Selective demolition · Monroe County
Selective demolition in the Florida Keys
Selective demolition removes part of a structure and keeps the rest standing. In the Keys that often means an old addition, a storm-damaged wing, a deck over the water or a ground floor under a raised house.
The risk sits at the cut line. Keys buildings are often a mix of eras: block below, wood frame above, a porch added in one decade and a room in another. What looks like a separate addition may share a beam, a footing or a roof tie with the part you want to keep. We trace load paths first and have an engineer design shoring where structure comes out.
Hurricane-driven repairs add a second layer. If a building in a flood zone is damaged and the repair cost reaches half of its value, the building must be brought up to current flood rules. Removing a failed portion instead of repairing it changes that arithmetic, and the building official, not the contractor, decides how it is counted. We bring the numbers and the scope; the office rules on them.
Weather sets the pace. A building left open to the roof line in a tropical shower takes in water fast, so we sequence the cut, the temporary closure and the weather protection together.
Send photos, a sketch of the line you want, and anything you have on the original construction. We will price the removal as one scope and the protection as another, so you can see both.
Order of work
- Walk the building and mark the line between what goes and what stays.
- Confirm the structure at the line with drawings, openings and an engineer where needed.
- Order the asbestos survey for the part being removed.
- Design shoring and temporary closure before any cut.
- File the permit with the office that holds the parcel.
- Remove in sequence, protect the remainder, and keep debris out of the occupied part.
- Close the opening and hand over the remaining structure.
Where Keys jobs stall
The usual trouble spots, and how each is handled
Shared structure at the cut line
Beams, footings and roof ties often serve both the part that goes and the part that stays. An engineer designs shoring and the order of removal.
Mixed construction from different decades
Block, wood frame and later additions behave differently when loaded or cut. We confirm what each section is built of before the first cut.
Open weather exposure
A cut-open building in a Keys rain takes on water fast. We schedule temporary closure with the cut, not after it.
The half-value test
A removal in a flood zone can change how a repair is counted against the building's value. The permit office decides, and we prepare the paperwork it asks for.
What falls outside our hands
Structural shoring is designed by an engineer, and electrical and plumbing make-safe are licensed trades that we coordinate. We do not decide how the permit office counts repair cost against building value, because that is the building official's call.
Questions
About selective demolition
Can part of a building come down while we stay in the rest?
Often, with a sequence designed for it: shoring where structure is removed, dust and debris separated from the occupied side, and working hours agreed with you or the association. We set that plan before work begins.
Does removing part of a Keys building trigger flood-zone upgrades?
It can, depending on the zone, the value of the building and the cost of the work. The building official makes that call. Ask the permit office for its determination before you commit to a scope.
What does a demolition cost in the Keys?
A quote follows a visit to the property, or a review of photos and drawings when those show enough. The figure moves with the building's materials and height, the asbestos survey, the utility disconnects, how equipment reaches the lot, and the haul, because everything leaves the island chain by truck. We do not publish prices, since two lots that look alike seldom cost alike.
Is there a minimum or maximum size of job?
No. A shed, a pool, a slab or one interior wall gets a quote, and so does an entire building, whether the work is selective or structural. Describe what is standing and what has to stay, and we price that scope.
Is Romco Builders licensed?
Yes. Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. Some trades need a license of their own: asbestos removal, electrical disconnects and tree work are examples. Those are done by firms that hold it, and we fit them into one schedule.
From first call to final
Six stages, always in this order
Send the address and the scope
Phone us or fill in the quote form. Say which key it is on, what must come down and what must stay.
A visit to the lot
Someone from Romco goes to the property. The building, the flood zone, the utility connections, the way equipment and trucks get in, and the neighboring lots all get a look.
The written quote
You get a document listing what comes out, what is kept safe, and what is trucked north off the island chain. Anything that hangs on survey results is marked as such.
Paperwork before machines
If asbestos testing applies, it happens here. So do the utility shutoffs and the filing of your demolition permit with whichever office covers the parcel.
Demolition and haul-off
The crew works through the agreed order. Debris is trucked to permitted facilities, and we keep the load records.
Final inspection
The permit office signs off after its last inspection. You are left with a cleared lot, or the shell you specified.
Selective demolition across Monroe, including Key West, Stock Island, Marathon, Islamorada, Key Largo, Ocean Reef, Tavernier, Duck Key, Key Colony Beach, Big Pine Key, and every other Monroe city.
More ways we can help
Other kinds of demolition we quote
- Interior demolitionCondo, hotel and shop interiors and stilt-house living floors cleared out, salt damage and all.Interior demolition in Monroe →
- Commercial demolitionShops, motels, marinas and multifamily buildings, planned around US 1 access.Commercial demolition in Monroe →
- House demolitionBlock ranches, wood cottages and stilt houses, taken down after the permit work is done.House demolition in Monroe →
- Structural demolitionConcrete frames, elevated slabs, piles and unsafe structures, taken down in engineered order.Structural demolition in Monroe →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, decks and caps broken out, sorted and hauled off the island chain.Concrete removal in Monroe →
- Pool removalFill in or fully remove a pool, with the groundwater and the fill planned first.Pool removal in Monroe →
- Mobile home demolitionMobile homes, trailers and RVs removed from park lots and private lots, with utilities handled.Mobile home demolition in Monroe →
- Storm damage demolitionHurricane-damaged homes and buildings, made safe and removed, with the paperwork in order.Storm damage demolition in Monroe →
- Site clearingClear a lot of old structures, slabs and debris, where the habitat and tree rules allow it.Site clearing in Monroe →
- Asbestos coordinationSurvey, notice and licensed abatement lined up so the demolition can proceed.Asbestos coordination in Monroe →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, carports, garages, screen rooms and dock houses removed cleanly.Accessory structure demolition in Monroe →
- Something else?Do not see your job above? Phone us and describe it. We quote every type and size.Call (239) 510-4206 →
Any type, any size, anywhere in the Keys
Tell us where it is and what has to come down. We will price it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. From a single wall to a full building, you receive a written scope and a quote.