs through the /for-pros pathway, the CGC or CBC or CRC record flows into the same cached-verification system that renders the card below.
Honest status: AskBaily is pre-launch for Miami partner GCs as of the Wave 233 ship. The card below renders a CILB skeleton with the clearly-labeled sample license number CGC CGC1500001 — sample to demonstrate the receipt shape. When a vetted FL-CILB GC completes the Wave 187 manual-review path, their live CGC or CBC or CRC registration replaces this skeleton with no further code changes. AskBaily does not inflate pre-launch status by showing someone else’s license as if it were a partner’s. The sample is labeled; the receipts-first page architecture is not.
This matters for Miami specifically because the median Brickell tower apartment trades at $750K-$1.8M, the median Coral Gables single-family at $2.1M, and the median Key Biscayne waterfront north of $4M. The downside gap between a CILB-licensed remodel and an unpermitted one is enormous. An unpermitted kitchen discovered during a condo board package review for a future sale delays the transaction for months or reprices it by the cost of a legal re-file plus a county civil penalty. A hurricane-season flood traced to non-compliant exterior envelope work voids homeowner coverage the day the adjuster reads the Miami-Dade permit history. SB 4-D milestone inspectors now check every Brickell and Aventura 3+ story condo’s alteration history against building structural reserves. A single FL CILB license number, verified before any cash changes hands, defuses all of this — and verifying CILB status on every Miami project is exactly what AskBaily built the Wave 104 verifier to do.
Practically, here is what a live, active-status CILB license plus HVHZ-experience stack gives you on your Miami remodel: permits filed by the builder in their own name, not yours; access to Miami-Dade iBuild plan review and the municipal permit portals directly; NOA-referenced exterior product specification that clears rough-in on the first inspection rather than the third; Florida Construction Industry Recovery Fund restitution pathway (up to $400,000 per project, statutory maximum) when workmanship disputes escalate; HOA and condo board compliance already built into the licensed contractor’s posture; HEPB-review filing credibility for historic MiMo and Mediterranean Revival work; flood-compliance filing on the elevation certificate that stays with the property for the life of the structure under NFIP; and wind-mitigation certification filed within 365 days of issuance to cut homeowner-insurance premiums 40-60% for the next 5-year cycle. An unlicensed handyman cannot legally pull permits in Florida, cannot file an NOA reference, cannot carry a mechanic’s lien, and leaves the homeowner personally liable for every code violation the project creates.
Florida layers additional homeowner protection via the Construction Industry Recovery Fund (CIRF) — funded by a 0.0005% assessment on gross Florida construction activity and managed by the state. A homeowner injured by the acts of a FL-CILB-licensed contractor (incomplete work, misappropriation of funds, abandonment) can recover up to $400,000 per project through the fund. Unlicensed work forfeits access entirely. The homeowner’s only remedy becomes a civil action against an individual who may not be collectible. Add required liability insurance ($300,000 minimum), workers’ comp on every employee, and — for CGC specifically — a $20,000 surety bond on certain counties’ local endorsements, and the risk-management stack looks very different on the licensed side.
Shared-lead marketplaces — Angi, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor, Houzz Pro — cannot run live government license verification at Miami resolution on their contractor rosters. They display user-submitted credentials with no DBPR-direct or Miami-Dade-direct refresh. Expired CGCs, suspended CBCs, and lapsed CRCs sit on their rosters for months. The FTC consent decree against HomeAdvisor (Matter 192 3113, settled March 2023 for $7.2 million) specifically faulted the company for misrepresenting license and background-check verification. AskBaily is the first homeowner platform to embed a government-direct, scheduled-verifier-backed license card on every matched Miami page. The card below is the structural difference between lead-gen and a real platform.
Miami regulatory at a glance
Every Miami remodel touches between two and a dozen of the regulatory bodies, statutes, and overlays listed below. Baily is trained on each one; generic LLMs are not. Plain-English summaries follow, each linked to the canonical glossary and the authoritative government source.
The Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board, a division of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), issues statewide contractor certifications across three residential-relevant tiers. CGC (Certified General) is unlimited scope. CBC (Certified Building) covers commercial under 3 stories or residential any size. CRC (Certified Residential) is limited to 1-2 family dwellings. Verify the license class matches your scope at myfloridalicense.com. Unlicensed contracting is a third-degree felony in Florida.
The Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources issues residential and commercial permits through the iBuild portal (formerly EPIC). City-within-county jurisdictions — the City of Miami, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Homestead, Aventura, Doral, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay — each operate their own building departments layered on top of county rules. Coral Gables Board of Architects review applies to every visible exterior change on single-family homes in the Gables.
Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) is the Miami-Dade Product Control program's per-product approval confirming HVHZ performance. Every exterior opening — windows, doors, garage doors, skylights — and every roofing assembly installed in Miami-Dade or Broward must reference a current NOA for that specific manufacturer, model, and configuration. NOAs expire on a rolling 5-year cycle. A product without a current NOA cannot be permitted; a product whose NOA expired between permit and rough-in will be rejected at inspection.
The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), Chapter 16 plus Section 1626, defines the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone structural and exterior-envelope requirements that apply exclusively inside Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Design wind speeds run 175-185 mph (Risk Category II residential). Every opening must pass Large Missile Impact testing under ASTM E1886/E1996. Roof attachment, sheathing, underlayment, and tile retention all carry HVHZ-specific requirements absent from the baseline FBC used elsewhere in Florida.
The Miami 21 Code — adopted in 2010 — replaced the City of Miami's Euclidean zoning ordinance with form-based regulation. Transects T3-R (sub-urban low-density) through T6-80-O (urban-core) dictate height, setback, frontage type, open-space allocation, and building disposition before any FBC structural review begins. Miami 21 is the most common reason a Coconut Grove, Coral Way, or Shenandoah addition budget rewrites itself after the first zoning counter appointment. Reading the transect is the first design decision.
The City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) reviews Certificates of Appropriateness for visible exterior work in designated historic districts — MiMo Biscayne Boulevard (between NE 50th and NE 77th Streets), Morningside, Spring Garden, Buena Vista East — plus individually designated Mediterranean Revival and Art Deco properties citywide. The HEPB calendar runs on a first-and-third-Tuesday cycle; budget 6-14 weeks of review in parallel with the Miami-Dade permit submission.
The Florida Coastal Construction Control Line, administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), is a state-mandated seaward-of-setback boundary that triggers a state construction permit for any structural work east of the line. The CCCL crosses Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, Sunny Isles Beach, and Golden Beach. Work east of the CCCL additionally imposes state-level dune protection, sea-turtle lighting, and foundation-depth requirements that add 4-8 months to a barrier-island project.
ASCE 24-14 is the flood-resistant design and construction standard referenced by the Florida Building Code for structures in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas. It governs finished-floor elevation above Base Flood Elevation (BFE), breakaway walls in V-zones, flood-damage-resistant materials below BFE, and foundation requirements. For a Miami Beach or Key Biscayne single-family home on AE or VE flood zone, ASCE 24-14 is often the single most expensive line item in the rebuild budget after impact glass.
The Miami-Dade Comprehensive Development Master Plan includes a Sea-Level-Rise and Resiliency element codifying projections (Miami-Dade's GreenPrint target: planning for 10-17 inches by 2040 and up to 54-81 inches by 2100 under intermediate-high scenarios). Shoreline, seawall, low-elevation infrastructure, and storm-drain work in low-lying neighborhoods (Shenandoah, Edgewater, Upper East Side, the Roads) now incorporates SLR freeboard. Freeboard elevation above BFE has shifted from optional to effectively required on coastal work.
The Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, managed by FDEP, covers the majority of nearshore Biscayne Bay waters. Any shoreline, dock, boathouse, seawall, or submerged-lands work requires an Environmental Resource Permit plus sovereign submerged-lands authorization on top of Miami-Dade DERM review, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting, and the municipal waterfront permit. Timelines run 6-18 months; mitigation requirements for seagrass or mangrove impacts can double project budgets.
Florida Statutes Chapter 718 — the Condominium Act — governs unit-owner alteration rights and mandates association architectural review prior to permit issuance for most unit alterations. Miami-Dade has 900+ condo associations. Typical approval timelines run 4-12 weeks. Board scope routinely covers impact-window model, flooring type (no hardwood above-grade in many towers), balcony finishes, kitchen exhaust routing, and plumbing riser moves. Missing the board approval before filing with iBuild is the most common reason a Brickell or Aventura condo permit stalls.
Florida Senate Bill 4-D (2022) — the post-Surfside condo-safety law — mandates Milestone Inspections on condo buildings 3 stories and taller, at 25 years for coastal buildings (within 3 miles of saltwater) or 30 years for inland. A Phase 1 visual inspection triggers a Phase 2 detailed structural inspection if concerns emerge. Reserves must be fully funded (no waiver). Buildings that fail Phase 2 cannot be renovated unit-by-unit until the association completes structural remediation. Milestone status now surfaces in every Miami condo sale and renovation transaction.
The Florida Building Commission is the statewide body that adopts and amends the Florida Building Code on a three-year cycle. The 8th Edition (2023) is currently in force; the 9th Edition (2026) is in final adoption review. The Commission's rulings on wind-design amendments, HVHZ product-approval requirements, and energy-code updates flow down into every Miami-Dade and Broward permit. Unlike California's statewide preemption, Florida permits meaningful local amendment by county and city code officials — the reason Miami-Dade, Coral Gables, and Miami Beach operate differently under the same state code.
The 8-step Miami remodel process
Every AskBaily-scoped Miami remodel moves through the same eight stages. Kitchen refreshes compress to 10-14 weeks. Impact-window retrofits run 6-12 weeks. Full-home renovations with flood elevation run 28-48 weeks. CCCL barrier-island projects run 40-72. The sequence never changes; only the duration does.
- Step 01
Consultation and jurisdiction check
Book a conversation with Baily online or by phone. Share photos, property address, flood zone, condo rules (if applicable), and your budget range. Baily identifies the exact permitting jurisdiction — City of Miami vs Coral Gables vs Miami Beach vs unincorporated Miami-Dade vs Broward — and flags HVHZ, CCCL, flood-zone, historic-district, and SB 4-D exposures in the same session.
Miami-Dade is not one jurisdiction; it is a county department plus roughly 34 municipal building departments. City of Miami permits route through one portal; Miami Beach and Coral Gables maintain separate portals. Identifying the correct jurisdiction in the first 15 minutes is the single largest risk-reduction step in a Miami project. Baily reads the address, pulls the jurisdiction and overlay flags, and stamps them onto the scope.
- Step 02
Scope, feasibility, and HVHZ product selection
The matched FL CILB GC walks the property, confirms HVHZ exterior product scope (windows, doors, roofing, garage doors), verifies flood zone + BFE from the firmette, and identifies any SB 4-D milestone exposure. A fixed-fee proposal with NOA-referenced products follows within 5-7 business days.
A Miami GC bidding impact-glass work from photos is setting up change orders. Building age, municipality, storm-shutter versus impact-glass choice, garage-door attachment substrate, roofing system type, and the condo association's approved-model list all constrain product selection. Baily's matched GC walks every Miami job and locks NOAs to specific manufacturers before bid issuance — so the bid matches the permit.
- Step 03
FL CILB verification + insurance confirmation
Before any money changes hands, AskBaily's Wave 104 verifier pulls the contractor's DBPR record direct from the state — license class (CGC/CBC/CRC), active status, disciplinary history, and liability/workers' comp insurance filings. The cached verification is attached to the contract and timestamped.
Florida enforces unlicensed contracting as a third-degree felony, but the DBPR complaint docket runs 4-9 months behind reality. Verifying the license at contract-signing — not at bid time — catches suspensions that happened in the last 90 days. AskBaily runs the verification weekly on every matched Miami GC regardless of project stage; if a license lapses mid-project, we know before the homeowner does.
- Step 04
County plan-check + HVHZ NOA review
The permit application lands in Miami-Dade iBuild (or the relevant municipal portal) with full HVHZ NOA references, flood-compliance documents, and energy-code compliance. Plan-check runs 4-12 weeks. Miami Beach and Coral Gables add architectural review. Condo projects stack the association's board approval on top.
Miami-Dade iBuild plan review is structurally different from permit review in other Florida metros. The plan reviewer pays direct attention to NOA currency on every exterior product and to flood compliance on every slab elevation. The most common rejection: NOA on the filing expired between bid and submission. Baily's matched GC re-checks NOA dates at submission and again at first inspection.
- Step 05
Permit issuance + pre-construction meeting
Once plan-check clears and condo board / HEPB / CCCL approvals are in hand, permits issue. A pre-construction meeting with the inspector of record establishes inspection cadence, HVHZ-product delivery documentation, and hurricane-season site-protection requirements if the project spans June-November.
Hurricane-season project starts (June 1 - November 30) require a documented site-protection plan: stored materials, open-roof exposure limits, and storm-readiness protocols. Most Miami GCs front-load exterior envelope work into the dry season (December-May) and reserve interior work for hurricane months to minimize exposure. Baily's GC sequences the plan with the season in mind — no bids that promise open-roof work in August.
- Step 06
Demolition, flood + HVHZ compliance rough-in
Demo starts within permitted hours and noise ordinances. MEP rough-in (electrical, plumbing, HVAC), exterior envelope work (impact windows, HVHZ-compliant roofing), flood-resistant materials below BFE where applicable, and structural work sequence through the county's rough-in inspection calendar.
Miami's rough-in inspection cadence typically runs 2-4 business days from request. Inspectors in HVHZ jurisdictions verify NOA compliance at the opening, not just on paperwork — mis-numbered windows or doors get rejected at rough-in. Most stalled Miami projects stall here, not at plan-check. Baily's GC stages NOA-matching paperwork at every opening before calling for inspection.
- Step 07
Construction, finishes, and milestone documentation
Interior finishes, cabinetry, tile, flooring, countertops, and impact-glass installation proceed through the county's interior inspection cadence. For condo projects, the association conducts interim walk-throughs. Long-lead items (impact glass, custom millwork, imported stone) are ordered during permit plan-check.
Miami's humidity and hurricane-season exposure make moisture-resilient interior finishes worth the 5-15% premium over standard LA or Chicago specs. Closed-cell foam insulation, PVC-trim substitutes for wood exterior trim, quartz over marble in high-humidity zones — the spec difference compounds over a 20-year ownership horizon. Baily builds these upgrades into the scope up front rather than surfacing them as change orders later.
- Step 08
Final inspections, CO, and condo board sign-off
Final electrical, plumbing, mechanical, building, and — for CCCL projects — state final inspections clear sequentially. The Certificate of Completion (Miami-Dade) or Certificate of Occupancy (new construction) issues. Condo board closes its alteration file. Warranty period begins. Baily schedules 30-day and 1-year follow-ups.
A finaled Miami-Dade permit plus a closed-out condo alteration file plus a Certificate of Completion is the paper trail future buyers, insurers, and SB 4-D milestone inspectors require. Flood-compliance documentation stays with the property for the life of the structure under NFIP rules. Wind-mitigation certifications cut homeowner insurance premiums 40-60% and must be filed within 365 days of issuance. We file them the month the project ends.
15 questions Miami homeowners ask
The 15 questions below cover 90% of the HVHZ, NOA, FL CILB, FEMA flood, SB 4-D, Miami 21, HEPB, and condo-board questions Baily answers across Miami-Dade and south Broward every week. Each full answer lives on its own /ask page with examples, links, and embedded regulatory sources.
Questions LA homeowners actually ask
AskBaily is an AI that scopes your Miami home remodel — kitchen, bath, condo alteration, impact-window retrofit, flood elevation, whole-home, MiMo historic — and routes the finished scope to one Florida-CILB-licensed general contractor. AskBaily is pre-launch in Miami; partner GC applications go through /for-pros/miami with DBPR license plus HVHZ-experience verification.
What a Miami remodel actually costs in 2026
Remodel costs in Miami are a function of five inputs: labor rate, material cost, HVHZ-product premium, permit-and-flood overhead, and site condition. All five are above the US median, and the third — HVHZ-product premium on the exterior envelope — is unique to Miami-Dade and Broward. Licensed carpentry labor in Miami-Dade clocks at $58–$88 per hour loaded; licensed electrical (state certified electrician) runs $98–$150; licensed plumbing $105–$165. These rates reflect Florida workers’ compensation stacks, the cost of HVHZ-trained journeymen, and the humidity-driven productivity adjustment that builds into every Miami bid between May and October.
HVHZ product premium is the single largest cost delta between Miami and non-HVHZ Florida metros. Impact glass runs 2.2–2.8× the cost of standard insulated windows at the same size. HVHZ garage doors run 2–2.5×. Metal roofing with a current NOA runs 1.4–1.8× non-HVHZ equivalent. A 2,400 sqft single-family with 28 exterior openings pays $34K–$78K more in impact-glass cost than the same home in Orlando or Jacksonville. The premium is not optional. Non-HVHZ products cannot be permitted in Miami-Dade or Broward — the plan reviewer will reject them at submission, and the inspector will reject them at rough-in.
Permit-and-flood overhead in Miami dwarfs what Dallas or Atlanta homeowners ever see. A $95K Miami kitchen remodel that touches electrical, plumbing, and one impact opening typically triggers $4K–$11K in Miami-Dade plan-review, trade-permit, and NOA-documentation soft costs alone. Add condo board architectural review ($0–$2,500 on a building-by-building basis), HOA fee coordination, and — for properties in FEMA SFHA — elevation certificate and flood-compliance review. For barrier-island CCCL projects on Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, or Sunny Isles, add a state FDEP permit ($3,500–$14,500) and 4–8 months of state review. For SB 4-D-affected condo buildings, add structural reserve-coordination and — in 2026 — potentially capped renovation scope while milestone remediation completes.
Site condition is the wildcard. A 1948 Coral Gables Mediterranean Revival with cast-iron waste stacks, knob- and-tube service, barrel-tile roof requiring HVHZ replacement, and a pool inside the CCCL setback does not remodel on the same budget as a 2014 Brickell tower condo 28 floors up. Baily’s consultation surfaces these conditions from photos, flood-zone lookups, and condo board documents before a bid is issued. We would rather raise the scope honestly at consultation than deliver a lowball bid that explodes on change orders.
Here is what the real cost bands look like in Miami in 2026, by project type, for work priced by an FL-CILB-licensed GC with proper permits, proper condo / HEPB approval, NOA- referenced exterior products, and a 1-year workmanship warranty:
- Cabinet-and-countertop kitchen refresh (no plumbing or exterior moves, minor-work permit): $35,000–$65,000, 4–8 weeks site time.
- Mid-tier kitchen remodel (new cabinetry, island, appliance package, one-wall plumbing move, full building permit): $65,000–$140,000, 10–16 weeks.
- High-end kitchen remodel (custom cabinetry, stone slab counter, Sub-Zero/Wolf/Miele package, designer lighting, structural beam for open-plan, impact sliding glass on adjacent wall): $160,000–$340,000, 16–24 weeks.
- Guest bathroom refresh (tile, new vanity, fixtures, retain plumbing rough): $25,000–$45,000, 4–7 weeks.
- Primary spa bathroom (walk-in shower, freestanding tub, double vanity, plumbing reconfiguration, new impact window): $55,000–$120,000, 8–14 weeks.
- Full-home impact-glass retrofit (single-family, 18-28 openings): $18,000–$95,000, 3–8 weeks.
- HVHZ metal or tile roof replacement (2,400 sqft footprint): $22,000–$85,000, 3–6 weeks.
- Brickell / Aventura condo gut renovation (2-bedroom, full MEP, association-approved finishes, building-management coordination): $180,000–$460,000, 16–28 weeks.
- Coral Gables Mediterranean Revival whole-home remodel (Board of Architects review, barrel-tile HVHZ roof, impact glass, interior gut): $620,000–$1,400,000, 36–52 weeks.
- Flood-elevation retrofit (whole-home lift above BFE, breakaway walls in V-zone, new foundation, NFIP elevation certificate): $120,000–$480,000, 16–32 weeks.
- Pool and patio with CCCL + county approval on barrier-island waterfront: $85,000–$420,000, 20–40 weeks.
- ADU / granny-flat in RU-1 unincorporated Miami-Dade or allowable Miami 21 transect: $140,000–$360,000, 24–40 weeks.
These bands reflect the midpoint of completed Miami project data, cross-checked against the AskBaily cost-research database and Miami-Dade County permit-valuation public records. They assume FL-CILB-licensed contractor pricing, proper permits, current NOAs on every exterior product, a 1-year workmanship warranty, and closed-out condo / HEPB approvals. Lead-gen-marketplace bids frequently come in 15–30% below these bands by omitting permits, using non-NOA products, skipping flood-compliance filings, or cutting workmanship warranty to zero. The difference shows up at the first county inspection, the first hurricane season, or the first insurance claim.
Miami-specific services
Eight services scoped to Miami-Dade permit pathways, HVHZ product requirements, Florida labor rates, and Miami cost bands. Click any service to see the AI-scoped pillar or cross-reference the regulatory canonical.
Full kitchen remodel in Miami single-family homes and condos. Miami-Dade iBuild permit, HVHZ-compliant exterior openings where applicable, condo association review, and — on Brickell and Aventura towers — building-management coordination.
$35K–$340K
Primary or guest bathroom reconfiguration in Miami condos, single-family homes, and Key Biscayne / Pinecrest properties. Humidity-resilient finish specs, condo plumbing-riser coordination, and impact-glass integration where the suite faces exterior openings.
$25K–$120K
Full-home impact-glass retrofit with current Miami-Dade NOAs, wind-mitigation certification, and 40-60% homeowner-insurance-premium reduction. Covers single-family, townhome, and condo scopes citywide.
$18K–$95K
Condo-specific kitchen scope for Brickell, Edgewater, Aventura, and Bal Harbour towers. Building-management coordination, association-approved finishes, plumbing-riser rules, and move-in/move-out scheduling windows.
$55K–$280K
Whole-structure elevation above BFE for properties in FEMA AE / VE / AH / AO zones. Includes FEMA 50% rule strategy, breakaway walls in V-zones, flood-resistant materials below BFE, and NFIP elevation certificate post-completion.
$120K–$480K
Metal, tile, and flat-roof assemblies with current Miami-Dade NOAs. Required secondary water-barrier, truss-tie inspection, and wind-mitigation certification delivered at project close. Most cost-effective homeowner-insurance-premium reduction in Miami.
$22K–$160K
In-ground pool, spa, and deck design-build with FBC Chapter 4 barrier compliance, county DERM review, and — for waterfront properties — CCCL + FDEP submerged-lands coordination.
$85K–$420K
Accessory dwelling unit design-build in unincorporated Miami-Dade (RU-1 / AU), City of Miami (Miami 21 transect allowing), and Broward single-family zones. Note: Miami Beach, Coral Gables, and Miami Shores prohibit most ADUs — confirm jurisdiction first.
$140K–$360K
Miami neighborhoods we serve
57 Miami-Dade and near-Broward neighborhoods — from Brickell towers to Coral Gables Mediterranean Revival, from Coconut Grove tree canopy to Key Biscayne waterfront, from MiMo Biscayne historic to Palmetto Bay single-family. Every neighborhood carries its own flood-zone distribution, condo-vs-single-family mix, HVHZ roof-assembly base rate, and typical permit pathway. See the full grid below.
What happens after the Miami-Dade permit is finaled
Most homeowner conversations about a Miami remodel focus on the build. The conversations that should have happened earlier focus on what happens after the Certificate of Completion lands. Four buckets matter in Miami: wind- mitigation certification and insurance premium, warranty coverage, flood-compliance documentation, and future-resale paper trail. Baily is trained on all four because they are where unlicensed and lead-gen projects fail the Miami homeowner in year two, year five, or during the next hurricane.
Wind-mitigation certification: Florida Insurance Code §627.0629 mandates insurer premium discounts for homes with documented wind-resistant features. Impact openings, HVHZ-rated roof assemblies, roof-to-wall strap upgrades, and secondary water barriers all qualify. A wind-mitigation inspection filed within 365 days of project completion typically cuts homeowner-insurance premiums 40-60% for the next 5-year cycle. On a $1.2M Coral Gables single-family with $12K annual premiums, a 50% reduction is $6K per year — and it compounds. Unlicensed work forfeits access entirely; no insurer will credit unpermitted modifications.
Warranty: an AskBaily-matched Miami GC carries a 1-year full workmanship warranty on every project. Florida Statutes Chapter 489 layers statutory protections on top for CILB-licensed work. For major structural, waterproofing, mechanical, or envelope defects, Florida’s five-year statute of limitations on construction actions (four years from discovery, seven-year statute of repose under §95.11) gives the homeowner a clear legal remedy. The Florida Construction Industry Recovery Fund (CIRF) provides up to $400,000 per project for homeowners injured by the acts of a licensed contractor — abandonment, misappropriation, or incomplete work. Unlicensed work forfeits all of this.
Flood-compliance documentation: for properties in FEMA SFHA, a post-project elevation certificate confirms the finished floor elevation above BFE. The certificate stays with the property for the life of the structure under NFIP rules and directly drives flood-insurance premium. For properties caught by the FEMA 50% substantial-improvement rule, the post-project documentation proves current-code compliance on every future property transaction. A missing elevation certificate is one of the most common Miami closing delays. We file it the month the project ends.
Resale: Florida Statutes §720.401 (HOA) and Chapter 718 (condo) require disclosure of prior alterations, permits, and outstanding violations on every sale. An unpermitted kitchen, an unresolved Miami-Dade code-enforcement case, a missing NFIP elevation certificate, or a missing wind-mitigation inspection can reprice or break an escrow. Buyers’ attorneys increasingly refuse to close on Miami single-family or condo units with visible unpermitted work. A permit history stamped by Miami-Dade or the relevant municipality, plus a closed-out condo alteration file, plus NFIP elevation certificate, plus wind-mitigation certification is the cleanest possible documentation for a future sale. We build that paper trail by default.
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