Home inspector in
Tavernier, FL
Tavernier is a quieter slice of the Upper Keys — Mile Markers 88-92, sitting between the volume of Key Largo and the luxury market of Islamorada. The housing stock is dominated by stilted single-family homes on canal or ocean lots, with a mix of original 1960s-1980s builds and post-Wilma (2005) rebuilds. We inspect Tavernier as part of our regular Upper Keys route days.
What we see in
Tavernier inspections.
Tavernier sits on the southern edge of Key Largo island and extends into Plantation Key. Most homes here are stilted (pilings driven into the limestone bedrock with concrete or treated-wood pilings) because the entire area sits within FEMA flood zones VE or AE — elevation above base flood elevation is required for the federal flood insurance to apply. The substructure on these stilted homes is the most critical inspection element: pile condition, breakaway wall integrity, fastener corrosion, and the connections where the elevated floor system meets the pilings.
What we see most: piling and substructure corrosion (the brackish/saltwater environment is hard on concrete and metal connectors), septic system condition (most Tavernier properties run on septic, and Monroe County's septic-to-sewer conversion program is ongoing — septic status affects both insurance and county permitting), cistern condition on properties with rainwater catchment (sediment, algae, pump issues), aggressive salt-air corrosion on AC condensers, hurricane straps, metal roof fasteners, and any exposed structural steel.
Every mile marker.
Tavernier is one of our regular Keys-route destinations. See our full Keys travel-fee policy for transparent mileage-based pricing.