Storm damage demolition · Broward County
Hurricane and storm damage demolition in Broward County
After a hurricane, the first mistake is moving debris before the insurance record exists. The second is trusting a damaged structure to behave like an intact one. We plan around both.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the pattern after a Broward storm is familiar: adjusters are stretched across the region, and the pressure to clear the site starts at once. We photograph and document the structure before demolition, room by room and elevation by elevation, so your adjuster has the record the claim depends on.
A damaged structure is unpredictable. Roof framing that lost its sheathing, walls that racked, and slabs undermined by surge or flooding can fail without warning. Where partial collapse is possible, a licensed engineer assesses the structure, and removal is sequenced so people stay out of the fall zone.
Damage can also trigger rules that are not about demolition at all. In a flood zone, a substantial damage determination by the local floodplain administrator can decide whether a building may be repaired or must be rebuilt to current elevation standards. A city can also declare a structure unsafe and order it secured or removed. Confirm where your property stands with the city, then call with the address and what the adjuster has seen.
Order of work
- Secure the site and keep people out of the damaged area.
- Photograph and document the structure for the insurance record.
- Have utilities made safe by FPL and the gas provider.
- Get an engineer’s assessment where collapse is possible.
- Confirm the permit path, including any unsafe-structure or flood determination.
- Demolish in a controlled sequence, separating debris.
- Clear the site and leave it ready for repair or rebuild.
Where it goes wrong
What usually goes wrong, and how we control it
Losing the insurance record
Once debris is gone, it cannot be photographed. We document before anything moves and keep the photos and notes in the job file for you and your adjuster.
Partial collapse
Storm damage removes the bracing that held a structure together. An engineer assesses it where collapse is possible, and the sequence keeps the crew out of the fall zone.
Live utilities in the wreckage
Downed service lines, damaged gas piping and flooded panels are common after a storm. FPL and the gas provider make the structure safe first, and we do not treat a line as dead because the street is dark.
Crews who arrive with the storm
Every hurricane brings operators offering to clear sites fast. Before signing with anyone, check the contractor’s license with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and ask whether a permit is being pulled.
The limits
Coverage decisions belong to your insurer and your adjuster, and we do not advise on claims. Structural assessment is an engineer’s work, and utility make-safe is the utility’s. Permitting rules after a declared storm vary by city, so confirm them with the building department.
Questions
About storm damage demolition
Should I wait for the adjuster before demolishing?
In general, yes, unless the structure is an immediate danger. Talk to your insurer before anything is removed, and if the city orders the structure secured or removed, tell the insurer that too. We document conditions either way.
Is a storm-damaged building automatically condemned?
No. The city decides whether a structure is unsafe, and in a flood zone the floodplain administrator decides whether damage is substantial. Those determinations shape whether you repair or rebuild.
Can the site be secured before demolition?
Yes. Fencing, clearing access routes and temporary protection can come first, priced as a separate scope while the insurance and permit questions are resolved.
What does a demolition cost?
Every job is quoted from a site visit, or from photos and drawings when that is enough to see the scope. The number depends on what the building is made of, its size and height, what the asbestos survey finds, which utilities must be disconnected, access for equipment, how close the neighbors are, what stays and what goes, and where the debris is hauled. We do not publish prices, because two jobs that look alike rarely are.
What size of job will you take on?
Any size. We quote one interior wall, a shed, a pool or a slab, and we quote a full building, including selective and structural demolition. Tell us what is there and what has to remain, and we will price the scope as described.
Is Romco Builders licensed?
Yes. Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. Work that needs its own license, such as asbestos abatement, electrical disconnects or tree removal, is done by firms that hold that license, and we coordinate them under one schedule.
How a job runs
Six steps, in this order
Send the address and the scope
Call, or use the quote form with photos or drawings. Tell us what has to go and what has to stay.
We walk the site
We look at the structure, the utilities, access for equipment and trucks, and what sits next door.
Written scope and quote
The quote names what is removed, what is protected, what is hauled away, and what depends on survey results.
Surveys, permit and disconnects
Asbestos survey where required, utility disconnects, and the demolition permit from your city's building department.
Demolition and haul-off
Work follows the agreed sequence. Debris is hauled to permitted disposal facilities, with the load records kept.
Final inspection
The building department closes the permit. You get a clear site, or the shell you asked for.
Storm damage demolition across Broward, including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Davie, Sunrise, Deerfield Beach, Miramar, and every other Broward city.
Other demolition
Any type of demolition, including
- Interior demolitionStrip-outs for tenant spaces, condos and homes, with live systems protected.Interior demolition in Broward →
- Selective demolitionWalls, openings, additions and stairs removed from buildings that stay standing.Selective demolition in Broward →
- Commercial demolitionWhole retail, office, warehouse and strip-center buildings, quoted at any size.Commercial demolition in Broward →
- House demolitionFull teardowns and knockdown-rebuild lots, with disconnects and permits planned.House demolition in Broward →
- Structural demolitionConcrete and steel frames, slabs and columns, removed in an engineered, shored order.Structural demolition in Broward →
- Concrete and slab removalSlabs, driveways, patios and footings removed, with the ground below accounted for.Concrete and slab removal in Broward →
- Pool removalFull removal or partial fill-in, with what each leaves in the ground stated plainly.Pool removal in Broward →
- Mobile home demolitionMobile and manufactured homes taken down, frame and tie-downs out, lot left clean.Mobile home demolition in Broward →
- Site clearingStructures, slabs, pavement and debris cleared, with locates and tree permits flagged.Site clearing in Broward →
- Asbestos survey and abatement coordinationAsbestos surveys and abatement by licensed firms, coordinated before demolition.Asbestos survey and abatement coordination in Broward →
- Garage, shed and carport demolitionGarages, sheds, carports and screen enclosures removed, slab and wiring included.Garage, shed and carport demolition in Broward →
- Something else?We quote any type of demolition, at any size. If yours is not listed, call and describe it.Call (954) 947-4881 →
Any type, any size, anywhere in Broward County
Send the address and what has to go. We will price the work.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. One interior wall or a whole building: every job gets a written scope and a quote.