Clark Construction rebuilds a sea-side home damaged by Sandy

Clark Construction transforms a home heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Having to evacuate their home was something these long time residents of Rowayton had grown accustomed to over the years. They had already addressed the issue with their main house as it now sat on piers with only a small crawl space that filled with water each time the tides came over the shoreline. When the flood waters receded after Sandy and they returned, it was clear that their rented guest cottage and garage had not been spared.

By the time we were brought in to tackle this project, we could clearly see the damage Sandy had left in its wake. The backyard was strewn with the contents of the two damaged structures. The tenant had long since left and the homeowners had already started removing sheetrock and insulation to prevent mold from consuming the cottage for fear it would be condemned by the town leaving little chance to keep it. They know once removed they would never get permission to add another structure to the property. The damage to the garage was a mixed blessing given its 70s structure lacked the charm and details of the main house.

The mandate from the town was clear; the cottage could be kept it it was raised to meet the FEMA requirements, reinforced it to meet high wind construction guidelines and did not add any interior living space square footage. Building a new garage was not an issue so long as we placed it the required 6' off the side property line to conform with the town's current setback requirement.

Sounds simple enough but it was, in fact, a lot of work to get this building ready for its makeover. After all, the original part of the cottage dated back to the 1940's and later additions were clearly built before the time when inspections were required. At the end of this process, little would be left of the original framing. The new design, with the exception of front door location flanked by single windows with shutters, bears little resemblance to the original structure, helping these clients wash away, pun intended, the memories of Hurricane Sandy.

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