Post-Ian Rebuilds: Your Opportunity to Build Right
Hurricane Ian was devastating, but it also created an opportunity: If you're rebuilding from the ground up, coordinate the insulation specification with the building design. Storm-damaged materials and active water entry need appropriate repair before insulation installation.
What We're Seeing in Rebuilds
- • Elevated construction on new pilings
- • Impact-rated windows and doors
- • Metal roofing and reinforced structures
- • Closed cell spray foam insulation
What the Insulation Plan Should Address
- • Product suitability for the specified assembly
- • Required insulation performance and thickness
- • Moisture-control details and existing conditions
- • Repairs completed before insulation is installed
Insulation services on Sanibel and Captiva
Closed-cell spray foam
For elevated-floor undersides, roof decks and wall cavities in rebuilds. Spray foam insulation
Open-cell spray foam
For roof decks on conditioned attics where the design calls for it. Open-cell vs closed-cell
Insulation removal
Storm-wet batts and blown-in come out before any new material goes in. Insulation removal
Batt and blown-in
For interior partitions and attics above the design flood elevation. Blown-in insulation
Builder coordination
Scope, sequencing after dry-in, and inspections for island general contractors. Insulation for builders
Where we work on the islands
Sanibel
The Periwinkle Way corridor, Gulf Pines, The Dunes, Shell Harbor, Sanibel Bayous, Beachview, West Gulf Drive, the East End near the lighthouse, and the Sanibel-Captiva Road stretch toward Blind Pass.
Captiva
Captiva Village and Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva Drive gulf-front lots, the Roosevelt Channel bayside, and the ongoing South Seas redevelopment.
Most island insulation work today is new construction on pilings or a gutted first floor being rebuilt to current elevation rules — not a simple attic top-up.
What changes when the home is elevated and in a flood zone
On Sanibel and Captiva most lots sit in VE or AE flood zones, so the insulation plan starts with the elevation certificate, not the thermostat. Above the design flood elevation, a conditioned-attic roof deck or a vented attic each has its own correct product, and the humid-climate rule is the same on both islands: control vapor at the warm, wet side and never trap water between two vapor-slow layers. Insulation does not make a home hurricane- or flood-proof; it is one layer in an enclosure that also depends on the roof, the openings, the flashing and the drainage. We put the assembly, the product, the thickness and the prep into a written scope before anyone sprays.
Underside of an elevated floor
The floor over open pilings is exposed to wind, salt air and humidity on its underside. The product and thickness come from your approved plans, and the surface has to be clean and dry before foam goes on.
Roof deck, conditioned vs vented
Foam at the roof deck brings ductwork inside the conditioned space; a vented attic keeps insulation on the ceiling. The choice changes the product and the dehumidification plan, so decide it with the architect and HVAC contractor.
Repairs first, foam second
Roof and wall damage, active leaks and wet framing are repaired and dried before insulation goes in. Foam should never cover a problem that has not been fixed.
Scheduling from Naples: how island jobs work
Our shop is at 4950 Golden Gate Pkwy in Naples, roughly an hour from the causeway toll plaza. We plan island work as scheduled blocks so the crew and equipment cross the causeway once rather than squeezing a trip in between mainland jobs. If your GC has a dry-in date, give it to us early so we can plan around it. For occupied homes on Captiva, we plan around Captiva Drive traffic and any South Seas construction detours.
Sanibel and Captiva insulation questions
Do you actually come out to Sanibel and Captiva, or only quote from Naples?
We install on both islands with our own crews. Estimates for rebuilds are usually done from plans and an on-site walk once the structure is dried in.
What insulation can go under an elevated home’s floor?
Closed-cell spray foam is the usual choice beneath pile-supported floors because it does not hold water the way batts do. Whether a product is acceptable below the design flood elevation is set by your approved plans, the flood-zone rules and the building inspector, so we confirm it against the plans before anyone sprays.
Should a rebuilt island home have a sealed (conditioned) attic?
Often yes, especially with ductwork in the attic, but it is a design decision the architect, the HVAC contractor and we should make together, because it changes the roof-deck product and the dehumidification plan.
My insulation got wet in Ian and dried out. Can it stay?
Not if it was fiberglass or cellulose that took floodwater. We remove it, the framing gets inspected and treated as needed, and new material goes in only after moisture readings are acceptable. See insulation removal.
Will spray foam lower my electric bill?
Spray foam reduces air leakage through the assembly it covers. How that shows up on a bill depends on the whole house — windows, roof color, duct location, how the home is used — so we will not promise a number; we will show you what the assembly is designed to do.
Ready to Rebuild Stronger?
Discuss the insulation options, existing conditions and specified assembly before choosing a system.
We serve Sanibel and Captiva. Send the address, plans or photos and your GC's schedule, and we will confirm island access and scheduling for your project.
📞 Call (239) 455-2002