More house,and nobody can tell where the old one ends.

Yes, for anything structural or anything that needs a permit, and in Miami-Dade that covers most renovations and additions. If you can, bring us the drawings before they are final. We read plans for what is missing, not just what is drawn, and we bring it up before pricing, so the estimate covers the real job. A question answered on paper costs nothing; the same question answered after demolition costs time. We work with your architect and your designer as one team. For a house in the Coral Gables historic district, the drawings also go to the district's review board, and we handle those approvals along with the permits. If you do not have an architect yet, say so early and we will talk it through with you.

Sometimes. It depends on the scope. For a full-home remodel we usually suggest moving out for a while, because the dust, the noise and living without a kitchen wear on a family faster than anyone expects. For an addition or a job done in phases, staying often works. We lay out the options and build the schedule around how you need to live. If you stay, tell us early who works from home, when the children are home and which rooms you cannot be without, and we plan the phases around it. Kitchens and baths run in order with the trades, and the house comes back clean. You will always be able to reach us while the work is going on.

Yes, and the right time to do it is before the estimate is final. Value engineering just means finding another way to get the same result for less: a different material, a simpler way to carry a load, a change in the order of work. Some of those choices lower the price and nobody would ever notice. A few would show. We tell you which is which, and you decide. Changing a line on the drawings costs nothing; changing it after demolition costs time and money. And some choices deserve more time, not less. Stone is a twenty-year decision. Most people make it in an afternoon, so we show you what each option costs before you commit.