Home Renovation on Palm Beach Island
Renovating on Palm Beach Island Is Different
A whole-home renovation on the island is not the same project as a renovation anywhere else in South Florida. Between Town of Palm Beach permitting, ARCOM review for exterior changes, landmarked-district requirements, and building on a barrier island in a hurricane zone, an island renovation rewards contractors who have done it before. It punishes the ones who haven’t.
Palmhouse Design & Build has been doing this work for 20+ years. We arebased at 801 Maplewood Dr, Suite 25, Jupiter, FL 33458, a short drive from the island. Our Florida General Contractor license is CGC1537109. We hold Certified General Contractor credentials in-house and we run our own design team. Consultations on the island are by appointment. Call 561-831-4170 to schedule.
Our Whole-Home Renovation Process
We work in four phases. Each one is built around the realities of an island project, not a generic remodel template.
1. Design and permitting. Months, not weeks. We document existing conditions in detail before we draw anything new. We coordinate Town of Palm Beach Building Department submittals and prepare ARCOM packages where the scope requires it. Landmarked properties get an additional process layer. We surface the timeline expectations in this phase, not three months in.
2. Demolition. Scope-dependent. Older island homes regularly reveal conditions we did not see in the walkthrough: original cast-iron plumbing, knob-and-tube remnants behind plaster, hidden water damage near windows. We document everything in photos and we communicate before we cut.
3. Build. Phased construction. Trades sequenced by our in-house project manager so they do not collide. Material lead times accounted for in the schedule, not assumed. Long-lead items are ordered early enough to absorb hurricane-season delivery delays.
4. Punch list and close-out. Walk-through with the homeowner. Final inspections through the Town. Documentation handed over. Read our full renovation process and timeline for the detail behind each phase.
What Makes Island Renovations Different
Four things separate an island project from anything else on the mainland.
Town of Palm Beach permitting and ARCOM. Whole-home work goes through the Town of Palm Beach Building Department. Exterior changes, additions, and work visible from the public right-of-way typically need Architectural Review Commission (ARCOM) approval. Landmarked properties add a Landmarks Preservation Commission process on top. These are real timeline factors. We build them into the schedule from day one, not as surprises later.
Coastal construction in the Wind-Borne Debris Region. Palm Beach County sits inside Florida’s Wind-Borne Debris Region. Every new or replaced exterior opening requires impact-rated glazing carrying a Florida Product Approval. Wind-load engineering is required on structural changes. Salt-air-rated materials matter. We build to Florida Building Code WBDR requirements as a baseline, not an upgrade.
Landmarked and historic-district properties. Many estate-section island homes carry historic protections. Replacement materials must match originals on visible elevations. Window and door changes get scrutinized at a different level. Interior gut renovations may be possible on a landmarked property; exterior changes are a longer conversation. We have run that conversation before.
Logistics and discretion. Three bridges connect the island. Town construction-hour rules constrain when work can happen. Material staging is tight. Press attention on certain homes is real. We work to be invisible: single point of contact, no site signage when requested, NDA-friendly engagements.
Renovating Through Atlantic Hurricane Season
Most contractor pages avoid this topic. We address it because half our active projects in any given year overlap hurricane season at least partially.
Florida home-improvement blogs tell homeowners to avoid starting construction June through November. That advice ignores reality. A whole-home renovation on the island can take a year or longer. You cannot align that to a five-month window.
Our approach:
- Project sequencing: structural and exterior work is scheduled to be enclosed before peak season (August through October) where possible
- Active jobsite storm protocol: temporary openings get impact-rated panel coverage 48 hours before a named storm approaches, outdoor materials and equipment are relocated off the island, debris is removed, the site is secured before crew evacuation
- Material lead-time buffering: long-lead items (custom millwork, stone, imported tile) are ordered before storm season risks delivery delays
- Permit-office continuity: Town offices may close briefly during storm events, we plan submittal cycles around that
- Insurance: we carry hurricane-event riders on active jobsites
How We Protect You Under Florida Construction Lien Law
Florida Chapter 713 (the Construction Lien Law) creates an exposure most homeowners do not know about until it is too late. If a contractor fails to pay a subcontractor or supplier, that subcontractor or supplier can file a lien against the homeowner’s property. Even if the homeowner has paid the contractor in full. Documented Florida cases show homeowners facing five- and six-figure lien demands after their contractor failed to pass payments through.
We work to eliminate this exposure on every project. Unconditional Waiver and Release of Lien forms from every subcontractor and material supplier come in with each progress draw. The homeowner reviews the releases before approving the next draw. We track every Notice to Owner filed on the project and ensure each one is released. A Final Lien Waiver gets delivered at project close-out.
Insurance-Claim Coordination
Some island renovations begin as insurance-claim work after hurricane water damage or other covered events. We coordinate with the homeowner’s insurance adjuster. Claim-scope work and upgrade-scope work get documented separately. The insurance claim is processed against documented loss without confusion with discretionary upgrade decisions. The homeowner sees both budgets clearly: what insurance covers, what they pay out of pocket. Photographs, invoices, and material specifications are documented at the granularity insurance adjusters require. This is a service category most contractor pages do not address.
Project Context
A recent island estate renovation involved a full interior reconfiguration plus kitchen and primary-bath rebuilds, with Town-permit and ARCOM coordination handled in-house and delivery scheduled around the homeowner’s seasonal travel.## Our Team and Credentials
Florida General Contractor license CGC1537109. 20+ years of South Florida construction experience. Jonathan Barrig and Gabriel Barrig hold Certified General Contractor credentials. Jason Vassalotti, our OSHA-certified project manager, brings 20+ years of construction experience. We are a small firm by design. The same people you meet on day one stay on the project through final walkthrough. Meet the Palmhouse team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you handle Town of Palm Beach permitting and ARCOM review?
Yes. We coordinate directly with the Town of Palm Beach Building Department and prepare ARCOM submittals for any exterior or visible work that needs Architectural Review Commission approval. Permit and design-review timelines are built into every project schedule from the start. Call 561-831-4170 to discuss your project.
Do you serve the full Palm Beach Island, including the Estate Section and the North End?
Yes. We renovate single-family homes across all of Palm Beach Island: South End, Midtown, North End, and Estate Section. Consultations are by appointment. Reach us at 561-831-4170.
Do you build to Florida Building Code Wind-Borne Debris Region standards for coastal homes?
Yes. Our coastal renovations are built to Florida Building Code Wind-Borne Debris Region requirements, including impact-rated glazing and wind-load engineering. Our license is CGC1537109.
Do you work under NDA for high-profile homeowners?
Yes. Discretion is standard on Palm Beach Island. We work under NDA, can keep signage off the property, and provide a single point of contact for the duration of the project.
Do you handle whole-home renovations as well as kitchen-only or bathroom-only projects?
Both. This page covers whole-home renovations. For kitchen-focused or bathroom-focused work on the island, see our kitchen and bathroom pages, or call 561-831-4170.
Service Areas
We renovate single-family homes across all of Palm Beach Island, including the South End, Midtown, the North End, and the Estate Section. Read about our luxury home remodeling work on the island for context on estate-tier scope. Browse our whole-house renovation portfolio for the broader picture, or visit Palmhouse Design & Build to learn more.
Start a Conversation
Whole-home renovation on Palm Beach Island, by appointment. Florida General Contractor license CGC1537109. Call 561-831-4170 to schedule a consultation.