The requirements · Structural Integrity Reserve Studies
The Reserve Study You Can No Longer Waive
A structural integrity reserve study identifies the major components and what it will cost to maintain them — and unlike the old reserve regime, funding for those items is no longer something a membership can vote to waive.
We will turn it into a buildable scope, a phasing plan and a realistic range — so the board can decide with numbers rather than adjectives.
Not us
We do not perform the inspection. An engineer does
30/25
Years to first milestone — 25 within 3 miles of coast
Occupied
Buildings stay occupied while we work
Licensed
General contractor, licensed in the state of Florida
Decades of waived reserves, now due
For years many Florida associations voted annually to waive or reduce reserve funding, which kept assessments low and left the building underfunded. The reserve requirements for SIRS items removed that option, which is why so many associations are facing large assessments at the same time. The cost did not appear suddenly; the deferral did.
The change caught many associations at the same moment, which is why so many Florida condominiums are facing large assessments simultaneously. It is worth being clear with a membership that the money is not a new cost created by the law — it is an existing cost that the previous rules allowed to be postponed indefinitely.
What a SIRS covers
- Roof.
- Structure, including load-bearing walls.
- Fireproofing and fire protection systems.
- Plumbing and electrical systems.
- Waterproofing and exterior painting.
- Windows and exterior doors, and any item over the statutory threshold.
What a reserve study is worth
A reserve study is only as good as the construction costs behind it. If the numbers came from a generic table rather than from someone who prices Florida work, the study will set an assessment that does not cover the work when it is actually tendered.
It is worth asking your reserve professional where their cost data comes from, and worth having a contractor sanity-check the largest line items. A study that understates the roof and the concrete restoration by a wide margin is worse than none, because it creates false confidence.
How we handle it
- 01We do not perform reserve studies. A qualified provider does.
- 02We can provide realistic construction cost input to a study.
- 03We can price the work a study identifies as due.
- 04We can help a board sequence work across multiple funding years.
A reserve study built on optimistic construction costs is worse than none, because it sets an assessment that will not cover the work. If your study's numbers were produced without recent Florida contractor input, they are probably low, and a board is better off knowing that now.
Said plainly
Where we stop
This is general information rather than legal or financial advice. Your association attorney, your accountant and your reserve professional determine what applies and what must be funded.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can we still waive reserves?
- Not for SIRS items. That is the change that surprised many associations, and your attorney should confirm your position.
- Do you do reserve studies?
- No. A qualified reserve professional does. We can provide realistic construction cost input.
- Why is our assessment so large?
- Frequently because reserves were waived for years. The cost accumulated quietly and the deferral ended.
- How often is a SIRS required?
- On a recurring statutory cycle. Confirm the current requirement with your attorney.
What we repair
Concrete Restoration
Salt reaches the reinforcement, the steel rusts, rust expands, and the concrete cracks off. It is the single most common finding in coastal Florida recertification and the hardest to price honestly.
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Balcony Repairs
Balconies are the most common structural finding and the most disruptive repair, because every one belongs to somebody who is living behind it.
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Building Envelope
The envelope is what stops water reaching the structure. Most concrete deterioration began as an envelope failure years earlier.
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Waterproofing & Decks
Elevated decks, walkways and pool surrounds sit on structure, and when their waterproofing fails the structure below is what pays for it.
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Railings & Guardrails
Railings are usually found deteriorated at their embedments, and replacing them frequently triggers current code requirements the original did not meet.
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Parking Structures
Garage repairs are structurally routine and logistically miserable, because every space belongs to somebody with nowhere else to put a car.
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More the requirements
Milestone Inspections
Florida introduced statewide milestone inspections in 2022 following the Surfside collapse. If you are on a condominium or co-op board of a building three stories or taller, this applies to you.
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Phase 1 and Phase 2
Phase 1 is a visual inspection. If it finds substantial structural deterioration, Phase 2 follows — and that is the point at which boards start calling contractors.
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Funding the Work
Once the scope exists, the board's problem stops being construction and becomes funding. There are three routes and they suit different associations.
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.