Case Study · Milestone Inspection

Tropic Harbor Condominium Milestone Restoration

Delray Beach, Florida
7 Four-Story Residential Buildings
224 Units Across the Property

Weekly

Site Inspections Throughout Restoration

Land & Water

Marina Condition Survey by Foot and Small Vessel

THE CHALLENGE

Aging Concrete Across a Seven-Building Waterfront Community

Tropic Harbor Condominium is a waterfront community in Delray Beach made up of seven four-story residential buildings with associated carports, two recreation buildings, two pool pump rooms, and a marina. The buildings are cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures on deep pile foundations, with concrete masonry infill walls and stucco finishes.

As the property aged, the Association was facing structural deterioration and water intrusion across its buildings. It engaged BillerReinhart to determine the cause of the deterioration, identify structural damage, and recommend a repair scope, with the long-term goal of bringing each building through its milestone inspection requirements while residents remained in their homes.

OUR APPROACH

A Long-Term Partnership, Building by Building

BillerReinhart began with a condition survey of the property’s readily accessible elements, including walkways and masonry railings, lanai and balcony structures, chase structures, exterior columns and beams, exterior walls, mechanical and storage spaces, carports, and the marina. Our Engineers prepared structural design calculations in accordance with the Florida Building Code, developed a signed and sealed Project Manual, and guided the Association through bidding, permitting, and construction.

Throughout the restoration, BillerReinhart remained on site with ongoing weekly inspections, observing contractor progress and sounding and marking the buildings’ exteriors and lanais as work moved across the property.

From the first condition survey through each building’s milestone close-out, BillerReinhart has stayed with Tropic Harbor as a single engineering partner, adapting to each new need as the community’s restoration program has grown.

Building Restoration

Restoration and Milestone Inspection

One Continuous Program, Several Areas of Expertise

Façade Restoration

Each building’s restoration followed the same proven sequence, closing out with a renewed building envelope and modern railings.

Sounding and marking of the entire exterior façade

Demolition of deteriorated concrete

Cleaning and coating of reinforcing steel

New concrete and stucco at repair areas

Walkway, stairwell beam, and interior CMU wall concrete repairs

Sealing and painting of the building envelope

Replacement of the original decorative concrete block walkway railings with new aluminum railings

Milestone Inspection Report Amendments

As restoration was completed, BillerReinhart issued Milestone Inspection Report Amendments for the restored buildings in accordance with Senate Bill 154. Our Engineers accessed the roof, mechanical spaces, common areas, and 100% of the units’ lanais and Florida rooms. No unsafe or dangerous conditions, as defined in the Florida Building Code, were observed, no further repairs were recommended, and each building was found to be in acceptable structural condition and safe to occupy.

Recreational Building Roof

When the roof on the recreational building reached the end of its useful life, the Association returned to BillerReinhart. Our Engineers surveyed the main and mansard roof structures, mechanical stands, and roof drainage system, then prepared wind load and drainage capacity calculations and a signed and sealed Project Manual to guide the selection of a new roofing system, along with bidding and construction services.

Screen Enclosure Installation Guidance

During the restoration, our Engineers observed that the edge distance of screen enclosure anchors varied from unit to unit. BillerReinhart analyzed concrete breakout strength in accordance with ACI 318-19 and issued an engineering opinion letter giving the Association clear installation criteria: anchors a minimum of 2 inches from the slab edge, a maximum spacing of 3 feet, and a minimum of 7 anchors at both the overhead beam and the floor slab.

Carport Restoration and Marina Restoration

THE OUTCOME

Restored Buildings, Milestone Requirements Met

BillerReinhart has partnered with Tropic Harbor Condominium Association across multiple phases of work, helping the Association move its buildings from deterioration to documented, code-compliant condition. The restored buildings were found safe to occupy with no unsafe or dangerous conditions observed.

The Association now has a clear maintenance path forward: a routine structural inspection program for exterior concrete columns, beams, and slabs at a 3 to 5 year interval, and an annual roof inspection program, with an engineering partner who already knows the property.