Structural demolition · Broward County
Structural demolition in Broward County
Structural demolition fails when the structure behaves differently from the drawings. In coastal Broward, decades of salt air mean the rebar inside older concrete is often weaker than anyone assumed.
Chloride from salt air works into concrete, reaches the reinforcing steel and rusts it. Rust takes up more room than steel, so the concrete cracks and spalls, and the bar loses section. A slab or beam in that state can let go earlier than a calculation based on the original design would predict, which is why a condition survey of the existing structure comes before any sequence is written.
The sequence itself is engineered. A Florida-licensed engineer sets the order of removal, the shoring that carries load while it happens, and the limits on equipment placed on suspended slabs. We follow that sequence. Where field conditions do not match it, we stop and go back to the engineer.
Below grade, the work meets South Florida ground. Romco self-performs dewatering (pumping groundwater down so the excavation stays dry), Support of Excavation, and deep foundations, including in tidal environments. That matters when a pile cap or footing comes out beside a building or a seawall that stays. Send the drawings you have, and we will walk the structure with your engineer.
Order of work
- Gather drawings and walk the structure with the engineer.
- Complete a condition survey of concrete, steel and connections.
- Have the engineer design the removal sequence and shoring.
- Coordinate disconnects, abatement and the demolition permit.
- Install shoring and protect adjacent structures.
- Remove members top down, in the engineered order.
- Extract foundations, with dewatering and excavation support where groundwater requires them.
Where it goes wrong
What usually goes wrong, and how we control it
Corroded reinforcement
Rust inside older coastal concrete is not always visible from the surface. The engineer’s condition survey identifies where capacity is in doubt, and the shoring design assumes the worst sections, not the best.
Progressive collapse
Removing one column or beam can shift load onto members that cannot carry it. The removal order comes from the engineer, and shoring goes in before each critical element comes out.
Machines on suspended slabs
Equipment working on an upper floor is a load the slab was never designed for. Machine weight and position are checked against the engineer’s limits, and floors below are shored where the plan calls for it.
Vibration next door
Breaking heavy concrete next to an occupied building or a seawall sends vibration into both. Saw-cutting and controlled breaking replace the hammer where the engineer limits vibration, and nearby conditions are recorded first.
The limits
The removal sequence and shoring design belong to a Florida-licensed engineer, and we build to them. We do not assume an older structure still has its original capacity. Permit requirements come from the city’s building department.
Questions
About structural demolition
Do I need an engineer for structural demolition?
For anything that carries load, plan on it. The city may require engineered drawings with the permit, and the sequence and shoring should come from an engineer even when it does not. We coordinate that work and build to it.
Why does salt air matter for demolition?
Because it weakens the steel inside the concrete. A coastal slab can look sound and still have lost reinforcement, so the sequence is based on the survey, not on the original design numbers.
Why does groundwater matter?
Foundations sit in it. Across much of Broward the water is close to the surface, so pulling a footing can flood the excavation and undermine what is next to it. Dewatering and excavation support keep the hole stable while the work is done.
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.
Structural 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 →
- 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 →
- Storm damage demolitionStorm-damaged and unsafe structures, recorded for the insurer before anything moves.Storm damage 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.