Leak detection and water cleanup in Fontainebleau, 33174

Fontainebleau began as Fontainebleau Park, a 1970 plan by Ben Novack, and Trafalgar Developers opened it during that decade around two 18-hole golf courses. Both the East and West courses have since closed and been built upon, so the original buildings now stand beside much younger ones.

The eastern half was laid out mainly for condominiums and apartments, while the west side holds Village Homes, Garden Homes, townhomes and single-family houses. With owner-occupancy near 43.9 percent, many of our calls come from tenants, landlords and association managers chasing the same leak from different sides.

In 1970s buildings, the usual leak paths are supply lines behind vanities, drain stacks shared between floors, water heaters in hall closets and AC condensate lines that clog and spill. Florida homes sit on concrete slabs, so water that escapes on a ground floor spreads sideways under tile and baseboards instead of draining away.

Sweetwater, the city on Fontainebleau's western border, sits along the Tamiami (C-4) Canal, where the water district planned flood walls and berms from 107th Avenue to 97th Avenue. On May 26, 2020, half a foot of rain fell in two hours at Miami International Airport, Sweetwater was hit quickly and severely, and the C-4 climbed over a foot across seven miles of its length.

We start in the unit that shows the damage, then check the units above and beside it with moisture meters and a thermal camera. Mapping the wet area first lets us open a small inspection hole instead of cutting out a whole wall, and it gives the association and each owner one shared record of where the water traveled.

Once the source is stopped by you, your plumber or building maintenance, we extract standing water and set dehumidifiers and air movers, taking moisture readings every day. Florida condo law generally puts the building as first built on the association's policy and leaves finishes and contents to each owner, so our photos and logs are written for both adjusters.

If mold has started behind a vanity or inside a closet wall, we contain that area and remove the affected drywall. Mold testing or clearance sampling goes through an independent assessor; the person checking the result is never the one who did the removal.

Sweetwater, Doral to the north, Westchester to the south, Flagami and Tamiami are all on our route as well. Each sits on the same near-sea-level ground, where groundwater lies just under the surface and heavy storms drain slowly.

A landmark helps us route the truck when you phone: the Fontainebleau Office Park on West Flagler Street, the FIU Engineering Center or the Lennar offices on NW 107th Avenue all work. On the rare night that every crew is already out, your call is handed to another trusted local restoration provider, and help still arrives.