Construction & remodeling services across Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach County
Four services, one Florida Certified General Contractor's license, and a single point of accountability from the first site visit through final permit signoff. Building kitchens, bathrooms, additions, whole-home renovations, and ground-up new construction since 2015. License GCG1524886.
Kitchen remodels we deliver
Four services. One license.
One point of accountability.
Most clients come to us for a kitchen or a primary bath. That's the core of what we do. Both services are scoped across four pricing tiers, so the work fits the home and the budget without forcing a single template onto every project.
The other four services on this page exist because kitchen and bathroom projects rarely stay inside their own walls. Open a load-bearing wall during a kitchen remodel, and it becomes a structural project. Add square footage to a primary bath, and it's an addition. Start with “just the kitchen and the two bathrooms,” and you're often looking at a whole-home renovation by the end. That last pattern — a single-room remodel that grows into a multi-service project mid-design — is the most common scope-shift we see across Miami-Dade residential renovation.
All four services run under a single Certified General Contractor's license, GCG1524886. In-house crews handle framing, finish, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and project management on every job. One license, one team, one point of accountability — whether it's a single room or a full gut.
Best full home renovation companies in Miami for new homeowners: what we mean by that
The phrase “best full home renovation companies in Miami” is the search a new homeowner runs after the first kitchen quote comes back and the scope is bigger than expected. The decision under that search isn't really about who's best in the abstract. It's about who can scope the project honestly the first time, hold the FEMA 50% rule and the Miami-Dade permit windows in their head, and tell a new homeowner the truth about what their renovation is actually going to cost before contracts get signed. That's the conversation we want to have on the first site visit — not in the third change order.
When the right project type
isn't obvious
The hardest moment in a Miami residential renovation isn't the construction. It's the moment in the second or third site visit when the homeowner realizes the project they thought they were doing isn't the project that's actually going to get built. We see four scope-shift patterns more than any others.
Kitchen → first-floor gut
Demo reveals 1980s electrical that's out of code, a galvanized dishwasher line, and a load-bearing wall that needs a steel beam, structural engineering, and a stamped permit drawing. The decision — gut now or phase the work — has to be made before the first wall comes down.
Addition → tear-down
A 600 sq ft addition plus planned upgrades totals 62% of pre-improvement structure value, triggering FEMA's Substantial Improvement rule. Raising a slab-on-grade house to Base Flood Elevation can exceed market value — making demolition and new construction the rational path.
Whole-home + addition
A 1970s ranch gut where the existing footprint can't hold a primary suite. Cleanest pattern — but only if the addition's structural and FEMA implications are screened before gut work begins.
New build vs. SI remodel
Voluntary demolition extinguishes the Save Our Homes cap and resets the tax basis to market value. Sometimes preserving the structural envelope under the SI threshold protects the homestead. The GC's job is to surface it before the demo permit gets pulled.
The framework we use on every initial site visit is built around eight scope categories: FEMA flood-zone status and structure-only assessed value, roof age and condition, window and door NOA compliance, structural modifications, plumbing supply lines, HVAC sizing and zone boundaries, tax basis and homestead status, and timeline. We surface the scope-shift triggers before the contract gets written — not after.
One team owns the sequence,
end to end
A residential renovation in Miami-Dade or Broward involves at least five regulated trades — framing, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing — and at least three permit-and-inspection tracks. Coordinating that work is the licensed General Contractor's actual job: making sure the framing inspection passes before the electrician arrives for rough-in, the plumbing rough-in passes before drywall, the roof tie-down inspection clears before sheathing, and every impact window matches its Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance exactly.
Every Gaven project runs under our Florida Certified General Contractor's license, GCG1524886. In-house crews handle framing, finish carpentry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and project management on every job. The framing crew that opens up your wall is the same crew that closes it. The project manager who walks you through the permit-set drawings is the same project manager on site for the framing inspection.
Permit & inspection coordination
The master permit holder owns sequencing across every trade. When trades are independently contracted, no party owns it — and electrical-before-framing or drywall-before-plumbing failures each require demolition and reinspection. On Gaven jobs, the PM owns the sequence.
Lien-release pass-through
Florida's Construction Lien Law (Ch. 713) lets any sub or supplier lien your property even with no direct contract. We provide sworn partial payment affidavits at every draw and a Final Contractor's Affidavit at completion. Lien releases come standard, not on request.
Warranty pass-through
When a defect spans trades, Chapter 558 requires pre-suit notice on every responsible party. With a single GC, you serve notice on us — and get one point of contact through the four-year statute of limitations and seven-year statute of repose.
Insurance continuity
Our license carries Florida CILB minimum general liability and property-damage coverage, with builder's risk layered on for every active project. Owner-builder case studies show ~$158K net overruns on a $1M renovation once rework and schedule slip are counted.
FBC 8th Edition, HVHZ, FEMA
& jurisdictional permit windows
Every service on this page operates inside the same regulatory frame. Florida Building Code 8th Edition applies to permits issued through December 30, 2026; the 9th Edition takes effect December 31, 2026 with updated wind-load calculations and an expanded hardened-envelope mandate within five miles of tidal water — capturing most of the Miami-Dade and Broward coastal footprint. Projects in planning now have a real permit-timing decision: lock the design under 8th Edition rules before year-end, or accept the 9th Edition window.
The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) designation covers all of Miami-Dade and Broward, plus parts of Palm Beach County. Every window, door, roofing component, and structural connector must carry a current Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance — product-specific approval after TAS 201 (large-missile impact), TAS 202 (cyclic pressure), and TAS 203 (water resistance) testing. Substituting a product mid-installation voids the original NOA approval.
FEMA's Substantial Improvement rule (44 CFR § 59.1, mirrored in FBC Section 1612.2) applies to any structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area. When improvement cost reaches 50% of pre-improvement market value (excluding land), the entire structure must be raised to Base Flood Elevation with flood-resistant materials below BFE and a full code update. The rule is cumulative over rolling 12-month windows — even across separate permits. A kitchen permit in Q1 plus a bath permit in Q3 count against the same denominator.
Permit windows differ by county. Miami-Dade: 2–8 weeks depending on complexity, permits valid 180 days, fees ~0.5% of construction cost, Notice of Commencement required over $2,500. Broward: 3–5 business days for simple permits, 15–30 for complex projects routing through building, zoning, fire, and utilities. Palm Beach: valuation-schedule fees, with a slower-review reputation in Boca Raton specifically.
A Certified General Contractor (CGC, Florida Statute Ch. 489) is the only license class authorized for virtually any structure scope — structural modifications, multi-trade coordination, additions. A CBC is limited to three stories; a CRC to two; a Registered Contractor to a single jurisdiction. Verifying a contractor's license type takes about two minutes at MyFloridaLicense.com and protects the whole project downstream.
Four residential services
Kitchen Remodeling
Custom layout planning, wall removals where structurally workable, real wood & European cabinetry, quartz / granite / quartzite, integrated appliance suites, full plumbing & electrical in-house.
/kitchen-remodeling-miami/ →
Bathroom Remodeling
Frameless glass walk-in showers, custom vanities, ANSI A118.10 waterproofing, large-format porcelain & natural stone, freestanding tubs — spec'd for coastal humidity and salt-air corrosion.
/bathroom-remodeling-miami/ →
Whole-Home Remodels
Full electrical & plumbing repipe, HVAC redesign, framing modifications, full HVHZ envelope review, and finish-out across kitchen, baths, and primary living spaces. FEMA SI screening happens before scope is fixed.
/home-remodeling-miami-fl/ →
Home Additions
Home additions Miami FL scope: room additions, second-story additions, garage conversions, and primary-suite expansions — FBC structural requirements, foundation work for second-story loads, and the FEMA 50% mechanics.
/home-additions-miami/ →Most multi-service projects start as one room and grow. We map the full scope on the first visit — before contracts.
Book a Site Visit
How a one-room call became
a 26-week whole-home project
Project narrative is illustrative pending portfolio audit — it represents the multi-service pattern Gaven delivers, not a specific named past project.
A long-term homeowner in Coral Gables called about a primary bath that had stopped working for the family: too small, dated fixtures, a pre-1990s plumbing layout. The first site visit surfaced three more scope categories within twenty minutes — a galley kitchen last touched in the late 1990s, an HVAC system at end of life that wouldn't hold the conditioned-zone load if layouts changed, and a powder bath whose cosmetic issues signaled active envelope leakage upstream.
The honest scope conversation took ninety minutes. The homeowner had budgeted for a primary-bath remodel. The actual project — primary bath, full kitchen with a load-bearing wall removal, full HVAC replacement, and a powder-bath investigation that became stucco-and-flashing remediation — was four times the original anchor and required a full design phase before any demo.
The project ran twenty-six weeks across four permit phases. Kitchen and primary bath were scoped together from the start. Structural engineering for the wall removal was completed before demo, with a stamped drawing for the steel beam. Plumbing rough-in for both ran on the same inspection track, sequenced behind framing and ahead of drywall. The HVAC was sized once for the final state of the house. The homeowner had one phone number for the entire project — not four.
Bathroom remodels we deliver
Five questions to ask
any general contractor
What license class, and where do I verify it?
The answer should be specific — type, number, and URL. “Licensed and insured” is not an answer. Ours: Florida CGC, GCG1524886, verifiable at MyFloridaLicense.com.
In-house crews, or subcontracted PM?
A GC who outsources supervision is selling you the license, not the team. Ours: in-house framing, finish, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and project management on every job.
How do you handle lien law & the Final Affidavit?
Recorded Notice of Commencement before work, sworn partial affidavits at every draw, and a Final Contractor's Affidavit with all lien releases at completion.
Your FEMA Substantial-Improvement process?
Structure-only assessed value, 12-month permit history, cumulative cost vs. the 50% threshold — one of the eight scope categories on every SFHA site visit.
General liability vs. builder's risk on my project?
GL covers third-party injury/damage; builder's risk covers the open structure during the build. With 2–10% hurricane deductibles, that's real exposure — we carry builder's risk on every project with storm-shutdown protocols.
The point
These aren't designed to disqualify other contractors — they give you the operational vocabulary to make a real comparison, not one based on who has the smoother sales pitch.
Three counties, full footprint
Miami-Dade County
Aventura, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Doral, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, Pinecrest, Sunny Isles & surrounding municipalities.
Broward County
Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Wilton Manors, Hallandale Beach & surrounding municipalities.
Palm Beach County
Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Sandalfoot Cove, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach & surrounding municipalities.
Service area is the same across all four services. We don't run different footprints for kitchen work versus addition work.
Verifiable, not asserted
License
Florida Certified General Contractor, GCG1524886 — verifiable at MyFloridaLicense.com. The CGC tier is the only class authorized for virtually any residential structure scope, including structural modifications and additions.
Insurance
General liability and property-damage coverage at Florida CILB minimums and above, builder's risk on every active project, and workers' comp for all in-house crews per FS 440.10. Certificates are part of every contract package — on signing, not on request.
Permit verification
37+ projects with BuildZoom-verified permit records. We don't run unpermitted scope on structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work.
Reviews
5.0 stars across 60+ Google reviews. The reviews on our profile name specific scope, specific neighborhoods, and specific outcomes — specificity matters more than star count.
Questions homeowners ask
What does it mean that Gaven is a Florida Certified General Contractor?
A Florida Certified General Contractor is licensed under Chapter 489 to manage virtually any structure scope — structural modifications, multi-trade renovations, additions, and ground-up new construction, statewide. CGC is the highest residential license class (CBC is limited to three stories, CRC to two, Registered to a single jurisdiction). Our number, GCG1524886, is verifiable at MyFloridaLicense.com.
When should I hire a GC vs. hiring trades separately?
Florida allows owner-builder under FS 489.103(7), but for most Miami-Dade and Broward renovations: hire a licensed GC any time the project involves more than one trade, any structural alteration, any HVHZ-rated product, or any flood-zone work that could approach the FEMA SI threshold. The owner-builder exemption requires direct on-site supervision and prohibits sale within one year. The Letter Four case study modeled a $158,000 net overrun on a $1M owner-builder renovation versus a GC-managed budget.
What's the difference between a remodel, an addition, a whole-home renovation, and new construction?
A remodel reconfigures within the existing footprint. An addition increases heated/cooled square footage. A whole-home renovation is interior gut and reconstruction across the full footprint. New construction is demolition (or vacant lot) plus an entirely new building. The legal, tax, and FEMA implications differ significantly — we map which path applies before contract.
How do permit windows differ across the three counties?
Miami-Dade: 2–8 weeks, permits valid 180 days, fees ~0.5% of cost, Notice of Commencement over $2,500. Broward: 3–5 business days simple, 15–30 complex, routing through building/zoning/fire/utilities. Palm Beach: valuation-schedule fees, with a slower-review reputation in Boca Raton. Municipalities like Coral Gables and Miami Beach add architectural review on visible exterior changes.
Do I need separate contractors for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC?
Florida requires specialty licenses for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and roofing regardless of GC tier — but those trades work under the master permit pulled by the GC. On Gaven projects, all four run with our in-house crews under the master permit. You don't contract separately with any of them.
What's the FEMA 50% rule and which services does it affect?
The Substantial Improvement rule (44 CFR § 59.1, via FBC 1612.2) applies to any structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area. When improvement cost reaches 50% of pre-improvement market value (excluding land), the entire structure must be brought to current floodplain standards. It's cumulative across rolling 12-month windows and separate permits — affecting every service if scope is staged across the same window. Pre-construction screening is one of our eight scope categories.
Can one project combine kitchen + addition + whole-home electrical?
Yes — the most common multi-service pattern we run. One project, one master permit, trades sequenced together. Structural engineering for the addition and any kitchen wall removals is done together, electrical sized once for the final state, HVAC redesigned for the new conditioned-zone boundary, and one PM coordinating inspections across every trade.
Do you handle commercial general contractor work?
No. Gaven Constructions is a residential general contractor. Our license authorizes commercial scope, but we don't take it on — every project is residential: kitchens, bathrooms, additions, whole-home remodels, and ground-up single-family or small-format multi-unit. For office, retail, or tenant-improvement work, we'd recommend a commercial GC who specializes in those occupancy classes.
Schedule a site visit
Initial visits cover the eight scope categories — FEMA flood-zone status & structure-only assessed value, roof age, window/door NOA compliance, structural modifications, plumbing supply lines, HVAC age & zoning, tax basis & homestead status, and timeline. We surface the scope-shift triggers before the contract gets written.
Last updated July 2026.