Frame 01OpeningInterior design-build remodel

Chapter 01 — Why design and build together

A drawing is not a building.

Design-build closes the gap while it is still cheap.

In the traditional arrangement one company designs the space and another prices and builds it. That works, until the drawings meet the building — and then the two parties who could solve the problem are on opposite sides of a contract, with the homeowner in the middle holding both.

Design-build puts the drawing and the construction under one responsibility. Layout, selections, permitting and the actual work belong to the same team, which means buildability, budget and lead time are part of the design conversation rather than discoveries made after it.

That matters most in an existing house, because an existing house is full of things nobody drew — a beam that is not where the plan says, a slab that is not level, a stack that cannot move. The value is not the drawing. It is having the person who will build it in the room while the drawing is still changeable.

Open-plan interior with a large stone-topped island, integrated walnut and white joinery, and a glazed wall opening onto a covered terrace
Island as the organising elementHandleless integrated joineryConcealed strip lightingGlazed wall to the terraceContinuous floor through the plan
Frame 01 · the finished planAnnotations mark what is visible in this frame. Every frame on this page is the same property, photographed on one visit. No city, client, cost or date is claimed for it.
  • Island as the organising elementvisible in this frame
  • Handleless integrated joineryvisible in this frame
  • Concealed strip lightingvisible in this frame
  • Glazed wall to the terracevisible in this frame
  • Continuous floor through the planvisible in this frame
Shown
Open-plan living, dining and kitchen
Scope
Layout, joinery, lighting and finishes
Photographed
One property, one visit
ONE

Contract, one responsibility

Design coordination, permitting and construction sit with one company, so there is no gap between "as drawn" and "as built" for anyone to fall into.

EARLY

Selections drive the programme

Appliances, stone, tile and joinery have lead times that set the schedule. In design-build those decisions happen while they still cost nothing to change.

CBC1265280

Licensed general contractor

Licensed, bonded and insured. The licence holder is accountable for the drawing and for what gets built from it.

Frame 02ScopeWhat is included

Chapter 02 — What design-build actually means

One contract, one accountable team.

Design, permits, construction, handover

Scene 01Discovery

What the space has to do

How you actually use the rooms, what is not working, what has to stay and what the budget genuinely is. Measured survey of the existing building, because an existing house rarely matches the drawings it was built from.

The budget is a design input, not a result.

Scene 02Design
Recessed open shelving lit from within, set between walnut cabinetry and an integrated refrigerator

Layout, then detail

Plan changes first — where walls, openings and services go — then the detail that makes the plan work: joinery, storage, lighting positions and how the elements meet each other. Buildability is checked as the design develops rather than after it.

Layout before finishes, always.

Scene 03Selections
Cooking run with an induction hob set into a stone worktop, a concealed extractor above and handleless cabinetry below

Specified, priced and ordered

Appliances, stone, tile, cabinetry, fittings and paint chosen against the budget and the lead times, then documented so the site is building from a specification rather than a mood board.

A selection without a lead time is not a decision yet.

Scene 04Construction
Island run incorporating temperature-controlled wine storage alongside a stone-clad feature wall

Built by the people who drew it

Permitting, demolition, structural work where required, services, finishes and installation — with the design team still involved, so the answer to "the wall is not where we thought" comes from the people who own the drawing.

The design does not get handed over. It gets built.

Scene 04 is an illustrative diagram. Permitting does not photograph well.

Not sure where design ends and construction begins? Under one contract, it does not.

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Frame 03Project 01, completedOne visit · finished interior

Chapter 03 — One project, one property

A completed interior.

Photographed on one visit

Every frame in this sequence is the same home, photographed on the same visit. It is shown as one project because that is what it is. Use the arrows, the frame ticks, or the left and right arrow keys.

Kitchen island with bar seating in the foreground and the living area beyond, all within one continuous space
01 · One space, several rooms

01 / 05

01 · One space, several rooms

The island sits in the foreground with the living area beyond and no wall between them. Opening a plan like this is a structural decision made at the start, and everything downstream — lighting, flooring, ceiling, air distribution — follows from it.

02 · The wall that is not a wall

A full-height glazed wall to the covered terrace. In South Florida the terrace is a room, and treating the glazing as a threshold between two usable spaces rather than as a window changes how the whole plan is laid out.

03 · Storage as architecture

A full-height run absorbing the ovens and the refrigerator into one plane. Getting appliances into the joinery rather than standing in front of it is a specification decision made early, because the cabinetry is built around the exact models.

04 · The island does the work

A stone island with a waterfall end, bar seating and concealed lighting underneath. In an open plan the island is the organising element — it is the boundary between the kitchen and the living space without being a wall.

05 · Light through the plan

Looking along the island toward the glazing. Because there are no walls between the zones, daylight from one elevation reaches the whole floor — which is usually the real reason people open a plan up.

Want to walk a completed remodel in person? We can arrange it.

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Frame 04The interior, readObserved detail only

Chapter 04 — Reading the interior

What the interior frames show.

Observed on one visit, in one property

It is one continuous space

Across these frames the kitchen, dining and living areas share one floor, one ceiling plane and one material palette. There is no threshold, no change of floor finish and no dropped bulkhead between them. That continuity is the design decision; everything else is detail serving it.

The joinery is doing the design work

Appliances are integrated into full-height runs, the shelving is recessed and lit from within, and the cabinetry is handleless so the elevations read as planes rather than as furniture. That only works if the exact appliance models are known before the joinery is made.

Lighting is built in, not added

Strip lighting runs under the wall units, under the island counter and inside the open shelving. All of it needs wiring routed and switching designed before the plaster goes on, which is a design-stage decision rather than a finishing one.

The island is the plan

It provides preparation space, seating, storage and the boundary between cooking and living. Its length and position determine circulation through the whole floor, and it is the first thing fixed in a layout like this.

Materials visible

Stone or stone-effect worktops with a waterfall end; walnut-toned and matt white cabinet fronts; large-format pale floor tile running throughout; matt black tapware; integrated stainless appliances.

What is not claimed

This is one property photographed on a single visit. No city, client, cost, timeline, product brand or before-and-after pairing is attached to it, because none of that is documented for these frames.

Every remodel starts with what the existing structure will and will not allow.

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Frame 05MaterialsIllustrative · not project photography

Chapter 05 — Finishes, joinery and lighting

What the room is actually made of.

And what each choice asks of you later

Illustrative diagrams

Element

Cabinetry and integrated joinery

Handleless fronts, full-height runs and integrated appliance housings. Joinery is made to the surveyed dimensions of the room and to the exact appliance models, which is why selections have to be fixed before manufacture starts.

UpkeepAdjust hinges and runners occasionally; keep fronts out of standing water.

Material

Worktops and splashbacks

Stone and engineered stone dominate. A waterfall end doubles the material on an island and needs the slab planned so the veining runs continuously around the corner — a templating decision, not a fabrication one.

UpkeepReseal natural stone as recommended; engineered stone needs cleaning only.

System

Integrated lighting

Under-cabinet, under-counter and in-shelf lighting, plus the switching and dimming to control it. Every run needs a cable route and a driver location designed in before the walls close.

UpkeepDrivers are the part that fails; make sure they are accessible.

System

Structure and openings

Opening a plan usually means removing or altering a wall, which is a structural question with a permit attached. In an existing house what is actually holding the roof up is established by survey rather than assumed from a drawing.

UpkeepNothing to maintain — but it is the item that most affects programme.

System

Services and air

Electrical, plumbing and air distribution rerouted to suit the new layout. In an open plan the ceiling has to hide the ducts and still be flat, which is a coordination exercise between three trades.

UpkeepService the air handler on schedule; open plans are less forgiving of poor airflow.

Material

Flooring and continuity

Running one floor finish through the whole plan is what makes an open space read as one room. It also demands a level substrate across a larger area than most remodels touch.

UpkeepKeep grit off large-format tile; it is the main cause of surface wear.

These panels are illustrative diagrams explaining interior remodel systems in general. They are not photographs of Elbaz Construction work, and listing an option here does not mean it was used on the project shown above.

Specification is where budgets move. We will show you where it moves most.

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Frame 06Project 01, in detailSame property · same visit

Chapter 06 — The same interior, closer

Where the detail is.

Same property, same visit

An interior is judged at arm’s length. These are closer reads of the same project — the junctions, the joins and the lighting that decide whether a space feels resolved or merely finished.

Undermount sink set into the stone island worktop with a matt black tap and integrated dishwasher alongside

01Function

The working corner

An undermount sink set into the stone with the dishwasher integrated beside it. Undermount means the worktop cutout is fabricated to the sink, and the join is polished rather than covered — which is a templating decision made weeks before anything is installed.

Preparation run beside the integrated refrigerator, showing the join between the stone worktop and the cabinetry

02Junction

Where worktop meets cabinetry

The line where the stone meets the cabinet run and the integrated refrigerator. These junctions are where an interior either reads as one designed object or as several products installed near each other, and they are resolved on paper first.

Concealed lighting washing down the splashback and under the wall units, with the worktop running unbroken beneath

03Light

Concealed and continuous

Lighting washing down the splashback and under the wall units, with the worktop running unbroken beneath it. Concealed lighting has to be planned at first fix; the cable route, the driver position and the switching all precede the plaster.

Bring us your plans, or your problem, and we will tell you what it takes to build.

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Frame 07ProcessNine stages

Chapter 07 — Nine stages, in order

How a design-build remodel runs.

Consultation to final inspection

Discovery

How you use the space now, what is not working, what has to stay, and an honest conversation about budget before anything is drawn.

You getA licensed contractor, not a designer who will hand you off.

CheckBudget established as a design constraint at the start.

Measured survey

The existing building measured properly, with structure, services and levels recorded. Existing houses rarely match the drawings they were built from.

You getA survey of what is actually there.

CheckStructure and services located before layout work.

Concept and layout

Plan options, circulation, where walls and openings go, and what each space has to do. This is where the most value is added and the least money is spent.

You getOptions to react to, not one take-it-or-leave-it plan.

CheckBuildability checked against the survey as options develop.

Developed design

The chosen layout detailed: joinery, storage, lighting positions, service routes and how materials meet. Enough information to build from and to price accurately.

You getDrawings you can read and a contractor can build.

CheckEvery junction detailed rather than left to site.

Selections and specification

Appliances, stone, tile, cabinetry, fittings and paint chosen against budget and lead time, then documented as a specification.

You getA written specification, with lead times attached.

CheckLong-lead items identified and ordered early.

Permitting

Submission for the work that requires it — structural changes, electrical, plumbing and mechanical — with responses to any review comments handled by us.

You getThe permit file handled, with status you can ask about.

CheckScope of permitted work confirmed before demolition.

Construction

Protection, demolition, structural work, services, substrates and finishes, sequenced so trades are not undoing each other’s work.

You getOne point of contact and a programme you can see.

CheckMilestone walk-throughs recorded, not just held.

Installation and inspections

Joinery, stone templating and installation, appliances, fittings and lighting, with the inspection sequence running alongside.

You getStone templated to the built room, not pre-cut.

CheckWork checked internally before an inspector is called.

Snagging and handover

Punch list, commissioning, final clean, and the documentation and warranties for everything installed.

You getA finished interior and the paperwork behind it.

CheckPunch list signed off item by item, with you present.

One team designs it, permits it and builds it. Nobody hands you off.

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Frame 08ApprovalsPlanning, permits, inspections

Chapter 08 — What an interior remodel actually needs

Permits, structure and buildings.

Scope-dependent, and worth knowing early

Interior work sits on a spectrum. Replacing finishes usually needs nothing; moving a wall, a stack or a panel needs a permit and sometimes an engineer. The honest answer depends on scope, so we establish it before design goes far.

Finishes alone are often exempt

Replacing cabinetry, worktops, tile and paint without moving services or structure commonly needs no building permit. We will say so rather than invent one.

Moving services is permitted work

Relocating plumbing, altering electrical circuits or changing mechanical layout is permitted work with inspections — and those inspections happen before anything is closed up.

Removing a wall is structural

Any wall removal has to establish first whether the wall is load-bearing. If it is, the replacement beam and its bearings are engineered, and that changes both the permit and the programme.

Existing conditions rarely match drawings

In an existing house the structure, the services and the levels are established by survey. This is the single most common source of mid-project change, and it is why the survey happens before design rather than after.

Condominium approval

Most associations require approval for interior work, proof of contractor licence and insurance, restricted work hours and lift bookings. That process runs on its own calendar alongside the building department.

Sound and floor coverings

Many associations specify acoustic requirements for hard flooring above ground level. Where that applies it can rule out an assembly you have already chosen.

Air and ventilation

Opening a plan changes how air moves through it. Where the existing system cannot serve the new layout, that is a design item rather than something to discover in August.

Lead times as a constraint

Cabinetry, stone and appliances are made or ordered to specification. Lead time functions exactly like an approval: it sets when work can start, and it is planned for at the same point.

Inspections

Where work is permitted, rough-in and final inspections gate the stages of work and are scheduled into the programme.

Closeout

Sign-offs, product documentation, warranties and care guidance for everything installed, handed over as a set.

Permit requirements vary by municipality, by building and by scope. Nothing here is a determination for your property — we confirm what applies before design commits to something that needs an approval you did not know about.

Moving walls and services brings inspections. Let us look at your drawings.

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Frame 09VariablesCost · programme · decisions

Chapter 09 — What moves the number

Cost, programme and the decisions behind both.

Scope, structure, and how much you move

Fewer variables

Finishes-led

The layout stays as it is. New cabinetry, worktops, flooring, lighting and paint within the existing plan and service positions.

  • No structural change
  • Services stay where they are
  • Often no building permit
  • Lead times drive the programme
The usual shape of these jobs

Layout changes

Non-structural walls moved or removed, services relocated, and the plan genuinely reorganised around how the space is used.

  • Plumbing and electrical relocated
  • Permitted work with inspections
  • Ceiling and air distribution reworked
  • Whole-floor finishes for continuity
More moving parts

Open-plan conversion

A load-bearing wall removed to open the plan, with the structure replaced and the services and ceiling redesigned around it.

  • Structural engineering and a beam
  • Temporary support during the work
  • Larger permit scope and inspection sequence
  • Air distribution redesigned for one space

Structural change

Removing a load-bearing wall brings engineering, temporary support and a larger permit into the job.

Service relocation

Moving plumbing and electrical is straightforward in principle and real work in practice, especially on a slab.

Cabinetry specification

Made-to-measure integrated joinery sits well above modular cabinetry, and is where most interior budgets actually go.

Worktop material

Stone choice, slab count and details like a waterfall end change the number more than the square footage does.

Appliance package

Integrated appliances need specific housings, which ties the cabinetry to the appliance decision.

Extent of finishes

Running one floor and one palette through the whole level costs more than treating rooms separately, and is what makes it read as one space.

Existing conditions

Level substrates, sound structure and accessible services cannot be assumed in an older house.

Building constraints

Condominium hours, lift bookings and access routes lengthen programmes in ways that are easy to underestimate.

We do not publish a price for interior remodels, because "interior remodel" covers everything from new cabinetry in an existing layout to taking a wall out and rebuilding the services around it. What we will do early is tell you which of those you are actually contemplating, and what the structural question is worth, before you spend money on a design that assumes an answer. Selections and construction are priced as separate lines so you can see which decisions are driving the number.

For a number specific to your home, we need to see the space and the scope.

Schedule a Consultation Call (754) 236-0675
Frame 10Sequence of workIllustrative diagram

Chapter 10 — The order of work

How a design-build remodel runs.

Design to handover

Illustrative diagram

Stage 01

Survey and design

Measure the existing building, establish structure and services, and develop the layout against a real budget.

Stage 02

Selections and permits

Specify and order long-lead items, and submit for whatever the scope requires.

Stage 03

Protection and demolition

Protect the route and the rooms that stay, then strip out what is going.

Stage 04

Structure

Any wall removal, beam installation and temporary support, inspected before it is covered.

Stage 05

Services rough-in

Plumbing, electrical and mechanical reworked to the new layout and inspected before closing up.

Stage 06

Substrates and finishes

Board, plaster, levelling, then flooring, tiling and paint in the order that keeps finished work out of the way.

Stage 07

Joinery, stone and appliances

Cabinetry installed, stone templated to the built room and fitted, then appliances, fittings and lighting.

Stage 08

Snag and hand over

Punch list, commissioning, final clean, documentation and warranties.

An illustrative diagram of the general order of work on an interior design-build remodel. It is not a photograph of a project, and the sequence varies with scope, structure and building rules.

If you already have drawings, we start by reading them.

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Frame 11On siteWhat to expect while it happens

Chapter 11 — Living through a remodel

Inside the work.

Assembled from the frames above

Frame 11 · on siteBuilt from the same interior frames used in the galleries on this page — genuine work, moved rather than invented. Nothing here is stock footage.

Rooms come out of useAn interior remodel takes the affected rooms, and usually the route through them, out of use for the duration. We agree which parts of the house stay live before starting.
Kitchens and cookingIf the kitchen is in scope, plan for a temporary arrangement. It is easier to set one up in advance than to improvise in week two.
Dust and protectionContainment, floor protection and a defined route in and out go up before demolition, not after the first complaint.
Decisions we need earlyAppliances by model, stone by slab, tile by batch. These drive joinery manufacture and cannot be deferred without moving the finish date.
The quiet weeksBetween joinery installation and stone templating there is a pause while the stone is cut to the room as built. That gap is in the programme, not a delay.
InspectionsWhere work is permitted, rough-in and final inspections gate the stages and are scheduled in.
HandoverSnag list closed with you, systems and appliances demonstrated, and the documentation handed over as a set.

Ready to see what this would look like in your home?

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Frame 12QuestionsFAQ and credentials

Chapter 12 — Questions, and why us

What people ask before they remodel.

Grouped so you can find yours

Design-build

One company is responsible for the design and for building it. In practice that means buildability and budget are part of the design conversation, and when the building turns out to differ from the drawing there is no gap between two firms for the problem to sit in.

Yes, and we work that way regularly. Design-build is an option rather than a condition — what matters is that somebody is coordinating the drawing with what is actually on site.

No. But the design will be produced with construction in mind, which is the point — you should end up with something buildable at a number you have seen.

Scope and structure

Sometimes, and the first question is always whether it is load-bearing. If it is, it can usually still go, but a beam and its bearings have to be engineered and the permit scope grows. That is established by survey before design commits to it.

It depends on scope. Replacing finishes without touching services or structure commonly needs nothing. Moving plumbing or electrical, or altering structure, is permitted work with inspections. We establish which you are in early.

Selections

Earlier than most people expect. Cabinetry is manufactured to the appliance models and the surveyed room, and stone is templated to the installed cabinetry. Late selections do not delay the decision — they delay the finish date.

Because it is cut to the room as built rather than as drawn. Templating after the cabinetry is in is what produces a worktop that fits properly, and it is why there is a pause between those two stages.

Living through it

Usually yes, if the work is contained to part of the house and there is a working bathroom and a temporary kitchen arrangement. On a whole-floor remodel it is worth discussing honestly rather than assuming.

Design and selections often take as long as construction, and lead times sit between them. We give a programme once the scope and the selections are fixed, because a timeline given before that is a guess.

Condominiums

Association approval, proof of licence and insurance, restricted work hours, lift bookings and often acoustic requirements for hard flooring. All of it is workable and all of it lengthens the programme, so it is planned for rather than discovered.

Value

Layout changes that genuinely improve how a house works, and quality in the things that are used daily — storage, lighting, worktops. Decorative choices date fastest; spatial ones rarely do.

Aftercare

It goes on the punch list and gets fixed. The licence holder is accountable for the work, and warranty documentation for everything installed is handed over at closeout rather than chased later.

Still have questions? Talk to the team that will design it and build it.

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Frame 13ReviewsGoogle

Chapter 13 — What clients said

Reviews, quoted as written.

Rated 4.8 from 343 Google reviews at the time of writing.

Frame R1ReviewGoogle
Elbaz Construction provided excellent service and outstanding craftsmanship. The team was professional and attentive to our needs. We’re extremely satisfied with the results!

Damian NunezGoogle review

Frame R2ReviewGoogle
Great experience! The team was professional, efficient, and delivered high-quality work on time. They communicated clearly throughout the project and exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend for any construction needs!

AndrewGoogle review

Frame R3ReviewGoogle
Highly recommended for any bathroom or kitchen projects! Raz is very knowledgeable at this field and gave us wonderful ideas for the design. It was done in a timely manner. Thank you !!

Valerie CisnerosGoogle review

Read every review on Google, unedited.

See all Google reviews

Service Areas

Proudly serving homeowners across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach

(754) 236-0675

104 municipalities across three counties — and we hold the licence to build in all of them. Not sure about your address? Ask us.

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Preferred contact method

We use your details only to respond to this enquiry. No lists, no resale.

Thanks — that came through.

Your enquiry is with the Elbaz Construction team. A licensed contractor will call you back to ask about the lot, the drawings and your timing. If it is easier to talk now, call (754) 236-0675, Sunday to Friday 7am to 7pm.

Frame 14StartConsultation, not a sales visit

Chapter 14 — Start here

Tell us about the house.

A design conversation, not a sales visit

The most useful first conversation covers three things: what is not working about the space now, roughly what you want to spend, and whether you think a wall needs to move. The third one is the question that changes everything else, and it is answerable early.

Request an estimate Call (754) 236-0675

What happens after you send it

01
We read what you sendYour description, photographs of the rooms, and a plan if you have one.
02
We call you backA licensed contractor, to ask what the space has to do and what the budget actually is.
03
We survey the propertyMeasurements, structure, services and levels — what is really there, not what the original drawings said.
04
You get it in writingA scope separating design, selections and construction, with allowances named.

Useful to have ready

  • Which rooms are involved
  • What is not working about the space now
  • Whether you think a wall needs to move
  • A rough budget range you are comfortable with
  • Whether you are in a condominium or an HOA community