Question 1

Which Florida buildings require milestone inspections?

Accepted Answer

Under Florida law, condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or more in height are required to complete a milestone inspection by the time the building reaches 30 years of age (25 years for buildings within three miles of the coastline), and then every 10 years after that. County and municipal recertification programs — most notably in Miami-Dade and Broward — impose their own inspection cycles that may overlap or come sooner. An engineer or the local building department can confirm which triggers apply to a specific building.

Question 2

What's the difference between a Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestone inspection?

Accepted Answer

Phase 1 is a visual inspection by a licensed engineer or architect to determine whether there are signs of substantial structural deterioration. If Phase 1 finds no issues, the inspection is complete. If it identifies signs of deterioration, the building moves to Phase 2, which is a more invasive investigation — sometimes involving material testing, opening up finishes, or destructive probes — to determine the extent and cause of the problem and the repairs required.

Question 3

What happens if my inspection finds structural deficiencies?

Accepted Answer

The engineer issues a report describing the deficiencies and the repairs required, and the association or owner is responsible for scheduling those repairs on the timeline the engineer and jurisdiction set. That is where we come in as the general contractor: we price the recommended scope, coordinate shoring and access, pull permits, execute the concrete restoration, post-tension, façade, and balcony work, and manage the engineer's re-inspection so the building can be recertified.

Question 4

How long does structural restoration take?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how much of the building is affected and how invasive the repairs are. A limited balcony or façade repair might be a few months. A building-wide concrete restoration with post-tension work and full façade recertification on a mid-rise typically runs a year or longer, phased so residents can remain in place. The engineer's report and the shoring plan drive the schedule; we sequence the work to complete life-safety items first and keep occupied areas continuously accessible.

Question 5

Does BellTower perform the engineering inspection itself?

Accepted Answer

No — milestone inspections must be performed by a Florida-licensed professional engineer or registered architect, and the inspecting engineer needs to stay independent of the contractor executing the repairs. Our role is on the construction side: we partner with the engineer of record, price and build to their report, coordinate access and shoring, and support the re-inspection process. If a building has not yet retained an engineer, we can recommend firms we routinely work with.

Milestone Inspection Experts / Structural Renovation

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