For eight years, our family of six lived in a 1970’s ranch-style home, perched on Choctawhatchee Bay just a few miles north of Florida’s famous Scenic Highway 30A. Unfortunately, our home was flooded on April 30th, 2014, during a historic storm that dumped some 20 inches of rain in just 24 hours. Ironically, it wasn’t rising bay waters that got us — it was water that flowed in from the street. Our local drainage ditches simply couldn’t keep up with such a sudden and intense downpour.
As the flood waters began to recede, we were eventually able to survey the damage to our home from the outside.
While “only” one foot of water washed through our home that night, the damage was extensive. We called All-Clear Restoration & Remediation in Santa Rosa Beach, and they had a professional clean-up crew working in our home within hours.
They were able to quickly and completely dry out our home using massive dehumidifiers and state-of-the-art technology. Unfortunately, most of our personal possessions were already ruined, and as the clean-up process progressed, we began to discover extensive mold and rot behind the walls throughout our home. Work had to come to a complete stop so an environmental inspection could be done.
After an EPIC 8-MONTH BATTLE with our flood and home owners insurance companies (don’t get me started), we made the decision to completely demolish our home, rather than renovate it. While we loved our house, it’s a mere 5 feet above sea level, and it would no doubt flood again. 6 months? 6 years? Who knows. But frankly, it’s only a matter of time. So rather than sink good money after bad, we decided to bite the proverbial bullet and start with a clean slate.
Branch McClendon of RBM Contracting Services (850-622-1434) had the task of tearing down our home, which was now looking more like a crack shack after being abandoned for so many months.
Even though we enjoyed many special memories in our home, Branch’s team was incredibly professional, patient and helpful. They made what could have been a pretty traumatic event something that was effortless and darn-near fun:
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With our 1-acre bay-front lot as a blank canvas, we then decided to build a new home for our family. Our goals are simple. In fact, simplicity is key. Our new home design will be:
DOWNSIZED: When we first moved to the beach, we had four children living at home. Now, we’re down to a single high school student. So we’re downsizing from a 4-bed, 3-bath, 2,800-square-foot home to a 3-bed, 3 bath, 1,800-square-foot house. While I’d personally like to downsize a whole lot more, my wife convinced me that a 3-bedroom home is more marketable, in the unlikely event that we ever decide to sell it down the road.
AFFORDABLE: Hey, what can I say? We’re on a tight budget. Not only did we buy our home during the peak of the real estate boom, but obviously we didn’t expect to have to demolish the house and then build something entirely new in its place. The insurance settlement barely helped at all. So our construction budget is limited to put it lightly. Fortunately, we have many expert friends (architects, builders, designers, landscapers, etc.) who are jumping in to help us through this challenging process.
MINIMALIST: Fortunately for us, minimalism isn’t just financially smart, it also happens to be the style that most appeals to us at this stage in life. We’ve owned the “big house” before. You can have it. You can clean it. You can maintain it. We’d rather spend our time and money on adventures and experiences. So minimalism is our battle cry.
GREEN: Whenever economically practical, we also plan to take advantage of the latest technologies and practices that will help ensure that our home is environmentally friendly… and of course storm resistant, which is ‘green’ by definition. It seems that every time a natural disaster happens, communities are left to pick up the pieces of shattered homes and lives. But by building structures that are thoughtfully designed to anticipate and withstand the local elements, you don’t have to exhaust as many natural resources repairing and rebuilding when storms inevitably strike. Build it once. Build it right.
ELEVATED: Above all (no pun intended), our new home will be elevated on pilings, to current code, and hopefully free from any fears of future floods. (If this sucker floods, then we’ve all got problems!) Even if our yard continues to flood, we’ll just pretend that we live in Venice and YOLO Board our way back and forth to the mailbox.
Kitchen Appliances: Builder Specialties (BSI), Destin (850-650-9092)
Home Security: Planet Secure (850-278-6226)
Custom Window Treatments: Concept Blinds and Design (850-797-6819)
Custom Closet Design: Alpha Closets and Murphy Beds (850-516-8827)
Doors and Windows: Southern Windows and Doors (850-546-1773)
Pool Paver Installation: Flamingo Hardscapes (850-974-0819)
Insulation: Mid-America Insulation and Supply (850-312-8400)
Electrical: Xcell Electric Inc. (850-865-3254)
Plumbing / Gas: SSE Plumbing and Gas Contractors (850-441-3458)
Gutters: Architectural Gutter Systems (850-226-6207)
