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Projects, common questions, and market perspective for owners, investors, and partners.

Projects, Questions & Market Notes

ProjectThe West Miami Multi-Family — Commercial Multi-Family · West Miami · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Commercial Multi-Family · West Miami

The West Miami Multi-Family

A canal-front West Miami building taken door by door from mismatched and dated to one consistent, lease-ready standard across all eight units.

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ProjectThe Country Walk Residence — Full Luxury Remodel · Country Walk · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Full Luxury Remodel · Country Walk

The Country Walk Residence

A closed-off Country Walk family home opened to a vaulted, light-filled center and finished to a true custom standard.

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ProjectThe Liberty City Flip — Investment · Fix & Flip · Liberty City, Miami · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Investment · Fix & Flip · Liberty City, Miami

The Liberty City Flip

A tired Liberty City single-family rebuilt to the underwriting and delivered list-ready in nine weeks.

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ProjectThe Westchester Value-Add — Investment · Value-Add · Westchester, Miami · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Investment · Value-Add · Westchester, Miami

The Westchester Value-Add

A dark, dated Westchester house renovated and staged in ten weeks so it finally showed the square footage it always had.

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Top QueryPut back, or bring up: what current code adds to the scope of a claim-funded repair — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

Put back, or bring up: what current code adds to the scope of a claim-funded repair

A damage scope is written from what was there. A permit is issued against the code in force the day it is applied for. Where the two disagree, the code wins, the scope moves, and somebody has to explain the difference to whoever is funding the job.

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Top QueryConcealed conditions: what a failed line under the slab does to the scope, the schedule and the next draw — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

Concealed conditions: what a failed line under the slab does to the scope, the schedule and the next draw

Demolition finds what the bid could not see. The price, the sequence, and the schedule of values the job is funded against all have to move, and they have to move in that order. Owners who reach for the price first usually end up revising it twice.

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Market InsightWhat “institutional-grade” construction management actually means — Market Insight · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Market Insight

What “institutional-grade” construction management actually means

“Institutional-grade” gets used loosely. For a builder, it means something specific — and it is the reason a custom home and a commercial project can be run by the same firm.

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Top QueryUnderwriting a value-add renovation: a builder’s perspective — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

Underwriting a value-add renovation: a builder’s perspective

The fastest way to lose money on a value-add is a construction scope that does not match the model. Here is how we keep the two aligned.

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Top QueryWhat does a general contractor actually do on your project? — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

What does a general contractor actually do on your project?

“General contractor” is a familiar title, but the actual job is often misunderstood. Here is what a GC is really responsible for from first meeting to final walkthrough.

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Top QueryPermits in Miami-Dade: what owners should expect — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

Permits in Miami-Dade: what owners should expect

Permitting is the part of a project owners ask about most — and worry about most. Here is a plain-language look at how it works and how we keep it from stalling a job.

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Market InsightBuilding in Miami-Dade’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone — Market Insight · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Market Insight

Building in Miami-Dade’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone

Miami-Dade holds some of the strictest building standards in the country. For owners and investors, that is a cost line — and a protection.

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Top Query9 Remodeling Mistakes Miami Homeowners Make (Before They Even Call a Contractor) — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

9 Remodeling Mistakes Miami Homeowners Make (Before They Even Call a Contractor)

Most remodels that go badly were already in trouble before a residential contractor ever walked the property. These are the decisions Miami-Dade homeowners get wrong in the weeks before anybody signs anything.

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Top QueryThe Permit Shortcut That Could Cost You Your Home Sale — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

The Permit Shortcut That Could Cost You Your Home Sale

Skipping a permit saves nothing on the day it is skipped. The bill arrives years later, at the closing table, when somebody else is holding the leverage.

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Top Query“Unlicensed Handyman” vs. Licensed Contractor: What Actually Goes Wrong — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

“Unlicensed Handyman” vs. Licensed Contractor: What Actually Goes Wrong

“My neighbor’s cousin does this on the side” is how a lot of the worst renovation stories in Miami-Dade begin. The gap between a licensed contractor and an unlicensed one is nearly invisible on day one, and it shows up entirely in who pays when something goes wrong.

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Top QueryWhy Your Contractor’s Lowest Bid Is Usually the Most Expensive One — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

Why Your Contractor’s Lowest Bid Is Usually the Most Expensive One

Bids for the same renovation can land far apart, and homeowners almost always read that spread as a difference in price. It is usually a difference in what got left out.

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Top QueryThe 12 Questions That Separate a Real Contractor From a Fly-By-Night One — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

The 12 Questions That Separate a Real Contractor From a Fly-By-Night One

“How do I know this company is real?” is the question behind every first meeting, and almost nobody asks it out loud. These twelve questions ask it for you.

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Market InsightHurricane-Ready Renovations: What Every South Florida Homeowner Should Upgrade First — Market Insight · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Market Insight

Hurricane-Ready Renovations: What Every South Florida Homeowner Should Upgrade First

You cannot harden an older South Florida house all at once, and you do not have to. What decides how much protection your money buys is the order you do it in — and most owners start in the wrong place.

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Market InsightFlood Zone Remodeling in Miami-Dade: What You Can (and Can’t) Change — Market Insight · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Market Insight

Flood Zone Remodeling in Miami-Dade: What You Can (and Can’t) Change

A flood zone designation does not stop you from renovating. It changes which renovations are simple and which ones bring a second rulebook to the table — and that gets decided before you file a permit, not during.

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Top QueryTerrazzo Under Your Tile: Should You Restore It or Cover It Up? — Top Query · Unique Construction, licensed general contractor in Miami-Dade, FL
Top Query

Terrazzo Under Your Tile: Should You Restore It or Cover It Up?

Pull up the carpet in an older Miami-Dade house and there is a good chance you are standing on terrazzo. Whether that is a floor worth saving or a substrate worth covering is a call you want to make before you shop for finishes.

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