Additions & Structural
Home additions, second stories, structural modifications, and open-concept conversions — engineered, permitted, and seamlessly integrated.
More space, structurally sound.
Additions and structural work are unforgiving — they have to be engineered correctly, permitted properly, and tied into the existing structure so well that the seam disappears. That is exactly the kind of complexity our team is built for.
From load-bearing wall removal and new beam work to open-concept conversions and full second-story additions, we handle the engineering coordination, permitting, and construction as one accountable scope.
Scope of Work
- Home & room additions
- Second-story additions
- Load-bearing wall removal
- Structural beam & steel
- Open-concept conversions
- Garage & ADU conversions
- Foundation & slab work
- Engineering coordination
Explore a Specific Additions & Structural Service
“Remodeled 3 rooms, added a bathroom, and a small kitchen. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. They listened to what I wanted and delivered. Yes, I would recommend. They did things that I didn't know I needed or wanted like they made sure to clean up and leave everything orderly for the next day. Removed piles of trash in a timely manner. It's the little things that go a long way like closing the gate behind them whenever they entered and left. Responded to my every call and explained in detail whenever I had a question. Very professional at all times. Made me feel like I can trust them. I'm highly satisfied with the work completed and I am looking forward to my next project.”
Key Takeaways
- 01
The permit is the routine part. The load path is the engineering, and a beam somebody estimated instead of engineering shows up later as a flexing floor and doors upstairs that stop closing.
- 02
Zoning usually answers up-or-out before the budget gets a vote. Setbacks and lot coverage decide what is legal to build; the existing structure decides what is affordable to build.
- 03
The first deliverable on an addition verifies what already exists. The design comes after that, because two houses on the same street can give different answers about what they will carry.
What Miami Owners Ask About Additions & Structural
Direct answers to the questions we field most often on additions & structural work in Miami-Dade and Broward.
Do I need a permit to remove a load-bearing wall in Miami-Dade?
Yes. Removing a load-bearing wall is structural work that requires a permit and engineered drawings in Miami-Dade. Whatever the wall carries has to be picked up by a beam and delivered down through posts to a footing sized to take it, so Unique Construction coordinates the engineering, pulls the structural permit, and carries the job through inspection.
Before the wall comes out, what it carries has to be held up temporarily while the beam and its posts go in. What sits under those posts decides as much as the beam does — a post landing on a slab that was never poured to take a point load needs a footing built under it, so the engineer looks below the floor as well as above it.
The other thing the drawings settle is whether the beam hangs below the ceiling or sits flush inside it. Flush is what most owners picture, and it is also what forces the ductwork, wiring and any plumbing in that ceiling to move — which is the work that turns a wall removal into a room.
Is it better to build up or out on a Miami-Dade lot?
It depends on your lot, not on cost alone. Unique Construction evaluates setbacks, lot coverage limits, and what the existing foundation and walls can carry before recommending a ground-floor addition or a second story, because zoning frequently decides the answer before budget does.
Building out is structurally simpler but consumes yard and runs into setback and lot-coverage limits on the tighter lots common across Miami-Dade. Building up preserves the yard but has to be carried by a structure that was never drawn for another floor.
That is why the first deliverable on an addition is verification of what actually exists — not a design.
Can you add a second story to an existing Miami house?
In many cases yes, provided zoning permits the height and the existing foundation and walls can carry the new load or be reinforced to do so. Unique Construction begins second-story additions with a structural capacity review before any design work is committed.
Older Miami-Dade homes vary enormously in what they were built to carry, and two houses on the same street can give different answers. The review tells you whether you are adding a floor or effectively rebuilding to support one.
Once feasibility is settled, the rest is coordination: engineering, permitting, a stair that works with the existing plan, and a weather plan for the period the roof is off.
Have a Additions & Structural project?
Tell us the scope. We’ll come back with a real plan and a real number.