New Construction Architect — Cape Coral, Florida

Cape Coral sits almost entirely within FEMA flood zones — most of the city is designated AE, with Base Flood Elevations ranging from 7 to 11 feet NAVD88 depending on location. Every new home we design in Cape Coral is engineered for the required flood elevation, with the lowest finished floor set at or above the BFE plus Lee County's freeboard requirement. For Gulf-access and non-access canal lots, this typically means an elevated foundation — stem walls or pilings — which we design as part of the structural package. Cape Coral is also in a Wind-Borne Debris Region, which means all openings (windows and doors) in new construction must be impact-resistant or protected by approved shutters. We specify impact-resistant products and detail the opening protection requirements in the permit set. The City of Cape Coral Building Division reviews new construction permit sets for code compliance before issuing a permit. We produce drawings to the current Florida Building Code and Cape Coral local amendments, and we respond to plan review comments to keep your project moving.

Most homeowners building new in Cape Coral hire an architect and a structural engineer separately — two firms, two contracts, two timelines. Designda Inc. / Pineland Engineering eliminates that. Our licensed architect (AR102594) and licensed professional engineer (PE 39202) work together on every project, producing fully coordinated architectural and structural drawings as a single permit set. For Cape Coral new construction, the permit set includes: architectural drawings (floor plans, elevations, building sections, wall sections, roof plan, door and window schedules, finish schedule) and structural drawings (foundation plan, framing plans, connection details, wind load calculations). Both sets are signed and sealed by the appropriate licensee and submitted together to the City of Cape Coral Building Division. We've designed new homes on Gulf-access canals, non-access canals, and dry lots throughout Cape Coral. We know the local building department, the local code interpretations, and the local plan reviewers. We design to pass review on the first submission wherever possible.