Owner’s rep in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County

What an owner’s rep does that your architect and contractor do not

On a Broward project, the architect works for the design, the contractor works to build what is drawn at a profit, and the building department works for code compliance. Each has a job and each does it. Nobody on that list is paid only to look out for your money and your schedule. That is the owner’s rep.

We sit on your side of the table from the first budget to the last certificate. We do not sell you materials or mark up subcontractors. When the contractor says a change is needed, we check whether it really is, whether it was already in the scope, and whether the price is fair. When the architect’s drawings leave a gap, we catch it before it turns into a change order.

Sal is a Florida Certified General Contractor and holds a Florida plumbing contractor license, and he has built in Southwest Florida and Brooklyn. That matters on the owner’s side because we know where contractors make their margin, how subcontractors price risk, and which items in a bid are soft. We have been on the other side of the conversation.

Choosing a contract type for a Broward project

The contract structure decides who carries the risk of cost overruns. Owners often sign whatever form the contractor sends. We recommend choosing on purpose.

For older Broward buildings where nobody knows what is behind the stucco until it comes off, a cost plus fee contract with a cap on the fee and open books often protects owners better than a lump sum padded with contingency.

Florida lien law and how we protect owners

Florida’s Construction Lien Law gives contractors, subcontractors and suppliers the right to file liens against your property if they are not paid, even if you already paid the general contractor. That is the single most important legal risk an owner faces during construction in Broward, and it is manageable with discipline.

• Notice of Commencement. Recorded before work starts on most permitted projects. It identifies the owner, contractor, lender and others, and it starts the lien timeline.
• Notices to Owner. Subcontractors and suppliers send these to put you on notice that they are working on your project. We keep a log of every one received.
• Lien waivers. With each payment we collect conditional and unconditional waivers from the contractor and from every party that has sent a Notice to Owner.
• Contractor’s final affidavit. Before final payment, the contractor swears who has and has not been paid.

The rules have specific forms and deadlines. Your construction attorney should confirm the requirements for your project. Our job is to make sure no payment leaves your account without the paperwork that protects you.

Building a realistic budget for Fort Lauderdale work

Most budget problems start on day one, when the number in the owner’s head is a construction price and not a project price. A full budget for a Broward project includes:

• Hard costs: the contractor’s price, including general conditions and fee.
• Design fees: architect, MEP engineer, structural engineer and any specialty consultants.
• Permit and impact fees for the city and county, which vary by jurisdiction.
• Testing and inspections: threshold inspections on larger structures, special inspections and materials testing.
• Owner-furnished items: furniture, equipment, IT cabling, security and signage.
• Insurance: builder’s risk, and confirmation of the contractor’s general liability and workers’ compensation.
• Contingency: a design contingency while drawings are incomplete and a construction contingency for unknowns, larger on older buildings.
• Carrying costs: rent, interest and taxes while the work is underway.

Bid leveling in a tight Broward contractor market

South Florida contractors are busy, and good subcontractors can pick their jobs. That shows up in bids. Some contractors bid low and plan to make it back on change orders. Others bid high because they do not really want the job. A third group leaves out whole trades and calls them exclusions.

We put every bid on one spreadsheet, line by line, against the same scope. Where one contractor carries an item and another excludes it, we price the gap. Where allowances are used, we check whether the allowance amount is realistic for the finish you want. We call the contractors with questions before anyone is selected, and the answers go into the contract.

Items we see left out of Broward bids

• Permit fees and the time to get the permit, especially in busier building departments.
• Fire alarm and sprinkler modifications, which often need separate design and permits.
• HVHZ-rated product upgrades when exterior openings change.
• Dumpster, hauling and site protection in buildings with strict landlord rules.
• After-hours work required by downtown towers for noisy demolition.
• Final cleaning, punch list labor and closeout documents.

Repair projects from building safety inspections

Broward’s building safety inspection program requires older buildings to be inspected periodically by an engineer or architect, with structural and electrical findings that must be addressed. For condominium and cooperative buildings three stories and up, the state’s milestone inspection law adds another layer. When an inspection report comes back with required repairs, the owner or association has to get the work designed, permitted and completed within deadlines set by the jurisdiction.

These projects are hard to price because the conditions are hidden. Spalled concrete, corroded rebar and failing balcony slabs often turn out to be larger once the work opens up. We help owners and boards:

1. Read the engineer’s report and separate required work from recommended work.
2. Get a repair design and bid documents with unit prices for items whose quantities are unknown, like square feet of concrete repair.
3. Choose a contract structure, often unit price or cost plus, that pays for what is actually found.
4. Track quantities in the field so the owner pays only for verified repairs.
5. Keep the building department informed and the deadline on track.

Deadlines and rules have changed in recent years. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction and your engineer.

Building through hurricane season

Broward’s hurricane season runs from June through November, and a project of any length will usually pass through at least part of it. We require a written hurricane plan from the contractor: how the site gets secured, what happens to cranes, scaffolding and loose materials, who decides when to stop work, and how quickly crews return. Open roofs and missing windows are the biggest exposure, so we sequence work to get the building dried in before peak season when we can.

Builder’s risk insurance should be in place and its windstorm deductible understood before work starts. Contracts should say how storm delays are handled. Most give the contractor more time, but not more money, for weather. We make sure that is the deal you signed.

Restaurant openings on Las Olas and in Flagler Village

Restaurant projects are where owner’s representation pays off fastest, because the build-out is expensive, the trades are specialized and every week of delay is a week of rent with no revenue. Operators opening on Las Olas or in Flagler Village deal with landlord work letters, health department plan review, fire suppression for the hood, grease interceptor sizing and gas service, all at once.

We start before the lease is signed if we can, walking the space to see what infrastructure exists and what the landlord should deliver. Then we coordinate the kitchen designer, the architect and the MEP engineer so the equipment layout, the plumbing and the exhaust path agree with each other. Sal’s plumbing contractor license helps here: grease waste, floor sinks and water heating are where restaurant plans most often go wrong. During construction we sequence inspections so the final health and fire approvals line up with your opening date.

A hypothetical: an out-of-state owner renovating a Hollywood strip center

This scenario is hypothetical and is included only to show how we approach this kind of assignment.

Picture an owner in New York who buys a small strip center in Hollywood. The roof is near the end of its life, the storefronts are dated, and the parking lot needs resurfacing and restriping. Two tenants want new space built out. The owner cannot be on site.

We would scope each piece of work, decide which can be bid together and which need specialists, and get the roof done first so the building is dry before storm season. We would line up the storefront replacement with HVHZ-approved products early because of lead times, and schedule parking lot work at night or in sections so tenants stay open. The owner would get a weekly written report with photos, a budget tracker and the list of decisions needed. Every pay application would come with lien waivers before money moves.

Owner mistakes we help prevent

1. Hiring on price alone. The lowest bid is often the most expensive project. We compare scope, schedule, staffing and references along with the bottom line.
2. Starting with incomplete drawings. Every gap becomes a change order at the contractor’s price.
3. Paying ahead of progress. Front-loaded pay schedules leave you exposed if the contractor walks. We tie payments to verified work.
4. Skipping lien waivers. One unpaid supplier can cloud your title.
5. Approving changes verbally. Every change gets a written price and time impact before work proceeds.
6. Forgetting closeout. Warranties, as-built drawings, equipment manuals and the certificate of occupancy or completion should be in hand before final payment.

How we charge for owner’s representation in Broward

We price each engagement after we understand the scope. Short assignments, like bid review or a contract read-through, are usually a flat fee. Full projects are a monthly fee through design and construction or a percentage of construction cost. Our fee is set in writing before work starts, and we do not take money from contractors or vendors on your project.

If you want us to run the job day to day as well, see project management in Fort Lauderdale. If you are still finding the space or the property, start with tenant representation or investment sales. To talk about your project, contact us or call 239-256-5005.

When to bring in an owner’s rep

The earlier, the more we can save you. Here is what we add at each stage of a Broward project.

Owners who call us midway through construction still get value, but the biggest savings come from decisions made before the contract is signed.

Permitting across Broward’s many building departments

Broward has dozens of municipalities, and many run their own building departments. Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Plantation and Dania Beach each have their own submittal systems, review queues and inspection scheduling. Unincorporated areas and some county-level reviews add more. A project that sails through one city can sit for weeks in another.

Florida law allows owners to use a private provider for plan review and inspections in place of the local building department’s staff, subject to rules and the department’s oversight. On some projects that saves real time; on others it adds cost without much benefit. We look at the city’s current backlog and your schedule before recommending it. Confirm current rules with the jurisdiction.

Industrial and marine facilities near the port

Warehouse and marine facilities in Dania Beach, Pompano Beach and around Port Everglades bring their own issues: heavy power for equipment, slab and dock repairs, fuel and wash-down areas with environmental rules, and waterfront work that can involve seawalls and outside agency permits. We help owners scope these projects in phases so operations keep running while the work gets done.

Picking the architect and engineers

The design team sets the cost of the project long before a contractor is hired. In Broward we look for architects and engineers who have recent permits in the specific city you are building in, because each department has its own habits and reviewers. For envelope work, the team must be comfortable specifying HVHZ products. For restaurants and medical space, the MEP engineer matters as much as the architect.

We help owners write a clear scope for design services, compare proposals on what is actually included (site visits during construction, permit resubmittals, shop drawing review), and avoid the common trap of a cheap design fee that excludes construction administration. Drawings that are complete and coordinated are the best cost control an owner can buy.

How we report to owners

Every owner gets the same core package, adjusted to the size of the job. A weekly written update with photos and what happened on site. A budget tracker showing the original budget, approved changes, pending changes and remaining contingency. A schedule view that flags anything slipping. A decisions list, so you know exactly what we need from you and by when. Owners who live in New York or elsewhere tell us this is what makes a Broward project manageable from a distance.

Landlord work letters and tenant improvement money

Many Broward projects start inside a lease. The work letter decides who builds what, who picks the contractor, and how the improvement allowance gets paid out. Landlords often pay the allowance only after the work is done and lien releases are delivered, which means the tenant has to fund construction first. We negotiate draws during construction where we can, confirm which items the allowance can cover (design fees, cabling and signage are often argued over), and make sure base building items like restrooms, sprinklers and HVAC are delivered in working order at the landlord’s cost. A work letter read by someone who builds is worth far more than one read only for its legal language.

Starting a conversation about your project

Send us the address, a short description of the work, any drawings or proposals you already have, and your target completion date. We will tell you plainly whether you need a full owner’s rep or just a second set of eyes on a contract.

Closeout, warranties and turnover on Broward projects

The last five percent of a job is where owners lose the most leverage. Once the contractor has most of the contract sum, punch lists drag, attic stock goes missing and the warranty binder never shows up. We plan closeout from the first draw so it does not turn into a fight at the end.

On a typical Fort Lauderdale build-out or renovation we hold retainage until a defined list of items is delivered, not only until the space looks finished. That list usually includes:

• A final inspection or certificate from the building department that actually has jurisdiction, which in Broward can be one of many municipal offices.
• Final lien releases from the general contractor and every subcontractor and supplier who served a notice to owner.
• As-built drawings, equipment submittals and operation manuals for roof units, generators, fire alarm and any marine or industrial equipment.
• Manufacturer warranties registered in the owner’s name, with start dates tied to substantial completion.
• Product approval and installation records for windows, doors and roofing, which insurers and future buyers in South Florida tend to ask for.

We also walk the space with the owner’s property manager before turnover, so the people who will live with the building know where the shutoffs, panels and access points are.

Insurance on the job: builder’s risk, contractor coverage and the owner’s policy

Coastal Broward makes insurance a project issue, not only a property issue. Before work starts we confirm who is carrying builder’s risk, whether it covers windstorm during the construction period, and how it interacts with the owner’s existing property policy. Gaps show up most often on renovations of occupied buildings, where the owner assumes the contractor is covered and the contractor assumes the opposite.

We collect certificates of insurance from the general contractor and key trades, check that the owner and any lender are named as required by the contract, and track expiration dates through the job. For example, on a hypothetical Pompano Beach warehouse roof replacement, we would confirm windstorm coverage for the open roof period and require the contractor’s dry-in plan before tear-off begins. Coverage terms are set by carriers and brokers, so we coordinate with your insurance agent and attorney rather than advise on policy language ourselves. See our Pompano Beach and project management pages for related work.