Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Three Lakes
General contractor work in Three Lakes, FL typically runs $9,000 for a small bathroom remodel up to $130,000 for a major home addition, with most kitchen and bath projects falling between $14,000 and $45,000. We’re Elmstead Remodeling, a Cedarwell company, and our crews serve Three Lakes from our Miami office. Call (949) 850-9896 to schedule your free estimate.
Three Lakes homes have a particular personality. The concrete block and stucco ranches and split-levels built from the late 1970s through the early 1990s hold up well, but opening walls in these pre-1993 CBS houses almost always reveals something the original builder never anticipated. Aluminum branch wiring. Missing hurricane straps. Subfloors that have been quietly wicking groundwater since the Reagan administration. We’ve remodeled enough kitchens and baths in the Lakes of the Meadow section and along SW 152nd Street corridor to know that the quote you get before the walls open is rarely the full story. That’s why our process starts with a destructive inspection and ends with a written price for every contingency we can identify, and a fixed-price change-order process for anything we couldn’t.
Why Elmstead Remodeling Is Three Lakes’s Preferred General Contractor Company
We’ve been the General Contractor team that Three Lakes families call when they’re expecting their second child and need that fourth bedroom, or when the 1987 kitchen finally quits, or when they realize the original windows won’t pass a windstorm inspection. Our reputation here is built on one thing: we say exactly what the job will cost before we start, and if we find something unexpected, we stop, price it, and get approval in writing before we proceed.
Our crews know the local inspector by name. They know that a permit pulled in Miami-Dade’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone triggers inspections at rough-in that wouldn’t be required in Broward. They know that SW 137th Avenue floods hard enough during summer storms to delay concrete pours. And they know that families in Three Lakes with dogs and young kids need quiet tools during nap hours, drop cloths on every floor, and a photo of the clean-up sent before they leave.
Calls to (949) 850-9896 are answered by a live person, 24 hours a day. No voicemail. No callback queue. No “we’ll get to you Monday.”
Styles & brands we work with
General Contractor Services in Three Lakes
General Contractor Services in Three Lakes cover everything from structural modifications and room additions to full gut renovations of pre-1993 CBS homes that need to be brought up to HVHZ code. The work almost always starts with an inspection that goes deeper than surface level, because Miami-Dade County’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements mean that opening a wall can trigger a cascade of code upgrades: impact-rated openings, reinforced roof-to-wall connections, updated electrical. A typical kitchen remodel in Three Lakes runs $14,000 – $45,000, a small kitchen update $9,000 – $20,000, and a full bathroom renovation $9,000 – $28,000. Home additions, which almost always require new footings bored through Miami Limestone, start at $45,000 and can reach $130,000 depending on scope and HVHZ compliance complexity.
Permit-Ready Project Management
We pull every permit your project requires and coordinate all inspections. In Three Lakes, that means HVHZ-specific sign-offs at framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing, and final. Our project managers know which Miami-Dade building department inspectors prefer morning walkthroughs and which want every strap tagged before they arrive. That local rhythm saves days on every job.
Structural and Code Compliance Work
When we open a wall and find undersized framing or aluminum wiring, we don’t patch around it. We document, price the fix, and write it into a change order with a fixed number. The homeowner signs before we proceed. No hourly surprises. No “we’ll figure it out later.”
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Construction Company in Three Lakes
Construction Company work in Three Lakes means building on near-sea-level limestone karst with a water table that can rise to within inches of the surface during the June – October rainy season. Any below-grade work, drainage installation, or footing bore hits immediate constraints: FEMA flood zone requirements, finished-floor-elevation mandates, and that oolitic Miami Limestone sitting just below the sod. A roof replacement here runs $8,000 – $20,000, impact window installation $8,000 – $25,000, and both trigger HVHZ inspections that wouldn’t exist a few miles north in Broward County. Our crews arrive with core-drilling equipment because we’ve learned that sandy-soil excavation assumptions turn a two-day dig into a week of rock work.
Room Additions and ADU Construction
Adding square footage to a Three Lakes home means new footings through limestone, HVHZ-compliant roof-to-wall connections, and impact-rated openings throughout the new structure. We budget for the rock work upfront based on a pre-construction soil boring, not as a surprise change order after the auger hits stone.
Basement Finishing and Below-Grade Work
True basements are rare in Three Lakes for good reason. When we do encounter below-grade spaces or partial excavations, we engineer drainage systems that account for that high water table and the summer saturation that comes with living on Miami-Dade’s flat limestone shelf. Every sump pump, every French drain, every vapor barrier is specified for this specific hydrostatic pressure.
Trusted Brands We Service in Three Lakes
We specify named-brand materials on every Three Lakes project so homeowners can research warranties independently and know exactly what they’re getting. Cabinetry comes from KraftMaid and Wellborn. Countertops from Cambria, Silestone, and Caesarstone. Fixtures from Kohler, Moen, and Grohe. Exterior cladding from James Hardie. For modular and prefabricated additions, we work with partners including Abodu and Dvele, whose engineered units are designed to meet HVHZ wind-load requirements out of the box. We stock common hardware and fasteners locally to avoid the two-week lead times that can stall a project, and our relationships with these manufacturers mean warranty claims travel with the finished project, not with the contractor who installed it.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Three Lakes Homes
- Pre-1993 wiring and framing behind finished walls. On a 1984 CBS ranch in the Lakes of the Meadow section, our crew opened a load-bearing wall for a kitchen remodel and found exactly the pre-1993 trifecta: aluminum branch wiring, no hurricane straps at the roof-to-wall connections, and a subfloor that had been wicking groundwater since the last rainy season. We wrote the strap retrofit, wiring rough-in, and re-pour into a change order with a fixed price before we touched anything, and the homeowner signed off the same day. When the county inspector cleared the framing, he told us it was one of the cleaner pre-Andrew retrofits he’d signed off that quarter.
- Contractors who quote without destructive inspection allowances. A Three Lakes remodel quote that doesn’t include a line item for “unknown conditions behind existing finishes” is a quote that will move. We build that allowance into every pre-1993 home contract, with a clear process for how we document, price, and approve any findings.
- Limestone surprises during excavation. The oolitic Miami Limestone under Three Lakes sits a few inches below grade in much of the area. Contractors who bring sandy-soil equipment and assumptions hit solid rock immediately, then show up with change orders the homeowner never budgeted for. We core-drill test bores during estimating and price the rock work into the original contract.
- HVHZ treated as a roof-only requirement. Miami-Dade’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone mandates impact-rated openings, reinforced connections, and inspection sign-offs at every rough-in stage, not just the roof deck. A contractor who pulls a permit for interior work and doesn’t anticipate HVHZ inspections at electrical and plumbing rough-in will delay your project by weeks.
Pricing for General Contractor in Three Lakes, FL
We give every Three Lakes homeowner a written price before any work starts. That price is based on a site visit, a destructive inspection where walls will be opened, and a permit preview that identifies HVHZ triggers specific to your project. Below are the ranges we see most often in this market:
| Project Type | Typical Range in Three Lakes |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Small Kitchen Remodel | $9,000 – $20,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
| Impact Window Installation | $8,000 – $25,000 |
| Roof Replacement | $8,000 – $20,000 |
What moves a quote within these ranges? The condition of what’s behind your existing finishes. Whether your home is pre-1993 and needs HVHZ retrofit. Whether we hit limestone during footing work. Whether FEMA flood zone requirements trigger finished-floor-elevation changes. We identify as many of these factors as possible during estimating, build allowances into the contract, and price any surprises in writing before we proceed. Call (949) 850-9896 for your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Three Lakes
Our General Contractor in Three Lakes crews also work throughout Miami-Dade County, including Miami, Hialeah, Miami Gardens, and Homestead. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Miami office, with local crews deployed to each area. The same Cedarwell Care Promise, the same 365-Day Done Right Promise, and the same live-answer phone line at (949) 850-9896 apply to every project, whether it’s in Three Lakes or a neighboring community.
Serving Three Lakes, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Three Lakes area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About General Contractor in Three Lakes
It jumps because pre-1993 CBS homes in Three Lakes routinely conceal aluminum wiring, missing hurricane straps, and moisture-damaged framing that wasn’t visible during the initial walkthrough. We control this by building a destructive-inspection allowance into every pre-1993 contract, documenting findings with photos, and writing a fixed-price change order before we touch anything. Call (949) 850-9896 to schedule your free estimate.
Yes. Miami-Dade County’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone requires permits and inspections for any structural, electrical, or plumbing modification, not just roof work. Opening a load-bearing wall, moving a sink drain, or upgrading a panel all trigger HVHZ rough-in inspections that a non-HVHZ jurisdiction wouldn’t require. We pull every permit and coordinate every inspection as part of our standard project management. Call (949) 850-9896 for details on your specific project.
It means bringing the structure up to the most stringent wind-resistant construction code in the United States, including impact-rated openings, reinforced roof-to-wall connections, and upgraded fasteners and strapping. Any significant remodel that opens walls or modifies the envelope will trigger these requirements during permitting. We identify HVHZ triggers during estimating and price the retrofit work into the original contract, not as a surprise after the permit is pulled. Call (949) 850-9896 for a free inspection and written quote.
The oolitic Miami Limestone sits just inches below the surface across much of Three Lakes, so standard excavation equipment hits solid rock almost immediately. This requires core-drilling rigs, rock-excavation pricing, and permit notes that sandy-soil contractors in Broward or Palm Beach never deal with. We test-bore during estimating and specify rock-ready equipment from day one. Call (949) 850-9896 to discuss your addition or excavation project.
We structure payments in milestones tied to permit approvals and inspection sign-offs, never large upfront deposits. Every change, whether anticipated in the original allowance or discovered during construction, gets a written fixed-price change order with photos and a clear description of the work. You approve it before we proceed. The original written price and all approved changes are your total cost. Call (949) 850-9896 to review our standard contract terms.
Ready to talk about your project? Call (949) 850-9896 to schedule your free estimate. We’ll walk your Three Lakes home, identify the conditions that will affect your specific project, and give you a written price before any work starts. Every project is backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner at Elmstead Remodeling, serving Three Lakes as part of the Cedarwell company network.
