Read the declaration first
What the unit owner controls, what the association controls, and what needs written approval. This is established before anything is designed, not after it is drawn.
Condo renovation
In a condo, the building is a second client.
You are not only remodelling a home. You are working inside somebody else's structure, above somebody else's ceiling, and under a set of rules that has as much say over the programme as the drawings do.
Every condominium has a declaration and a set of rules, and those documents decide what may be altered, what has to be approved first, and what is simply not yours to change. Risers, stacks, structural elements and often the windows and doors are common or limited common elements — they belong to the association, not to the unit.
Then there is the practical layer, which is what actually sets the programme: approved working hours, elevator booking, protection of the lobby and corridors, where a skip may stand, how material comes up, and the insurance certificates the association wants from every trade before anyone is let in.
None of this makes condo work harder to build. It makes it harder to start, and it is the reason a condo job goes wrong at the front end far more often than at the finishing stage. We do the approvals and the building liaison first, as work, not as an afterthought.
For the Florida rules behind each approval, read our guide to condo renovation approvals and permits.
CBC1265280Florida certified building contractor. Licensed, bonded and insured.
3 countiesMiami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach — 104 municipalities.
4.8 / 348Average rating across Google reviews.
Two approvalsThe association's and the municipality's. Both are handled here.
How we work
Six things that decide whether a condo job runs.
Association submission as a work item
Drawings, scope, contractor licence and insurance, and the alteration agreement. Boards meet on their own schedule, which the programme has to respect.
Access, hours and protection
Service elevator, route in, corridor and lift protection, permitted hours and the rules on noisy work. Getting this wrong is how a job gets stopped by a neighbour.
Sound between units
Most declarations set a minimum acoustic rating for hard flooring over occupied space. The underlay and the detail at the perimeter are how that is actually met.
Wet areas over other people
Waterproofing in a condo protects the home below as well as yours. It is detailed and tested as if a leak were certain, because a leak here is somebody else's ceiling.
Risers, stacks and what cannot move
Where the existing services are, what may be connected to them, and which walls are not yours to take out. Layout options follow from that, not the other way round.
Kitchen & living · 01
An open-plan interior, rebuilt
An open-plan kitchen and living space after remodelling, with the island set square to the run.
1 / 12
What the photographs show
Why the layout question comes after the services question
The kitchen above is open to the living space, which is the change most owners want. Whether it is available to you depends on what is in the wall you would be taking out and whether that wall is yours — and in a condominium those two questions have different answers than they do in a house.
Plumbing is the usual constraint. A unit connects to a stack that serves the whole column of homes, and how far a fitting can move from it is set by the fall available within the floor build-up, not by preference. That is why condo kitchens and bathrooms are planned outward from the existing services rather than drawn first.
In a house, the plan drives the services. In a condo, the services drive the plan.
The bathroom above shows the other half of the discipline: a wet room built above somebody else's ceiling. Everything about the waterproofing, the falls and the perimeter detail is done on the assumption that it will one day be tested by an overflow, because a failure here does not stay inside your home.
| Rooms shown | An open-plan kitchen and living space, and a bathroom |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Handleless fronts, walnut wall units, large-format porcelain worktops |
| Bathroom | Large-format wall tile, glass screens, matt black brassware, patterned floor |
| Common to both | Full strip-out, new services within the permitted envelope, new finishes |
| Not documented | Building type, address, client, dates and cost |
Described only from what is visible in the photography. These are Elbaz interior remodels; the image sets do not document whether the properties are condominiums, so this page does not say that they are.
Detail
Six decisions that matter more in a condominium
Opening up
Which wall can actually go
Removing a wall between a kitchen and a living space is the single most requested change, and in a condominium it is the one most likely to be constrained. The wall may be structural, it may carry the stack or the building's risers, and it may simply be a common element. All three are established from the building's drawings and a site survey before a layout is proposed, so nobody designs around an opening that was never available.
Waterproofing
Because there is a home below
Tanking, falls and the detail at the threshold are specified as though a failure were certain. In a stacked building, it is somebody else's ceiling.
Extract and services
Where the air and the waste go
Cooker extract, bathroom ventilation and waste connections all terminate somewhere the association controls. That is settled before cabinetry is drawn.
Floor build-up
Sound and level
Acoustic underlay, threshold heights and how the new floor meets the existing corridor level. The rating is a property of the whole assembly.
Getting it in
Lift, corridor, unit door
Slab sizes, appliance widths and cabinetry runs are checked against the service lift and the door openings before anything is ordered.
Living through it
Or not living through it
Whether you stay changes the sequence, the protection and the programme. Both ways work; they are different jobs.
Common questions
Condo renovation questions
What South Florida condominium owners ask before starting work in their unit.
Almost always. Florida's Condominium Act bars a unit owner from doing anything that would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements (section 718.113(3)), and most declarations require written approval before work starts, with drawings, a scope, and the contractor's licence and insurance. Your declaration and rules are the authority, and they differ from building to building.
Yes, where the work is permittable. Association approval and a municipal building permit are separate things, and you generally need both. Neither substitutes for the other. Florida's under-$7,500 permit exemption (HB 803, in force since July 1, 2026) applies only to single-family dwellings, so it does not help in a condo.
Sometimes. It depends on whether the wall is structural, whether it carries building services, and whether it is a common element. We establish that from the building drawings and a survey before proposing a layout.
Within limits. Waste connects to a stack that serves the whole column of units, and how far a fitting can travel from it depends on the fall available in the floor build-up. Small moves are usually fine; wholesale relocation often is not.
Most buildings set a minimum acoustic rating for hard floors over occupied units. That rating comes from the whole assembly — floor, underlay and perimeter detail — so it is specified as an assembly, not chosen as a product.
Often the windows, doors and balconies are common or limited common elements, which means the association controls the specification and sometimes the programme. It is checked against the declaration first.
It depends on the board's meeting schedule and on how complete the submission is. The controllable half is the submission; we make it complete first time so it is not deferred to the following meeting.
Sometimes, for a limited scope. Full strip-outs, floor replacement and anything involving the only bathroom usually mean moving out. It is a scheduling decision, and it changes the cost either way.
Buildings restrict working hours and noisy work specifically. We schedule demolition and cutting into those windows, and we tell the neighbours before rather than after.
Yes. The submission, the alteration agreement, the insurance certificates naming the association, and the liaison with building management are part of the job, not something handed back to you.
Thanks — that came through.
Your details are with the Elbaz Construction team and we will come back to you, usually the same or next working day. If it is urgent, call (754) 236-0675.
Bathroom · 02
A bathroom taken back to the walls
How the work runs
From declaration to a finished unit
01
Read the rules
Declaration, house rules and alteration policy, plus the building's drawings where they are available.
02
Survey
Measured survey of the unit, plus where the services actually run — which is not always where the drawings say.
03
Feasible layout
A layout that works within what is structurally and contractually available, rather than one that has to be unwound later.
04
Association submission
Drawings, scope, licence, insurance and the alteration agreement, submitted complete.
05
Municipal permit
Permit application to the city or county, and any review comments answered.
06
Logistics plan
Elevator booking, route, protection, waste, hours and trade access agreed with building management.
07
Strip-out
Demolition inside the permitted envelope, scheduled into the building's noise windows.
08
Services and waterproofing
First fix within the available connections; wet areas tanked and checked before anything covers them.
09
Finishes
Floors on their acoustic build-up, joinery, tiling, brassware and decoration.
10
Inspections and close-out
Municipal inspections, association sign-off, snagging and handover.
Which approvals apply, which inspections a scope triggers and how long a board takes depend on your building and your municipality. We confirm them for your unit rather than working from a general rule, and we do not publish review durations.
Building rules
The six rules that shape nearly every condo job
Alteration approval
Most declarations require written approval before work starts, usually with drawings, a scope, the contractor's licence and insurance, and a signed alteration agreement. Approval is a milestone with a date, not a formality.
Working hours and noise
Buildings commonly restrict which hours work may happen in, and restrict noisy work further still. Demolition and tile cutting are usually the constrained items.
Access and the service elevator
Deliveries and waste generally go through a booked service elevator on a defined route, with lift and corridor protection in place. Booking is finite and shared.
Floor covering and sound
Hard flooring over occupied units is typically allowed only above a minimum acoustic rating. The rating comes from the assembly — floor, underlay and perimeter — not from the tile alone.
Common elements
Risers, stacks, structural slabs and walls, and frequently the windows, doors and balconies are the association's, not the unit's. What you may do to them is defined by the declaration.
Insurance and contractor vetting
Certificates naming the association as additional insured, licence verification, and sometimes a deposit against damage to common areas.
This describes what condominium associations in South Florida commonly control. Your building's declaration and rules are the authority for your unit, and they differ building to building — we read yours rather than assuming, and nothing here should be read as legal advice.
Budget
What moves a condo number
01
Scope: kitchens and bathrooms
Wet rooms and kitchens carry the services, the waterproofing and the joinery. They dominate a unit budget whatever the floor area.
Highest impact
02
What the building allows
A layout that has to work around a stack, a structural wall or a common element costs differently from one that does not. This is set before design, not during it.
High impact
03
Access and logistics
Service lift slots, protection, restricted hours and carrying material through a building all cost labour that a house job simply does not have.
High, and specific to condos
04
Floor build-up and sound
Acoustic underlay, levelling and thresholds across the whole unit, driven by the building's rating requirement.
Moderate
05
Specification of finishes
Tile, joinery, brassware and stone. The one line an owner can move up or down freely.
Moderate, and yours to control
06
Approvals and documentation
Drawings, association submission, permit and insurance. Small in cost, decisive in programme.
Lower, but on the critical path
The bars show the relative weight these factors typically carry against one another on condominium work. They are not prices, percentages of a budget, or a quotation, and the order can change in any individual building.
Google reviews
What clients said on Google
4.8
★★★★★
If you are planning to remodel your kitchen or bathroom or do any other construction project, call Sean from Elbaz Construction . He has a lot of experience and will recommend the best options/ suggestions to your project. He did high quality job !
★★★★★
Elbaz Construction provided excellent service and outstanding craftsmanship. The team was professional and attentive to our needs. We’re extremely satisfied with the results!
★★★★★
We had a good time dealing with Asher and the crew, he went over and above all our expectations and made every effort to ensure that the end result was up to their high standards. Thank you !!
★★★★★
Asher was knowledgeable and gave us cool ideas that we didn't even know before. Nice beautiful color and design. We appreciate the price !
★★★★★
Asher has a lot of experience . We replaced our windows to energy efficient windows. He got down to business right away and did high quality work. His team is very professional! Thanks again
★★★★★
I give them a five star rating not only for their excellent roofing skills and timelines, but also for their competitive pricing and the honesty and professionalism of the team !! We are very pleased with the outcome
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Project files
Kitchen and baths, photographed finished.
One open kitchen and two compact bathrooms from separate jobs. The photos are not identified as condo units; they show the finishes that fit small, shared-building rooms.
3Projects shown
31Photos
PROJECT 01
White shaker kitchen with island and lit glass uppers
A white shaker kitchen with a quartz island, metal stools and three glass pendants over hardwood flooring. The glass-front uppers are lit from inside, and the range wall has a stainless hood, gas cooktop and wall oven. It is a finished open kitchen; the photos do not identify it as a condo unit.
Scope of work
- White shaker cabinets with lit glass-front uppers
- Quartz island with seating on one side
- Stainless hood over a gas cooktop
- Wall oven and double oven in the cabinet run
- Window sink on the outer wall
- Hardwood flooring and under-cabinet lighting
Materials & finishes
White shaker cabinetsQuartz countersGlass-front uppersGlass pendantsStainless hoodHardwood flooring
What to look for in the photos
Look at the range wall. A hood has to vent somewhere, and in a multi-unit building the route is a planning decision. Then look at the island: stools on one side leave a clear walkway.
Elbaz Construction project photo · 10 photos
PROJECT 02
Compact bath with wave tile and floating vanity
A narrow bathroom with a glass shower in beige wave-texture tile, a recessed niche and a tiled bench. The floating walnut vanity carries a granite top and a hammered-metal vessel sink under a backlit mirror. A narrow room like this rewards careful planning of the shower, bench and vanity depth.
Scope of work
- Frameless glass walk-in shower
- Wave-texture wall tile with recessed niche
- Tiled shower bench
- Floating walnut vanity with granite top
- Backlit mirror above the vessel sink
- Crown molding in the narrow room
Materials & finishes
Wave-texture tileFrameless glassWalnut vanityGranite topHammered metal sinkBacklit mirror
What to look for in the photos
Look at how much the floating vanity leaves open at floor level. In a narrow bath, a visible floor makes the room read wider than it is.
Elbaz Construction project photo · 6 photos
PROJECT 03
Small bath with oak vanity and marble-look shower
A small bathroom with a fluted light-oak vanity, black faucet and an LED medicine cabinet. The shower is marble-look porcelain with a black round rain head, a handheld, a recessed niche, grab bars and a frameless sliding glass door with black hardware.
Scope of work
- Fluted oak vanity with LED medicine cabinet
- Marble-look porcelain shower walls
- Frameless sliding glass door with black hardware
- Rain head and handheld shower
- Recessed shower niche
- Grab bars in the shower and black floating shelves
Materials & finishes
Fluted oak vanityMarble-look porcelainBlack fixturesFrameless glassLED medicine cabinetBlack wood shelves
What to look for in the photos
Look at the sliding glass door: it saves the swing space a hinged door needs. Then find the grab bars, which are placed to look like part of the design.
Elbaz Construction project photo · 8 photos
By the numbers
What a condo job is made of.
Typical shares and a typical sequence. Building rules move both more than the finishes do.
Where a typical condo remodel budget goes
- Cabinets and counters22%
- Tile, floors, underlayment18%
- Plumbing and electrical18%
- Demolition, hauling, protection10%
- Drywall, paint, trim10%
- Appliances and fixtures12%
- Paperwork, permits, building fees10%
Typical shares only; building rules and finish level move them.
A typical condo sequence, in weeks
Declaration and plan review
Association and city approval
Ordering and elevator booking
Demolition and rough-in
Cabinets, tile and floors
Fixtures, paint, punch list
Building close-out
Week 0Week 12Week 24
Approvals run first; your submissions and selections gate the marked phases.
Drawn out
Three diagrams for a condo unit.
The order of work, what sits under a tile floor and what sits behind shower tile.
Approvals before ordering
In a building, approvals come before ordering and ordering comes before demolition. The sequence is fixed by the association and the city.
Tile over a concrete slab
Tile on a slab sits on a bonded setting bed, often over a sound-control layer. The layers decide how the floor feels and how much noise reaches the unit below.
Behind the shower tile
A waterproof membrane sits behind the shower tile, not in it. In a building, a leak here reaches the neighbors below.
Scope planner
Size up your unit.
Four questions give a rough sense of the weeks on site and the trades a condo job brings.
Finishes
Close-ups worth a second look.
Seven detail views from the three projects above.
More questions
Insurance, slabs and the elevator.
The practical questions a condo building raises before the first day on site.
Ask us directlyWhat insurance does the building ask a contractor to carry?
Most buildings require a certificate of insurance before work starts, naming the association and management company as additional insureds. Typical requirements are general liability and workers' compensation, with limits the building sets. Send us the building's requirements early, and we will have the certificate issued to match.
How do materials and debris get in and out of the building?
Almost every building has rules for this: a reserved elevator time, protected pads or wraps, set delivery windows and a route that avoids lobbies. We plan deliveries and debris hauling around those rules, which also means ordering and receiving are batched. Materials arrive when they are needed, not all at once.
Where can a kitchen range hood vent in a condo?
The building decides. A hood usually needs a duct to the exterior, and that route may be limited by the slab, the structure and the facade. Some buildings only allow a recirculating hood. Ask for the rule in writing before choosing a hood, because a bad choice can mean redesigning the cabinets.
Will the water be shut off for the whole building?
Usually not. Most units have a shutoff valve, though in some buildings it is only at the riser, which affects other units. We schedule the shutoff with management, give neighbors notice and keep the time as short as we can. Work that needs a riser shutoff is planned in one visit.
What happens if a leak during the work reaches the unit below?
The contractor's liability insurance is there for this, along with your own owner policy. We reduce the risk by testing shower pans, checking supply lines under pressure and shutting valves at the end of each day. If a leak does happen, we stop work, tell management at once and begin drying.
Can the air handler in my unit be moved or upgraded?
Often, yes, but it depends on the building. The unit's condenser, refrigerant lines and condensate drain are usually governed by building rules, so approval comes first. Moving the air handler also means moving ducts and a mechanical permit. We confirm what the building allows before the layout depends on it.
Do post-tension cables in the slab affect cutting or drilling?
Yes. Many Florida condominium slabs contain post-tension cables, and cutting one is dangerous and expensive to repair. Before any coring, anchoring or chipping into a slab, the slab is scanned with ground-penetrating radar or x-ray, and the locations are marked. We do not core into a slab without that scan.
Does the association inspect the finished unit?
Some do. Many buildings ask for a close-out walk-through, a copy of the final city inspection and any warranty or product documents. Some also release a deposit afterward. We keep the permit records, inspection sign-offs and product details organized so the close-out is a handover, not a search.
Service Areas
Proudly serving homeowners across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
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104 municipalities across three counties — and we hold the licence to build in all of them. Not sure about your address? Ask us.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
Cost guide
How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a House in 2025?
What a whole-property scope costs, and which lines move.
Value
How Much Will My Home Be Worth After a Remodel?
How a remodelled unit tends to weigh in a South Florida valuation.
Scope
Renovation vs Remodel: What's the Difference?
The distinction matters in a condo, because it changes which approvals apply.
ResidentialWhole-Home RenovationResidentialInterior Design-Build RemodelResidentialFull-Service Home RenovationResidentialAging-in-Place & Universal DesignPlanningHOA & Historic District ApprovalPlanningResidential Permit ExpeditingCommercialMulti-Family Common Area RenovationFlooringKitchen & Bathroom Flooring
Thanks — that came through.
Your details are with the Elbaz Construction team and we will come back to you, usually the same or next working day. If it is urgent, call (754) 236-0675.
Next step
Start with your declaration, not a moodboard
Send us the building rules and the alteration policy. We will tell you what is available in your unit before anyone draws anything.
