In April, 2018, nearly 8 months after Hurricane Harvey hit League city with a sluggish, persistent vengeance, we finally began demolition in earnest. We had made some key big decisions – 1) we would not abandon our property; 2) we would renovate our house into a home we could love forever; and 3) we would use a loan from the Small Business Association to do it. These decisions were the result of countless hours brainstorming, fretting, panicking, crying, screaming, planning, negotiating, drawing, and talking. With decisions finally made, we began finalizing architectural plans, lining up paperwork for our permits, signing and notarizing loan paperwork, and booking contractors.
Much of the initial demolition was carried out by our family – everyone helped. It was cathartic.
What we found under floors and behind walls was always surprising. We had been harboring quite the ecosystem back there, with healthy colonies of termites feeding numerous lizards, and roaches running amok, leaving more evidence of their existence than I care to describe here. Under the Jalousie windows in the playroom was an established honey bee colony – with thousands of drowned bees packed into the space between the brick and the paneling. Between mold, termite damage, and other treats and surprises, it only made sense to strip the house down to its bones and start again.