Structural Engineering Services in Miami and South Florida
Sealed plans, analysis and reports by a licensed Florida Professional Engineer. You get a direct answer on what your building needs and what it will take to permit it.
- Licensed professional engineer in Florida
- Signed and sealed reports
Structural Engineering Services for Buildings That Must Permit and Perform
Our structural engineering services give you sealed drawings, structural analysis and clear direction for residential and commercial buildings in South Florida. A licensed Florida Professional Engineer reviews and seals the work.
Call us when you are building something new, changing an existing building, dealing with damage or deterioration, or when a building department, buyer or insurer asked for an engineer letter or report. We tell you if you need an engineer and which service fits.
Studio A Engineering works with owners, condo associations, property managers, architects and contractors in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. We also take work in the Florida Keys and along the Treasure Coast where the project justifies travel.
We do not do construction or repair work. We inspect, diagnose, design repairs, and prepare sealed structural engineer letters and reports. We provide engineering only.
Which Service Fits Your Project
Start with your situation. The right structural engineering services follow from what you are trying to build, change, fix or certify.
Building Something New
You need structural design services for a new home, addition or commercial building. We coordinate with your architect and builder to produce a sealed framing system with columns, beams, slabs and connections that meets Florida Building Code.
Changing an Existing Building
You need structural analysis services before you remove a wall, add a floor, change the use or add heavy equipment. We check load paths and capacity and provide sealed plans for remodels, additions and retrofits.
Damaged or Deteriorating Building
You need an assessment and repair design for cracks, deflection, water damage, concrete deterioration or storm damage. We document the cause, design the repair and provide sealed repair drawings.
Buying or Selling Property
You need a structural evaluation before you close. We inspect load-bearing walls, slabs, framing and visible connections and give you a sealed structural engineer report you can use for decisions and talks with the other party.
Inspections and Certifications
You need milestone inspections, Structural Integrity Reserve Studies, threshold special inspections or 40-year recertification work. Our structural engineering services include the inspections and sealed reports building departments ask for.
Permits, Letters and Records
You need a structural engineer letter or report or documents for a permit file. A licensed Florida Professional Engineer prepares the letter and seals the calculations and drawings.
Structural Design and Structural Analysis Services
Most projects need one of two things: sealed structural engineering services to build from, or an independent look at a building that already exists. We provide both from the same office, so the design and the field findings stay aligned.
Structural design services turn the architectural plans into a buildable structure. That includes framing plans, floor and roof systems, columns, beams, walls and connections, with calculations tied to Florida Building Code. The set is signed and sealed by a licensed Florida Professional Engineer for permit submittal.
Structural analysis services answer a specific question about an existing building. Can this slab carry the new load. Is this crack structural. What changed after the addition. We visit the site, measure and document conditions, run load calculations and capacity checks, and state the findings in plain terms.
Typical design work includes new commercial and residential builds, additions, remodels that touch load-bearing elements, and repair and retrofit design for damage, deterioration or code upgrades. Typical analysis work includes pre-renovation evaluations, change-of-use checks and reviews tied to a permit or a letter request.
You receive drawings and reports you can actually use. For design, that means a sealed permit set with details a contractor can price and build. For analysis, that means photos, observed conditions, calculations and a clear statement of what is adequate, what is not and what to do next.
Commercial and Residential Structural Engineers
The engineering method is the same, but the scope and the file are different. Here is how our structural engineering services adjust for each type of building.
| Topic | Commercial Buildings | Residential Buildings |
|---|---|---|
| Who we help | Owners, developers, contractors, architects and condo associations | Homeowners, buyers, sellers and residential contractors |
| Typical scope | Office buildings, retail centers, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and apartment complexes | Single-family homes and apartment complexes |
| Design work | Framing systems, columns, beams, slabs and connections for new builds, additions and change of use | Framing plans for new homes, additions, remodels and repair details for damaged areas |
| Analysis work | Load calculations, capacity checks and evaluations before renovation or change of use | Checks before wall removal, additions and visible cracking |
| Code and permit | Florida Building Code review, sealed drawings and responses to building department comments | Florida Building Code review, sealed drawings and responses for residential permit files |
Hurricane and Wind-Load Design in Florida
Florida buildings must resist high wind pressures, uplift and lateral movement. Our structural engineering services address those loads in every sealed design and in targeted reviews of existing buildings.
We calculate wind loads per Florida Building Code for the site exposure, height and shape of the building. That covers uplift on roofs, shear in walls and lateral forces on the full frame. Connections get direct attention because they hold the system together in a storm.
For new design, the wind work is built into the framing plans and details. For existing buildings, we review the roof-to-wall ties, diaphragms, load paths and visible distress and state what meets current expectations and what needs retrofit design.
Material choice matters for wind and coastal exposure. We design in concrete, steel and masonry and match the system to the project scope, budget and service life. Drawings call out members, sizes, ties and connections so the field work is clear.
If your project involves glazing and facade retrofits on a commercial or condo building that needs special inspector oversight, we will tell you when threshold inspection rules apply and how that inspection runs alongside the design and permit.
Inspections, Certifications and Letters
Some jobs need a site visit and a sealed paper, not full plans. These structural engineering services cover those calls from building departments, buyers and insurers.
Milestone Inspections and SIRS
Phase 1 milestone work is a visual structural inspection. Phase 2 is required only if Phase 1 finds substantial structural deterioration. SIRS applies to condo buildings of three or more habitable stories. Work is sealed by a licensed Florida Professional Engineer.
Threshold Special Inspections
High-risk buildings need in-progress structural inspections during construction. We provide the threshold special inspection the code requires.
Concrete Restoration Engineering
We document concrete distress, find the cause and prepare sealed repair drawings. We do not perform the repair work.
Structural Engineer Letter and Report
We prepare structural engineer letters and reports with findings and recommendations. Use them for permits and closings.
Shoring Design for Elevated Slabs
We provide shoring design for elevated concrete slabs.
40-Year Recertification Support
Milestone inspections are required at 30 years, or 25 years if within three miles of the coastline, under SB 4-D. Miami-Dade and Broward run their own recertification programs with their own submission requirements and inspectors. We prepare the submittal to match.
How a Project Works with Us
You will know what happens next before we start. Most jobs follow these five steps.
Call and Scope Check
Call (305) 890-6333 with the address and the reason for the call. We confirm the building type, the permit or transaction need and whether structural engineering services are the right fit.
01
Proposal and Schedule
You get a written scope that names the deliverable, such as sealed plans, calculations and structural engineer letter or report. We set the site date and list what access we need.
02
Site Visit and Records
We inspect the areas in scope, take measurements and photos and review plans or prior reports when you have them.
03
Analysis and Sealed Documents
We run the calculations, prepare the drawings or report and have a licensed Florida Professional Engineer review and seal the work. If plan review brings comments, we respond in writing.
04
Bid and Field Support
For repair design, we provide sealed repair drawings for permits. We do not build or repair.
05
Where We Work in South Florida
Most of our structural engineering services are for buildings in South Florida. Having the engineer nearby helps when a plan reviewer flags an item and a site visit is needed.
- Miami-Dade County: Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Doral, Hialeah, Homestead and nearby municipalities
- Broward County: Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs and Davie
- Palm Beach County: West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach
- Monroe County and the Florida Keys: Key Largo and nearby islands where the project justifies travel
- Treasure Coast: Stuart, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach and St. Lucie County for selected projects
- Southwest Florida: Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, Sarasota and Lee and Collier counties for selected projects
- Central Florida: Tampa, Orlando, Kissimmee, Daytona and Brevard County for selected projects
- Out of state coordination: Texas and Tennessee for clients with buildings in more than one state
Common Questions About Structural Engineering Services
A structural engineer designs and checks the parts that carry load, such as slabs, beams, columns, walls and connections. In Florida, a licensed Florida Professional Engineer also seals the drawings and reports that building departments require.
Yes, if the work adds or removes load-bearing elements, changes the use or needs sealed drawings for a permit. A short call about your scope will confirm if engineering is required.
Design produces new sealed drawings to build from. Analysis evaluates what is already there and states capacity, condition and next steps. Many permits and repair jobs need both.
Yes. We inspect the area, document the pattern and probable cause and design the repair when the structure needs it. We prepare sealed repair drawings for permits.
No. Studio A Engineering provides engineering only and does not provide contracting, installation or repair services.
Yes. We collaborate with your architect and builder during permitting and construction.
Talk to a Licensed Engineer About Your Building
Tell us the address, the building type and what triggered the call. We will tell you which service fits, what the sealed deliverable will be and how fast we can get on site. We serve Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and selected projects beyond.
Related Engineering Services
- → Florida Milestone Inspections - SB-4D 40-year recertification for condos & HOAs
- → Threshold Special Inspections - FBC 553.79 compliance inspections
- → Elevation Certificates & LOMA Letters - FEMA elevation certificates & flood zone corrections