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Michael D. Stewart, P.E., LLC provides structural engineering and architectural design for homes and buildings in Estero. Michael D. Stewart, P.E., FL PE #72459, has practiced in Southwest Florida since 2005. Structural engineering, architectural design and MEP are under one roof, so one firm carries your project from the existing house to a signed and sealed permit set.

Structural Engineering & Design in Estero
Elevating Existing Homes in Estero
Permit Drawings for the Village of Estero
Wall Removals, Facades & Roof Framing

Home Additions & Renovations in Estero

Plan Review Through Permit Issuance

Structural Engineering Services in Estero

Our Estero work to date has been renovation of existing homes. A new front, an open floor plan or a bigger room each changes how the house carries its load. We design that new load path and draw it so the building department can review it and your contractor can build it.

• Load-bearing wall and column removal, with new beams, posts and footings

• Front facade and entry renovations

• New roof framing over an existing roof

• Concrete block walls, reinforced footings and tie-beam lintels

• Impact-rated window and door openings

• Slab-on-grade work matched to the existing floor elevation

• Elevating existing homes, or adding a new living level on top of the existing structure

Two-story custom home with a paver driveway and palm trees in Southwest Florida

Elevating an Existing Home in Estero

If your Estero home sits below the flood elevation, there are two ways to raise the living space, and we engineer both.

Lift the house. The existing home is raised onto a new elevated foundation of pilings, columns or stem walls, and the space below the flood elevation becomes garage and storage. We engineer the new foundation, the stairs and lift, and the wind connections that tie the house down to its new foundation.

Build on top. The ground floor stays, and a new living level is built on top of the existing structure. The ground floor is converted to garage and storage space, with flood openings and flood-resistant or breakaway walls so it meets the flood rules. We engineer the strengthened existing walls and columns that carry the new floor, the stairs and lift, and the wind connections from the new roof down to the foundation.

The Village's flood rules, or Lee County's outside the Village limits, decide what is allowed below the flood line. We check them before design starts.

Cape Coral Residential Home Engineering.png

Permitting in the Village of Estero

Inside the Village limits, building permits go through the Village of Estero Community Development Department. Its Building and Permitting Services unit reviews residential and commercial applications against Village codes and Florida law. Applications can be submitted online.

The Village requires a permit to construct, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure, and for a change of building occupancy. Taking out a bearing wall or reframing a roof changes the structure, and we design, sign and seal the drawings for that work.

The permit drawings have to show the structure clearly: the walls that come out, the beams and posts that replace them, and the footings and connections that carry the load down. We draw each of those items so the reviewer can follow the load from the roof to the foundation.

Wind matters here too. Our Reserve Estates Drive project was designed as a wind-borne debris region job, and its replacement windows and doors are impact-rated. New walls, beams and roof framing are designed so the load reaches the foundation, and we draw each connection along that path.

Aerial view of waterfront homes along a canal in Fort Myers, Florida

Estero Projects

Reserve Estates Drive, Estero. A front-facade renovation and interior wall removal on an existing single-family home in a gated community. The new closet extension and front entry wall are 8-inch concrete block on reinforced footings, with the new slab set to match the existing floor elevation. A new front roof overframes the existing main roof. Where the new walls do not line up with the existing trusses, the rafters are sistered or doubled. The barrel-vaulted arch heads sit over reinforced concrete tie-beam lintels, with LVL alternates. Inside, load-bearing walls and columns come out, and new beams and support posts carry the load down to the foundation. The scope called for a complete, coordinated set of design and engineering documents suitable for permitting with the Village of Estero Community Development Department. Site photos in the job file record the walls opened up, the framing checked, the dining room slab opened, and the cracks in the entry footer and slab.

How the Process Works

1. Call or send a message. Tell us the address and what you want to change. Photos, plans and record drawings all help.

2. Proposal. We review what you send and put the scope in a written proposal before any work starts.

3. Design and drawings. We design the structure and draw it, and review the set with you and your contractor.

4. Sealed set. You receive signed and sealed drawings for the permit application, and we carry the set through plan review.

Single-story commercial office building in Southwest Florida

Why Hire a Local PE in Estero

Some clients come to us with a finished architectural plan and need only the structure. Others need the design and the engineering together. Our Reserve Estates Drive proposal offered both options: design and engineering together, or structural only. Because architectural design and structural engineering are in one office, the drawings agree with each other and you deal with one firm.

Michael D. Stewart, P.E. has engineered Southwest Florida buildings since 2005 from his office in Cape Coral. He serves Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties and the barrier islands.

The details that matter on an Estero renovation are the ones described above: block walls on reinforced footings, tie-beam lintels over openings, new roof framing tied into the existing roof and a clear load path to the foundation. Each one is drawn on the permit set, not left to the field.

"I TREAT EACH AND EVERY PROJECT
AS A PERSONAL PRIORITY."

Start Your Estero Project

Planning a renovation, wall removal or home elevation in Estero? Call Michael D. Stewart, P.E. at (239) 292-7670, email mstewart@mstewartpe.com or send a message.

"HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE AND QUICK TURNAROUND ARE THE MISSION."

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a structural engineer to remove a wall in my Estero home?

If the wall is load-bearing, yes. A bearing wall carries roof or floor load. Taking it out needs a beam, posts and a path to the foundation, designed and sealed by an engineer. The Village requires a permit to alter a building.

Can you elevate my existing home in Estero?

Yes. We engineer either 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. The local flood rules decide what is allowed below the flood line, and we check them before design starts.

Do you prepare drawings for Village of Estero permits?

Yes. We prepare signed and sealed sets for permitting with the Village of Estero Community Development Department.

Do you work in gated communities?

Yes. Our Reserve Estates Drive project was in a gated community in Estero.

Do you do the architectural design too?

Yes. Structural engineering, architectural design and MEP are under one roof. You can hire us for design and engineering together or for the structure alone.