Expert Design & Engineering
Michael D. Stewart, P.E., LLC provides structural engineering and architectural design in Bonita Springs. Michael D. Stewart, P.E., FL PE #72459, has practiced in Southwest Florida since 2005, with structural engineering, architectural design and MEP under one roof.
Structural Engineering & Design in Bonita Springs
Elevating Existing Homes in Bonita Springs
Permit Drawings & Building Plans in Bonita Springs
Coastal & Waterfront Engineering in Bonita Springs
Home Additions & Renovations in Bonita Springs
Condo Remodels & Commercial Tenant Spaces
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Structural Engineering Services in Bonita Springs
Our Bonita Springs work centers on structure: we design the load path and draw it so the City can review it and your contractor can build it.
• Header, beam and load-bearing wall changes
• New superstructures on existing pile and grade-beam foundations
• Elevating existing homes, or adding a new living level on top of an existing home
• Concrete masonry bearing walls, tie beams, tie columns and lintels
• Elevated decks, stairs and lift locations
• Condominium unit remodels
• Commercial tenant spaces, and review, signing and sealing of an architect's drawings
• Written responses to plan review comments
Planning more room? See our home addition structural engineer page.
Elevating an Existing Home in Bonita Springs
Many Bonita Springs owners want their living space above the flood line without leaving the lot. There are two ways to get there.
Lift the existing house. The house is raised onto a new elevated foundation of pilings, columns or stem walls, with garage and storage space below the flood elevation. We engineer the new foundation, the connections that tie the house to it, the stairs and lift, and the wind connections from roof to foundation. Our Hickory Boulevard project is a related example of working with an existing pile foundation: a new concrete masonry superstructure designed to bear on it.
Build on top of the existing house. The ground floor stays, a new living level goes on top, and the ground floor becomes garage and storage space with flood openings and flood-resistant or breakaway walls. We engineer the strengthened existing walls and columns that carry the new floor, the stairs and lift, and the wind connections.
Either way, the City's flood rules decide what is allowed below the flood line, and we check them before design starts.
Coastal Conditions and Permitting in Bonita Springs
Bonita Springs permits run through the City's Community Development department. The City sorts building permit applications into residential, commercial, general and recycling groups. It runs its own Building Permits Portal and a Flood Protection page. Commercial work also gets a review from the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District, with its comments issued through City Community Development.
Near the Gulf, what is under the house matters. A coastal home we worked on in Hickory Boulevard sits on driven piles with grade beams. We have reused that kind of foundation under a new concrete masonry superstructure. On Dolphin Street in Estero Bay Shores, a home we worked on sits in flood zone AE, with ground at 7.0 ft NAVD and the first finished floor at 17.0 ft NAVD. The house is already elevated. For more on building over piles, see our coastal piling foundation engineer page.
Bonita Springs Projects
Hickory Boulevard, Bonita Springs. Architectural design and structural engineering to convert a coastal home to concrete masonry bearing walls. The new walls are "engineered to bear on the existing driven-pile and grade-beam foundation," which was designed by others. The drawings cover tie beams, tie columns, lintels, filled-cell schedules, elevated floor framing and the roof truss layout. Design review sets are out, and the signed and sealed permit set follows.
Woodlyn Drive, Bonita Springs. A wood-framed home with a girder truss bearing on an existing LVL header. We designed the header's removal and its replacement with a new upset beam set inside the depth of the ceiling framing, so the opening below is clear. We visited the site, designed the bearing at each end, checked the foundation below and answered plan review. The job went out as signed and sealed structural drawings. When a truss was later cut in the field, we drew the repair for the contractor.
Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. Sealed mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings for a restaurant tenant space, along with review, signing and sealing of the architect's drawings. When the fire district sent comments on the mechanical and electrical sheets, we answered with a written response letter and exhibits. The response showed that the items raised were already on the submitted drawings.
Dolphin Street, Bonita Springs. Permit drawings to extend an existing elevated exterior deck on a single-family home in Estero Bay Shores. The site plan shows the new stair and lift location, and the cover sheet carries the design flood elevation.
Barefoot Beach Boulevard, Bonita Springs. A permit set and three permit-revision sets for a condominium unit remodel, with architectural, plumbing and electrical sheets. The unit's existing one-hour UL firewall stayed in place, untouched.
How the Process Works
1. Call or send a message about the street and the change you want.
2. We design and draw the structure, with a site visit when the job calls for it.
3. We issue design review sets on larger jobs, as we did on Hickory Boulevard.
4. We sign and seal the permit set.
5. We answer plan review comments on our drawings, as we did on Woodlyn Drive.
Why Hire a Local Professional Engineer
In Bonita Springs we have worked on single-family homes, a condominium unit and a restaurant tenant space. Some jobs come through the contractor who will build them. Others involve an architect's drawings that need review, signing and sealing.
A local engineer knows the foundations under these coastal buildings and the review the City and the fire district apply. Our office is in Cape Coral, and we serve Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties and the barrier islands. See our Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero and Fort Myers Beach pages.
"I TREAT EACH AND EVERY PROJECT
AS A PERSONAL PRIORITY."
Start Your Bonita Springs Project
Call (239) 292-7670 or send a message through our contact page. Tell us the street and what you want to change.
"HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE AND QUICK TURNAROUND ARE THE MISSION."
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a structural engineer to replace a header or remove a wall in Bonita Springs?
If the wall or header carries roof or floor load, the new beam, its posts and the bearing below need to be designed and shown on sealed drawings. On Woodlyn Drive we designed a new beam set inside the ceiling framing to replace an LVL header.
Do you prepare drawings for City of Bonita Springs permits?
Yes. We prepare signed and sealed drawings for residential and commercial work in Bonita Springs.
Can new walls be built on an existing pile foundation?
Sometimes. It depends on what the existing piles, caps and grade beams can carry. On Hickory Boulevard we designed a concrete masonry superstructure to bear on the existing driven-pile and grade-beam foundation.
Can you elevate my existing home in Bonita Springs?
Yes. We can engineer a new elevated foundation of pilings, columns or stem walls to lift the house, or a new living level on top of the existing structure with the ground floor converted to garage and storage space. The City's flood rules decide what is allowed below the flood line, and we check them before design starts.
Do you work on elevated homes in flood zones?
Yes. Our Dolphin Street deck drawings were for an elevated home in flood zone AE, with the design flood elevation on the cover sheet.
Do you work on condominium units?
Yes. On Barefoot Beach Boulevard we prepared the permit set and three permit-revision sets for a condominium unit remodel.
Do you handle commercial projects and fire district comments?
Yes. On Bonita Beach Road we sealed the drawings for a restaurant tenant space and answered the fire district's review comments in writing.
How fast can you turn around permit drawings?
We offer unmatched turnaround times, and 5-7 day rush turnaround is available upon request for a premium fee. Call (239) 292-7670.
Contact
Send Message
Call (239) 292-7670
Email mstewart@mstewartpe.com
Use our contact form and tell us about your project.
Michael D. Stewart, P.E., LLC
FL REG#: 72459 / CA REG#: 33003
PHONE: (239) 292-7670
EMAIL: MStewart@MStewartPE.com
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