[daepp]

Thanks Juan - that does look like a substantial foundation.

Will the walls be cmu block? If so, are there 21st Century solutions to insulating them?

I'm a concrete contractor here in CA, but long before I watched a house being rebuilt in Vero Beach while visiting in-laws. The conventional roof had been blown off, and they were repairing it with steel that went from the foundation, through the walls, and finished with a retaining washer and nut on top the roof. The guy said it was a new method "guaranteed" to retain the roof in any hurricane. I've never been back to see if he was right!

Good luck - and keep us posted if you can!