Services · Preconstruction Services
Preconstruction: Find the Problems While They Are Cheap
Every expensive surprise on a commercial project was knowable earlier. Preconstruction is the deliberate act of going looking for those surprises while the only cost of finding one is a redrawn detail.
Send a floor plan, a lease exhibit, or a landlord work letter. We come back with a real number and the assumptions behind it.
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Florida counties Romco Builders is licensed to build in.
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Home counties on this desk: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
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Principals run the firm. There is no account-manager layer between you and them.
Self-perform
Dewatering, support of excavation and deep foundations we do with our own people.
Why this matters
What it costs to do nothing
Projects that skip preconstruction do not save money; they move the discovery to the most expensive possible moment. A base-building capacity limit found at plan review costs a redesign. Found after demolition, it costs a redesign plus idle trades plus a rent commencement date you cannot move. The pattern is consistent enough to plan around.
Why clients choose us for preconstruction services
- Budget validation against real, current South Florida subcontractor pricing — not a national square-foot average that ignores what this market is charging this quarter.
- Constructability review of the drawing set: where the architect’s intent and the existing building disagree, listed with what each conflict costs to resolve.
- Permitting strategy. Which jurisdiction, which reviews, which sequence, which items are the long poles. The answer differs between Miami, Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale, and we say how.
- Value engineering that names the trade-off. We tell you what a substitution saves and what it costs you in durability, maintenance or appearance, and then you choose.
The practical answer
A preconstruction engagement typically produces: a line-item budget with written assumptions and a clearly stated set of exclusions, a schedule with long-lead items identified and release dates attached, a constructability log, a permitting and approvals map for the specific jurisdiction, and a value engineering list with the trade-offs spelled out. It is a defined, priced scope of work, not a free estimate, because doing it properly takes real time from people who are not junior. If the project proceeds with us, that fee is credited against the construction contract.
FAQ
Common questions
- Is preconstruction just an estimate?
- No. An estimate is a number. Preconstruction is the work of establishing whether the number is achievable — testing the drawings against the existing building, the code path, the permitting calendar and current subcontractor capacity, then writing down every assumption that number depends on.
- Do you charge for it?
- For a defined preconstruction engagement, yes, and we credit the fee against the construction contract if you build with us. A rough order-of-magnitude budget on a space you are considering is free — that conversation should not have an invoice attached.
- What do you need from us to start?
- Whatever exists: the floor plan, the lease or work letter, any base-building drawings, the equipment schedule if there is one, and your target dates. If the design is not started yet, that is the best time to talk, not the worst.
Serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
Next step
Ready to price your project?
Send a floor plan, a lease exhibit, or a landlord work letter. We come back with a real number and the assumptions behind it.