Frequently Asked Questions

A whole-house renovation - kitchen, baths, flooring, paint, systems - typically takes 4 to 7 months from permit to final walkthrough, depending on square footage and whether we're moving walls. A kitchen alone runs 6 to 10 weeks; a roof replacement is 3 to 5 days once materials arrive. Hurricane season can push start dates in Belle Glade, Canal Point, and Bryant, where afternoon storms slow exterior work. We build realistic schedules and stick to them. One accountable crew, one boss on your job, his cell number in your phone.

We show up, listen, measure, and return a fixed bid within two business days. Once you sign, we pull permits, order materials, and schedule your crew boss. You'll get a start date that doesn't shift unless weather or inspection timing forces it. We pass inspections the first time because we build to code from day one. The final walkthrough happens with the crew boss who started your job, and nothing's final until you sign off. Then the 730-day Built-Right Project Guarantee begins.

Often yes, for kitchen and bath projects if you can set up a temporary kitchen and use a secondary bath. For whole-house renovations or additions where we're cutting into exterior walls, we recommend moving out for dust, noise, and safety. In South Florida's humidity, open walls invite mold fast, so we seal work zones with plastic and negative air when possible. We'll tell you straight during estimate whether your project is livable-in or not.

Yes. We pull every permit, schedule every inspection, and meet the inspector on your property. In Palm Beach County, that means building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits as needed. We know the inspectors in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, and Delray Beach by name, and we build to pass the first time. Permits aren't optional - unpermitted work kills resale value and voids insurance claims after a storm. We do this right, from the footing up.

We install KraftMaid for most kitchen and bath projects - American-made, solid construction, and they hold up in South Florida's humidity better than budget imports. For custom or modern builds, we also source from Plant Prefab's partner network. We don't mark up materials; you pay our contractor price plus a modest handling fee that's disclosed in your bid. If you've got a brand preference, we'll price it out honestly.

James Hardie fiber-cement siding is our go-to for exterior renovations in this climate. It doesn't rot in humidity, stands up to wind-borne debris, and carries a 30-year product warranty. We pair it with proper flashing, rain screens, and impact-rated windows anchored into structure. In coastal neighborhoods like North Palm Beach and Boca Raton, we see vinyl siding fail after 7 to 10 years from UV and salt - Hardie costs more upfront, but it's the last siding you'll buy.

For detached structures - backyard studios, pool houses, sheds - we partner with Tuff Shed and Plant Prefab for engineered, permit-ready units that install in days rather than weeks. For attached additions and whole-house work, we stick to stick-built on your foundation, inspected at every phase. Prefab makes sense for speed and cost on the right project; we'll tell you when it does and when it doesn't.

Yes. Groundwork Construction Co. holds a Florida Certified General Contractor license, carries general liability and workers' compensation insurance, and is bonded for projects over $25,000. We're licensed to build anywhere in Florida, with our home base in South Florida where we've worked since 2003. We'll provide certificate of insurance and license verification before any contract is signed. This isn't a side hustle - it's our name on every permit.

A handyman can handle jobs under $1,000 and non-structural repairs without a license. For structural work, electrical, plumbing, roofing, or any job over $1,000, Florida requires a licensed general contractor who pulls permits and schedules inspections. Hiring unlicensed for licensed work voids your homeowner's insurance, kills your resale, and leaves you liable if someone gets hurt. We pull the permits. We carry the insurance. One accountable contractor from start to finish.

Our South Florida crews live in the towns they build in - journeymen who know Palm Beach County wind code by heart, who've worked in Wellington's equestrian estates and Clewiston's older frame homes alike. We hire local, buy materials from local yards, and train apprentices on real jobs in your community. The crew boss on your job gives you his cell number, not a dispatch line.

After a named storm, we prioritize existing clients and emergency tarping to prevent further damage, typically responding within 24 to 48 hours in West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, and surrounding areas. We don't chase storms from out of state - we're here year-round, so our crews know which Delray Beach neighborhoods flood first and where Lake Worth's older roofs are most vulnerable. For true emergencies - structural collapse, active water intrusion - call (844) 665-0162 and we'll dispatch immediately if we can do so safely.

Move valuables, bucket the drip, and call us when it's safe to go outside. Don't climb on a wet roof - South Florida's tile and metal surfaces are treacherous, and wind can shift without warning. We'll tarp the affected area as soon as conditions allow, document everything for your insurance, and schedule permanent repair. Tarping runs $400 to $800; permanent repair depends on scope. Your safety matters more than the ceiling.

For emergencies - structural compromise, active flooding from a failed roof, unsafe electrical - we respond same day when humanly possible. For standard projects, we schedule starts based on permit timing and material availability, typically 2 to 4 weeks from signed contract. We don't promise what we can't deliver. Call (844) 665-0162 and we'll tell you honestly where you fit in the schedule.

Every Groundwork project carries the written Built-Right Project Guarantee: 730 days - two full years - on all workmanship, every trade. If anything we built isn't right, one phone call brings a Groundwork crew back to make it right. Not a claim form. Not a subcontractor pointing at another subcontractor. Our name is on the whole job, so the fix is on us. That guarantee is stamped on every contract and backed by a terms page you can read before you sign.

It covers workmanship defects in everything we touch: cabinets that won't stay aligned, roofs that leak at our seams, additions that settle unevenly, paint that fails prematurely. It does not cover damage from storms, homeowner modifications, or normal wear. If a KraftMaid drawer slide fails in year one, we replace it. If James Hardie siding cracks from impact, that's product warranty territory - we help you file, but the manufacturer covers it. The boundary is simple: if we did it wrong, we fix it free. Period.

We answer the phone. The 730-day guarantee is our written promise, but our reputation in South Florida depends on how we treat people in year three, year five, year ten. Many of our clients in Palm Beach Gardens and Wellington are referrals from jobs we finished a decade ago. We're not hard to find - same phone number, same address, same name on the license. That's the advantage of hiring a company that's been here since 2003, not a pop-up that vanishes when the market turns.

Check our license standing with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation - it's been active since 2003 with no suspensions. Ask for references from recent jobs in your area; we'll provide them. Read our guarantee terms before you sign anything. And notice that we don't ask for full payment upfront - our payment schedule ties to milestones you can verify. We've been the company that still answers the phone in year two of the warranty for twenty-plus years. That's not changing.

Written by Frank Kessler, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida, serving West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and every community in between since 2003.