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Design-Build · Pre-Construction · Tampa Bay

Commercial HVAC, designed and built by one contractor.

Suncoast Cold Systems delivers full commercial HVAC design-build across Tampa Bay — load calculations, duct and piping layouts, equipment selection, controls design, drawings and specifications, installation, and commissioning, all under one contract. One party owns the system from the first load calc to the final functional test, so there is no gap between the design you approved and the system you operate.

Chilled water plants, VRF, cooling towers, packaged rooftop, and split systems — any size, any type — delivered as the installing contractor under Florida Class A Air Conditioning Contractor license #CAC1824642, with a Florida Professional Engineer of record on projects that require a sealed design.

Start a design-build conversation Call (813) 599-5988
Systems we design and build
Chilled water plants Cooling towers VRF / VRV Packaged RTU Split & VAV Make-up air / DOAS Controls / BAS Kitchen ventilation
01 / The model

One contract. One accountable party. Concept to commissioning.

In design-bid-build, an engineer designs the system, a contractor bids the drawings, and the two never share accountability — every coordination miss becomes a change order. Design-build collapses that gap. We own the load calc, the equipment selection, the layouts, the controls, the install, and the commissioning together, which compresses schedule, prices the real scope once, and leaves one party responsible from schematic design through the warranty period.

Design-bid-buildSplit

Designer and builder are strangers

The engineer seals a set, the low bidder builds it, and the constructability gaps surface in the field as RFIs and change orders. Schedule and budget absorb the friction.

Design-assistCollaborate

We join your design team early

For owners and engineers who keep their own engineer of record, we sit in during design development — equipment, controls scope, constructability, and commissioning. Design-assist & consulting →

Design-buildOne roof

We design and install it

One contract, one accountable contractor, from the first load calc to the final functional test. The system you approve on paper is the system we hand you commissioned.

02 / Deliverables

What's inside a design-build package

01Load calculations

Loads sized for Florida

Block and room-by-room cooling and heating loads with ASHRAE / ACCA methodology, real Tampa Bay design conditions, latent load, and outdoor-air ventilation per the Florida Building Code — Mechanical. Sized for the building you have, not a worst-case multiplier.

02Equipment selection

Basis of design

Chiller, tower, VRF, RTU, AHU, and pump selections matched to load, part-load efficiency, refrigerant strategy, footprint, and service access — documented as a basis of design the owner can hold us to.

03Layouts & routing

Duct & hydronic design

Ductwork, hydronic and refrigerant piping, equipment placement, and condensate routing in Revit MEP — coordinated against structure, electrical, plumbing, and ceiling space before anything is fabricated.

04Controls design

Sequences & points list

A vendor-neutral sequence of operations and points list — economizer logic, staging, setpoints, DOAS and dehumidification control, BAS integration — written for the operator on the building, not as a sales document for one controls brand.

05Drawings & specs

Permit-ready set

Construction drawings, schedules, and specifications prepared for permit and installation. Where the project requires it, the set carries the seal of our Florida Professional Engineer of record.

06Build & commission

Installed & verified

Installation by the same firm that designed it, then startup, controls validation, sequence-of-operations testing, balancing coordination, and functional commissioning before turnover.

03 / Systems

Any size. Any system type.

As a State Certified Class A Air Conditioning Contractor, our installation license carries no system-size ceiling. From a single rooftop unit to a central chilled-water plant, we design and build the full range of commercial comfort and process-adjacent HVAC.

System 01
Chilled water plants

Air- and water-cooled chillers, primary/secondary and variable-primary pumping, AHUs and fan-coils, with plant optimization sequences. The right architecture for large or multi-zone commercial buildings.

System 02
Cooling towers

Tower selection, condenser-water loop design, water treatment coordination, and freeze/scale strategy tuned to Florida humidity and water chemistry.

System 03
VRF / VRV

Heat-pump and heat-recovery VRF for offices, hospitality, and mixed-use — branch-controller layout, refrigerant-charge and ventilation strategy, and DOAS pairing for latent load.

System 04
Packaged rooftop & VAV

Single-zone and VAV rooftop systems with economizers, demand-control ventilation, and reheat strategy — the workhorse of Tampa Bay retail, restaurant, and light-commercial buildings.

System 05
Dedicated outdoor air & dehumidification

DOAS, energy recovery, and dedicated dehumidification — the part of the design that decides whether a Florida building stays dry or grows mold. Sized for latent load, not just temperature.

System 06
Controls & building automation

Sequences of operation, points lists, and BAS integration — designed vendor-neutral so the owner is not locked to one controls contractor for the life of the building. Open-protocol controls & automation →

Out of scope: industrial ammonia (NH3) and large-scale industrial process refrigeration — those belong to industrial refrigeration specialists.
04 / How the license works

Who can design what, in Florida

Design-build is fully legal in Florida — the question is only who holds the pen on the sealed engineering. We are transparent about where the line sits so owners and AHJs never have to guess.

Within the contractor exemptionWe self-perform

Smaller systems

Under Florida Statute 471.003(2)(h), a Class A Air Conditioning Contractor may design and prepare drawings for the systems it installs when the A/C and refrigeration system value is $125,000 or less and the HVAC system does not exceed 15 tons per system — or the project is designed for 100 or fewer occupants. On these projects we own the design start to finish.

Above the thresholdPE of record

Larger & sealed projects

Larger chilled-water, VRF, and cooling-tower projects are delivered design-build with a Florida-licensed Professional Engineer of record providing the sealed mechanical documents. We remain the installing contractor and single point of accountability — the owner still signs one contract.

Suncoast Cold Systems is not an engineering firm and does not offer engineering services to the public. Design work is performed as the installing contractor within the scope of Florida Class A Air Conditioning Contractor license #CAC1824642, and any document requiring a Professional Engineer's seal is prepared by a Florida-licensed PE. Every engagement begins with a written agreement defining scope and the design-to-construction boundary.

05 / Process

From first call to commissioned system

06 / Who we work with

Owners, engineers, and builders

Across every commercial building type — including the most demanding: hospitals & healthcare and data centers & mission-critical rooms.

Lane 01Owners

Building owners & facility directors

One accountable party for a new system or a replacement — design, build, and commissioning under a single contract, with the operating sequences written for your team.

For owners
Lane 02Engineers

Mechanical engineers & MEP firms

A design-assist and delegated-design partner who builds what gets drawn — constructability input, controls scope, and a contractor who closes the loop in the field.

For engineers
Lane 03GCs

General contractors & CMs

A single mechanical design-build subcontractor for the HVAC scope — bid response, coordination, and turnover documentation that satisfies the owner and the AHJ.

For GCs
07 / FAQ

Design-build questions

Can a Florida Class A air conditioning contractor design an HVAC system?
Yes — within limits set by Florida Statute 471.003(2)(h). A State Certified Class A Air Conditioning Contractor may prepare the design and drawings for HVAC systems it installs when the air-conditioning and refrigeration system value is $125,000 or less and the HVAC system does not exceed 15 tons per system, or the project is designed to accommodate 100 or fewer persons. Above those thresholds, the engineering documents are sealed by a collaborating Florida-licensed Professional Engineer while we deliver the project design-build as the installing contractor.
What is HVAC design-build, and how is it different from design-bid-build?
Design-build places the system design and its installation under one contract with one accountable party. In design-bid-build, an engineer designs in isolation and a contractor later bids those drawings, so coordination gaps become change orders. Design-build removes that handoff — we own load calcs, equipment, layouts, controls, construction, and commissioning together, which shortens schedule and keeps one party responsible from concept through warranty.
Do you design large chilled water, VRF, and cooling tower systems?
Yes. We deliver chilled water plants, VRF, cooling towers, packaged rooftop, and split systems of any size design-build. Projects above the Florida contractor self-design thresholds are delivered with a Florida-licensed Professional Engineer of record providing sealed mechanical documents; we remain the installing design-build contractor and the owner's single point of accountability.
Do you replace the owner's engineer or architect?
No. On design-assist engagements we collaborate with the engineer of record during design development. On design-build engagements we either self-perform design within the Class A contractor exemption or engage a Florida PE of record. Anything requiring a Professional Engineer's seal is always produced by a Florida-licensed engineer.
Can you take a project over from an existing design?
Yes. We can pick up a partially designed project, complete it design-build, and reconcile the as-designed scope with field reality — or provide a constructability and controls review of an existing set before you build it. See design-assist & consulting.
Where do you work?
Design-build and installation are centered on Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties — Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Riverview, Temple Terrace, and Wesley Chapel. Design-assist and owner's-representation engagements are available statewide; our Class A license is recognized in every Florida county.
08 / Field notes

Design-build reading

Guide9 min

Design-build vs design-bid-build for commercial HVAC

Schedule, accountability, change-order risk, and cost certainty compared for a Tampa Bay owner.

Read the guide
Compliance8 min

What a Florida Class A contractor can legally design

The 471.003(2)(h) thresholds, the PE-seal boundary, and how design-build stays compliant at any size.

Read the note
Buyer's guide11 min

Chilled water vs VRF for a Tampa Bay commercial building

First cost, part-load efficiency, footprint, humidity control, and 20-year TCO compared.

Read the note
All HVAC design-build notes