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Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program

Project Overview
The Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program (HRRP) is a centralized program that repairs and replaces housing for low- and moderate-income (LMI) families impacted by storms—in this case, Hurricane Irma. The HRRP managed the design and construction process for the rehabilitation and replacement of damaged homes on behalf of eligible homeowners. Royal was selected to provide professional architectural and engineering services for the HRRP, which included both the rehabilitation (repairs) and the reconstruction (new homes) portions of the Program.

Rehabilitation services consisted of on-site structural assessments and making determinations of whether damages qualified for repair and required repair solutions, which were summarized in a comprehensive Structural Assessment Report. When the complexity of the structural repairs required structural drawings, either for permitting or for construction, Royal prepared full structural design drawings and calculations including foundation and framing plans, details, and sections. The scope of work for structural design drawings included full home elevations, foundation system replacements, roof framing repairs, floor framing repairs, beam replacements, and wall framing repairs.

Reconstruction services consisted of architectural and engineering design drawings for replacement of homes when repair was considered unfeasible. Royal developed sets of standard prototypes from which the Program and applicants could select a replacement home. Once the replacement home was selected, the standard architectural and engineering drawings were either reconfigured or reproduced so that it fit within the property’s footprint. Each design is detailed to meet the most stringent wind requirements of the State of Florida, as well as the requirements of the local zoning ordinances and building regulations.

Project Work and Royal Solutions
The HRRP presented a number of challenges, primarily the large volume of files and expedited time frames.

Royal’s team of engineers and architects created a streamlined process to manage large volumes of project files in short time frames utilizing cloud-based platform management systems and project management software. Throughout the Program’s duration, Royal’s design team delivered over 200 structural assessment reports, 150 structural repair drawings, and more than 350 new home designs. We also coordinated surveying, geotechnical analysis, and permitting. Royal was able to provide real-time data on all deliverables, design status, and projected delivery dates for the Program Manager and Florida’s Department of Commerce.

The large number of homeowners in the Program presented a significant amount of data with individual projects under management. Royal implemented our own custom cloud-based platform, RoyalVUE, to house all data and coordinate the project delivery between architects, engineers, and administrative staff. The platform was able to provide accurate reporting of current, past, and projected deliverables and deadlines in real-time.

Due to many homeowners being forced to relocate during the rehabilitation or replacement of their homes, the program featured an aggressive timeframe for the design of each project. Royal worked to create an expedited project delivery method understanding that the critical path of each file started with the survey and geotechnical analysis. Royal worked tirelessly with surveyors and geotechnical engineers to shorten deliverable durations. During that time, Royal recognized the “float” in each individual deliverable schedule and was able to manage the architectural and engineering drawings so that the design was ready for submission almost immediately after the survey and geotechnical report was received.

Royal was proud to support homeowners returning to their home after being displaced by Hurricane Irma. Royal’s strategic planning and coordination allowed for faster project delivery to meet the intense demands of the program.