We stay. We finish. We come back.
Hire a general contractor in Miami without a deposit
You do not put money down to start. You pay against milestones you can see finished with your own eyes — permits pulled, demo done, inspections passed, finishes in, punch list cleared.
Paid when you see progress.
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How does Tepui Construction's no-deposit contract work?
Tepui Construction does not collect a deposit before work begins. Instead of a lump sum paid on faith, the total project price is split across defined milestones, and each payment comes due only after the milestone tied to it is finished and documented. A typical Miami renovation runs five gates: permits approved; demolition and site prep complete; framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-in inspections passed; finishes installed; and final walkthrough with the punch list cleared. Each gate is photographed and stamped with the Tepui wax seal, and the full schedule — scope and dollar amount for every stage — is written into page 2 of the standard Tepui Construction contract before anyone swings a hammer.
The industry standard is different: many South Florida contractors ask for 30 to 50 percent up front. That structure pays the contractor for half the job before the homeowner has seen any of it. The milestone structure inverts the incentive — the only way we get paid is to keep showing up and finish the next stage.
What does a milestone payment schedule look like?
Five gates, defined in writing before the project starts. You know what each one costs and what has to be true before it closes.
1. Permits filed and approved
Drawings submitted to the Miami-Dade or municipal building department, plan review cleared, permit in hand. Nothing is owed until this is done.
2. Demolition and site prep complete
The old space is out, the site is protected and staged. You walk it before this gate closes.
3. Rough-in inspections passed
Framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical rough-in signed off by the inspector — a third party, not us, confirming this milestone.
4. Finishes installed
Cabinetry, tile, fixtures, paint. The stage where the project starts looking like the thing you paid for.
5. Final walkthrough, punch list cleared
We walk the space together, you write the list, we finish the list. Final payment comes after that, not before.
Why does paying no deposit protect you?
Because money you have not paid cannot be lost. Every version of the story South Florida homeowners tell each other — the contractor whose replies got slower, the half-demolished kitchen, the crew that worked three days and never came back — starts the same way: someone paid before the work existed. Take that first payment out of the structure and the most common failure mode has nowhere to start.
It also changes what a delay costs. Under a deposit-first contract, a contractor who stalls has already been paid. Under a milestone contract, a contractor who stalls is not getting paid. We don't vanish, and the payment schedule is the part of that promise you can hold us to on paper.
Is a deposit legally required in Florida?
No. Florida law does not require a homeowner to pay a deposit to hire a licensed general contractor. It regulates what happens when a contractor takes one. Under Florida Statute 489.126, a contractor who receives more than 10 percent of the contract price as an initial payment on residential work must apply for the necessary permits within 30 days of that payment, and must start the work within 90 days after those permits are issued. The same statute makes it a criminal offense to take payment beyond the value of work performed and then fail to work for a 90-day period.
That is worth knowing, and it is also worth being clear about what it means: those rules describe what you can do after something has gone wrong. They are a remedy, not a shield. A payment schedule that never puts your money ahead of your project is the version that keeps you out of that process entirely. The large deposit is an industry habit — a common one — not a legal requirement.
How do I know you will not leave the job half-finished?
Three answers, and only the first one is structural. The payment schedule means we are never paid ahead of the work, so finishing is the only route to getting paid. Second, we quote conservative timelines on purpose — we would rather tell you three months on a two-month job and hand your house back early than win the job with a date we cannot hold. Third, when something is wrong after completion, we come back and fix it. Mistakes happen on jobsites. Leaving is the part we do not do.
Tepui Construction is a licensed and insured Florida general contractor working across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. Our founder also runs Roofweiler, a licensed Florida roofing contractor (CCC1337426), so roofing inside a renovation stays in-house — and sister company Tepui Management, if you want the house looked after once the build is done.
Keep reading
Guide
How to hire a general contractor in Miami without a large deposit
The questions to ask, and what a no-deposit contract should look like on paper before you sign.
Guide
Florida general contractor permit process explained
How Miami-Dade permitting actually works — the first milestone on every project we run.
Services
Residential renovation in Miami
Kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home remodels, additions, and impact windows.
Services
Commercial buildouts in Miami
Office, retail, and restaurant buildouts on the same milestone schedule.
FAQ
Questions homeowners ask before they sign
We stay. We finish. We come back.
Start your Miami project without a deposit
Book a site visit and we will walk your space, scope the work, and put the milestone schedule in writing before you owe anything. Or get a ballpark number from your phone on the Tepui app first — the team confirms the real quote after a visit.
Licensed & insured Florida general contractor · Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach