Storm damage demolition · Collier County

Storm damage demolition in Collier County

Collier County has had a recent lesson. Reporting after Hurricane Ian put storm surge at nearly twelve feet and countywide damage at 2.2 billion dollars, with 33 buildings destroyed and 3,515 residential and commercial buildings suffering major damage.

Request a quote Call (239) 510-4206

A small yellow house with red trim standing in floodwater among coconut palms and banana plants.

Surge is not wind. Water that rises several feet inside a building soaks floors, walls and wiring and can undermine footings. Officials noted that newer buildings, built to current code and higher elevations, generally fared better, and that some older neighborhoods were already turning over to higher homes.

Repair or replace often turns on the half-value rule. A building in a flood zone whose repair cost reaches half its market value must meet current flood standards, be elevated, be moved or be demolished, and the building official makes that call. A contractor's scope and cost go to the office, and the office does the counting.

A storm-hit building is not an ordinary job. Roofs are loose, floors are wet and framing can fail, so stabilizing comes first, then surveys for asbestos and mold, then removal in an order that protects crews and neighbors.

Insurers and agencies often ask for photographs, scopes and disposal records, and those are kept as the work proceeds. The address and photos of the damage let us begin with a walk-through.

Order of work

Walk-through and safety assessment
Stabilizing or shoring of anything unsafe to enter
Asbestos survey and utility disconnects
Scope and contractor's cost estimate for the permit office
Permit filing
Removal in sequence, with photographs and load records
Lot cleared and final inspection passed

Common snags

What tends to hold these jobs up, and our answer to each

Structure weakened by water

Surge can undermine footings and soak framing. An engineer decides what can be entered and how it is shored.

Repair or replace

The building official applies the half-value rule. We bring the scope and cost, and the office decides.

Mold and moisture

Wet materials grow mold quickly. Protection and removal order are planned for that.

Records the insurer asks for

Stages are photographed and load records kept, since carriers often ask.

Where our role ends

The building official decides whether a building is substantially damaged. Coverage is between you and your carrier. Unsafe-building orders can carry deadlines, and we work within them.

Questions

About storm damage demolition

Do I have to demolish a house the surge flooded?

Not always. If repairs stay below the local threshold, repair may be allowed. At half the building's value or more in a flood zone, it must be upgraded, moved or demolished, and the building official decides.

Can you provide records for my insurance claim?

We supply scopes, photographs and load records. Coverage decisions belong to your carrier.

What goes into the cost of a demolition?

A quote comes after we visit the property, or after we review photos and drawings that show enough. The price follows the building's materials and height, the asbestos survey, utility and septic work, how machines reach the lot, what stays, and where the debris goes. We do not publish prices, because two lots that look alike seldom cost alike.

Is there a size limit on the jobs you price?

No limit. Sheds, pools, slabs and single walls get a quote, and so do whole buildings, selective or structural. Describe what stands on the lot and what must stay, and the price follows that description.

Is Romco Builders licensed?

Yes. Romco Builders is a Florida-licensed general contractor with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale. Some tasks need a license or permit of their own, among them asbestos abatement, electrical disconnects, septic abandonment and tree removal. Those go to the firms or agencies with that authority, and we fit them into a single schedule.

Start to finish

Six stages in a fixed order

Send the address and the scope
Ring us or use the quote form, and attach photos or drawings if you have them. Give the area, what has to go and what has to stay.
We walk the site
We visit the lot and look at the building, the utility connections, septic or sewer, the flood zone, how machines and trucks will get in, and the neighbors.
Written scope and quote
A written quote lists what comes out, what is shielded, and what leaves by truck. Anything that depends on a survey is marked.
Surveys, permit and disconnects
Required asbestos testing, utility shutoffs and septic abandonment happen here, and the permit goes to the office that covers your parcel.
Demolition and haul-off
The crew follows the agreed order of work. Debris is taken to permitted facilities, and load records are kept.
Final inspection
The permit is closed by the building department after its last inspection, leaving a clear lot or the shell you requested.

Storm damage demolition across Collier, including Naples, Old Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City, Chokoloskee, Goodland, Isles of Capri, Immokalee, Golden Gate Estates, Bayshore and Gateway Triangle, and every other Collier city.

Also on our list

Other demolition we price

A wide field of broken concrete slabs, bricks and timber with a tall chimney in the distance.

Any type, any size, anywhere in Collier County

Name the place and the job, and we will put a price on it.

Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single wall or a full building: either way you get a written scope and a quote.