Hail to the Queen

Spray Foam Magazine – Spring 2022 – The towering mansion in Windermere, central Florida, spans an impressive 108,301 sq.ft. This makes it one of the largest homes in the U.S. Still under construction, the home will include nine kitchens, 23 bathrooms, 13 bedrooms, a roller rink, a bowling alley, a restaurant, one indoor pool, two outdoor pools, video arcade, ballroom, two-story movie theater modeled off the Paris Opera House, a fitness center with 10,000-sq.ft. spa, yoga studio, 20,000-bottle wine cellar and an exotic fish aquarium, two tennis courts, a baseball diamond, 30-car garage being modeled after a Mercedes dealership, and formal garden. To summarize, there is no expense spared in this mammoth mansion. Even the marble installed came from Italy, was shipped to China to be sculpted, and then shipped to the site.

The land was purchased by David and Jackie Siegel in 2000 with construction of the Versailles mansion starting in 2004. The project, whose name was inspired by the Palace of Versailles in France, had a few stops and starts, one during the recession of 2008 and again after the death of their beloved daughter Victoria from an opioid overdose in 2015. Close to completion, Spray Foam Magazine caught up with the owner of Central Florida Spray Foam LLC, Christopher Paoli, to hear about how spray foam insulation has been installed in this modest build.

Christopher Paoli has been in the spray foam industry for 20 years and Central Florida Spray Foam LLC has a great reputation in delivering a service to both residential and commercial projects, applying polyurethanes, polyurea, and numerous waterproofing & coating materials. Their work catchment area includes Orange County, Osceola County, Polk County, Brevard County, Volusia County, Lake County, and Seminole County in central Florida. From theme parks, historic renovations, and agricultural insulating to aerospace projects, this contractor has a vast amount of experience. This project however was the largest they have ever accomplished.

The Siegel’s–David, a timeshare billionaire, and Jackie, a famous socialite–became household names after their 2012 award-winning documentary The Queen of Versailles focused on the construction of this mansion. Jackie, who has worked as a model, actor, and director of the Mrs. Florida America Pageant, was also on the Bravo series Below Deck with her husband David. The couple are now focused on philanthropy. Soon after their daughter Victoria’s death they launched Victoria’s Voice Foundation, to help fight drug abuse among teens.

Paoli emphasized how this job was specified saying, “The architects spec’d R-30, which happens all the time. But here in FL, the code min for roof deck or gable end walls is R-19. So, I had to talk with billionaire Mr. David Siegel about spending an additional few hundred thousand dollars.”

Central Florida Spray Foam was hired to seal the building envelope and chose spray foam insulation for its ability to stop air. “Price was not an issue when building one of the largest single-family residences in North America. You don’t cheap out,” states Paoli. 

The crew sprayed 50,000 sq.ft. of wall space, 35,000 sq.ft. of roof deck and 30,000 sq.ft. of subfloors and the home theater all at R-19. The new build did not need any surface prep to the DensShield substrate prior to the application with the crew spraying the inside of the sheathing.

There was lots of prep work before spraying commenced, with gold plated elevators and doors and windows made from Brazilian mahogany all having to be protected. Due to the colossal size of the house, the crew did not need a ventilation system. They of course made sure they had the proper PPE from face-mask respirators and Tennessee Chill Box. The crew also used scaffolding with outriggers. The foyer held over 1,000 people and as such has 65-foot ceilings, so the scaffolding was already in place for all the trades.

The duration of the job has been seven years and counting, and due to the size and scope, the crew of three to four installers would spray solid for a week, give other trades a chance to prep for the next area, then show up a few weeks later to commence again. There were approximately 150 other tradesmen working at the time, but due to the house being so large, the Central Florida crew barely saw anyone else when they were present. The scope of the house was so immense the crew would also have to position the spray rig, equipped with a Graco E-20 with 210 feet of heated hose, in 10 different locations to be able to reach all the areas of the home with the spray hose. This was the main challenge as the house is approximately 200 feet wide and long. The crew sprayed Huntsman SEALECTION 500 open-cell foam, applying five inches, to meet the R-19 code.

The Central Florida Spray Foam crew has done an amazing job juggling the crew’s schedules, navigating the sheer size of this home, and delivering a premium service to a client who undoubtedly demands and expects the best. This ongoing project should soon be complete and what an experience for this spray foam company to be part of.

Paoli sums up the process by saying “It was the only house we’ve insulated that I was able to, if I wanted to, drive my box truck through the 14-foot tall front doors and into the foyer.”

The Discovery+ listed Queen of Versailles Reigns Again on their upcoming shows, stating that it will be available to stream on their platform on March 30, 2022. The program will show Jackie Siegel as she returns to the Versailles mansion.