Renovating in
Dolphin Isles.

Fort Lauderdale. Homes here include Old Florida bungalows and waterfront estates. What the city and local broker guides say about building here, and what usually comes up when a house is renovated.

1. 01

   The houses

   Homes here include Old Florida bungalows, waterfront estates and newer coastal-modern builds. Development began in the 1950s (Premier Estate Properties); a 1955 Intracoastal house appears in listings; two current listings marked new construction. City completed a 2025 architectural survey of Dolphin Isles.

2. 02

   The lots and the water

   The water here is the Intracoastal and canals. Single-story bungalows and sprawling estates on large lots facing the Intracoastal; deep-water canals, no fixed bridges; bexrealty lots about 0.05 to 0.21 acre.

3. 03

   Historic review

   City 2025 architectural survey may lead to historic review for some properties. Some older streets are surveyed or designated as historic. Where that applies, the city's review comes first and shapes what can change.

4. 04

   Flood zone and elevation

   Seawall, dock and flood-zone elevation work. Many older, low-lying homes here sit in flood zones. When the cost of work passes half of what the home is worth, the rules can require it to meet current flood standards, so this is checked before the design is final.

Where this comes from: premierestateproperties.com, bexrealty.com, fortlauderdale.gov. Housing and lot details are as the city and broker guides describe them, and broker figures are marketing snapshots. The photograph is from a Johnson job elsewhere. It shows the kind of work, not a house in Dolphin Isles.

Work that fits a house like this