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00:00Today on This Old House.
00:02When the water hit the bottom of the window,
00:04we were like, we might not be high enough.
00:06And within 15 minutes, we were holding on to the gutters.
00:09I didn't know that we were going to make it out of it.
00:11For thousands, Hurricane Helene was the worst day of their lives.
00:14Today, the brave families we followed take a giant step towards recovery.
00:27That's it.
00:30Hi there, I'm Kevin O'Connor and welcome back to This Old House and to Western North Carolina.
00:52One year ago, Hurricane Helene tore through this region with a level of destruction that no one saw coming.
00:58What started off as heavy rains quickly became catastrophic.
01:03Rivers swelled to record levels.
01:06Landslides carved away the sides of mountains.
01:09And communities that had stood for generations quickly found themselves underwater in a matter of minutes.
01:16Over 120,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.
01:20And thousands of people were displaced.
01:23108 people died, making it the deadliest North Carolina disaster in recorded history.
01:29We've been here for almost a year, following along as five families have traveled the difficult road to rebuild it.
01:36And today?
01:37Well, today we're going to check in with each of them as they move back into their homes.
01:42And that starts right here in Swannanoa with Jim and Allie.
01:47Hey, Kevin.
01:48Hey, Jim.
01:49Good to see you.
01:50Great to see you.
01:51Wow, the outside looks terrific.
01:52It sure does.
01:53Yeah.
01:54What a far cry from a year ago.
01:56Allie, how are you?
01:57Hi, good. How are you?
01:58Welcome.
01:59Thank you very much.
02:00We met Allie and Jim a few weeks after the storm sent the Swannanoa River up to the gutters of their 100-year-old house.
02:07Car stalled out in front of our driveway so we couldn't even exit.
02:12And I was like, well, we're stuck.
02:15And we went back into the house and then it started coming up through the floorboards and the floor vents.
02:21So here we are a year later.
02:23Yeah.
02:24Remarkable, right?
02:25Yeah.
02:26When I first got here, you guys told me stories of the neighborhood, which was filled with water and trucks floating by and houses and stuff.
02:32And then your personal experience was incredible to hear.
02:36On our street, it was a river.
02:38So we saw cars going by.
02:40We saw propane tanks.
02:42Is that a propane tank?
02:43Yeah, dude.
02:44That's scary.
02:47At the point that we were hanging out to the gutters, we heard our neighbors screaming for their lives.
02:52Just for help to get out and neighbors getting caught in attics.
02:58We are punching our way out of the roof at this point in case the blood continues.
03:04Jim made one very important decision.
03:07He left the front door open.
03:09Had it been closed, they would have been trapped in their house.
03:13Jim is the biggest hero.
03:15How so?
03:16He did everything for me that day.
03:19And I always say, thanks for opening the door.
03:23Because he, I don't know how he knew that.
03:27But he did.
03:29And he kept us safe.
03:31It still feels like it's a dream that it didn't happen to us.
03:36But, you know, it did.
03:38And we're here and we're home and we're still safe.
03:41All because Jim left the door open.
03:44Well, that was part of it for sure.
03:46Yes.
03:47So let's luxuriate it a little bit.
03:48I mean, tremendous.
03:49Look at this, huh?
03:50Yeah.
03:51Built-ins, big, bold colors.
03:52Yeah.
03:53We said it feels like our old house.
03:55Just a little more elevated.
03:57And fireplace and chimney had to go because the house is going to be lifted eventually.
04:01And so that masonry needed to get out of here in preparation.
04:04Exactly.
04:05They're still reworking the floodplain.
04:07So we'll see how high the house is raised when FEMA does that.
04:11Right.
04:12Well, let's keep the tour going.
04:13Let's have a look at the new bathroom.
04:15When we first saw the house, a team of volunteers had gutted the inside.
04:20Jim's brother used his professional tiling skills to build a new bathroom.
04:24Oh, yeah.
04:25So floor tiles are?
04:27Ceramic.
04:28Ceramic.
04:29All right.
04:30Nice size vanity, which is terrific.
04:32And then, of course, your brother's handiwork, huh?
04:35So Bill came up a couple times.
04:36Yep.
04:37He came down from New Jersey.
04:38He put the underlayment, then came again and did tile.
04:43And Allie saw this basket weave design and just was in love with it.
04:49And we're so glad that Bill was able to pull it off.
04:52Looks terrific.
04:53Your brother really knows how to set tile.
04:55He sure does.
04:56Yes, he does.
04:57That is great.
04:58The bathroom in general.
04:59Nice upgrade.
05:00Yes.
05:01It's probably my favorite room in the house.
05:02Oh.
05:03It's probably the nicest room in the house.
05:04Yeah.
05:05Well, I want to see the kitchen, but maybe I should just hang out here.
05:08Yep.
05:09No, let's see the kitchen.
05:10It's hard to think that you like the bathroom more than this room.
05:14I know.
05:15It's a close tie, for sure.
05:16This is amazing.
05:17But I remember you telling me that you guys took a wall down in the space.
05:21I presume it was to open it up to the kitchen and dining room?
05:24Well, we were in the midst of renovation and framing.
05:27We didn't have to put up a wall and had a larger space.
05:29Okay.
05:30What am I looking at up there?
05:31Are those the mats?
05:32Those are the mats.
05:33They're still there.
05:34As the floodwaters rose, another moment of quick thinking, grabbing some common pieces of
05:40exercise equipment, proved to be a life-saving decision.
05:44The foam blocks were in the front bedroom and they were floating and we grabbed them and
05:51we went out the front door.
05:52And within 15 minutes, we were holding onto the gutters.
05:55You make your way around sort of counter-clockwise.
05:58You end up where?
05:59At the back corner of the house.
06:02And at that point, a shed came at us, separated us.
06:08I had a smurge underwater.
06:10But Allie was on this side of the house at that point and then got her up onto that lower roof line.
06:19Maybe we should get those off.
06:20That would be great.
06:21We've got a lot of other things that I think you probably want to look at here.
06:24Yeah.
06:25Beautiful stained glass.
06:26I don't recall seeing it in the original house.
06:27No.
06:28One of our really good friends made that for us.
06:30So it's representing mountains and water and she did a really good job with it.
06:34To a laundry room and another full bath back there.
06:38Yeah.
06:39You like bright.
06:40You like all the sunlight coming in.
06:41I can tell that, right?
06:42Yes.
06:43Yeah.
06:44We actually removed windows as opposed to adding them.
06:46Yeah.
06:47So it's been a year.
06:49A lot of people made this comeback possible.
06:52Yes.
06:53It's just been a village effort.
06:56And it's been strangers from all over the country.
06:59It just blows my mind how many people have helped us.
07:02There's nothing more powerful than the kindness of strangers.
07:04Yeah.
07:05Well, we're glad you're back.
07:06Thank you so much.
07:07Thank you guys for letting us come along for the ride.
07:09Could not be happier for you.
07:11Let's get those pads off the roof.
07:12Yes, please.
07:14The kindness of strangers helped Jim and Allie's builder, Chris Cronin, renovate two
07:19other houses in the neighborhood as well.
07:21So how did you handle three full gut renovations altogether on top of your already booked up schedule?
07:29We kind of knew what we were getting into.
07:31We did add these three to a regular construction schedule, but we had a ton of volunteers that
07:36were amazing.
07:37A lot of really great contractors we work with.
07:39Some of our subs were really great and kind of accommodated us in their scheduling.
07:44We definitely couldn't have done this without them.
07:47However you did it, I'm sure it wasn't easy, but you nailed it.
07:50Well done.
07:51Appreciate it.
07:52Thanks a lot.
07:53One of those houses belongs to Maya, whose family has lived on the street for generations.
07:59Maya.
08:00Hello.
08:01So nice to see you.
08:02Nice to see you.
08:03Welcome to my house.
08:04Oh my gosh.
08:05And it is so welcoming.
08:07I walked up and I was like, it's the epitome of Southern charm with the colors and the furniture
08:12on the front porch.
08:13Very nice.
08:14Can't wait to see the inside.
08:15Well, come on in.
08:17Oh yeah.
08:19Okay.
08:20This is my formal living room.
08:22It's pretty much similar to what it was before.
08:25I remember my grandfather, there was a couch always up against this wall and he took so
08:30many naps here.
08:31Like this was his napping area.
08:33And you have told us on so many occasions how important your grandmother and your grandfather
08:37were to you.
08:38Yes.
08:39Sort of raising you and just this house.
08:40This is your homage to them.
08:42It is.
08:43Absolutely.
08:44Do you feel like you pulled it off and brought it back?
08:45I think so.
08:46Do you?
08:47Yeah.
08:48Absolutely.
08:49A little separation for you right there.
08:51Yep.
08:52And this is going to be basically the den.
08:54Nice.
08:55Oh, the table.
08:56Oh, you recognize the table.
08:57I do.
08:58We shopped for this.
08:59And you had a very specific idea in mind.
09:01Yes.
09:02This type of table because you grew up sitting around with your grandparents.
09:05Absolutely.
09:06I love this table, especially since in the kitchen here, we have this beautiful island.
09:11And you really got the retro going on.
09:13I love the vintage look.
09:15So new sink, but made to look old.
09:17Yes.
09:18That's amazing.
09:19And then out back, you had some specific designs too of what you wanted.
09:22Yes.
09:23That's great.
09:24I know.
09:25I love the stacked look.
09:26It's sleek.
09:27It's clean.
09:28And then in here is a clawfoot tub.
09:32Awesome.
09:33Is this everything that you sort of had envisioned once you made that decision to get back in
09:37the house, but also to kind of give a nod to your grandparents and make it yours?
09:40Absolutely.
09:41I didn't realize how much of the house was a part of who I am and I feel like I'm a whole
09:46person again.
09:47Oh, that's awesome.
09:48And the third house in Swannanoa that general contractor Chris and his team brought back
09:53to life is home to Kat and Jeremy and their son.
09:59Welcome.
10:00Kat.
10:01Hi.
10:02Good to see you.
10:03How are you?
10:04You too.
10:05Hi, Jeremy.
10:06The exterior came out unbelievable.
10:08I mean, I love the color.
10:10Why don't you take me to the kitchen?
10:11Yeah.
10:12Wow, Kat.
10:13Jeremy, this is outstanding.
10:14I love this.
10:16Island.
10:17This is where we're going to eat.
10:18Yeah.
10:19Where my son can do homework.
10:20Yes.
10:21And it's just the center of our house.
10:22Yeah.
10:23I also really love the tile we went with.
10:25I think the blue goes really nice with the green cabinets.
10:28Absolute home run if you ask me.
10:30And like having it open to the living room if one of us is in here doing work in the kitchen.
10:35Others can be hanging out in there.
10:36Yes.
10:37But we can be together.
10:38Yes.
10:39We love it.
10:40We just want to thank you for letting us in.
10:42And we're just really happy that you guys are back in and getting on with your lives.
10:46Thank you, Mark.
10:47All right.
10:48Fifteen miles away in North Asheville, it wasn't the floodwaters, but the trees that destroyed the home of Melinda, Matt, and their two young children.
11:00Wow, Melinda, what a transformation.
11:02I mean, the first time I rolled up here, there wasn't even a roof on your house.
11:05I know.
11:06It's amazing.
11:07There was so much devastation and loss.
11:09When we first met Melinda and Matt, they were shell-shocked, having gone through a harrowing experience the morning of the storm.
11:16The kids were terrified.
11:18We were all pretty terrified.
11:21We had about six to seven trees hit the house.
11:27One which took the whole roof off of the right side of our home.
11:32My child's playroom was up here, and that's when I opened this door and pretty much...
11:39Oh, Matt!
11:40So this is just a series of events of tree after tree after tree, and then was it after this tree that you guys decided to, if we need to get out of here?
11:49Um, we were trapped at this point.
11:52Yeah.
11:53So we huddled in the basement, and I looked out the window, and I saw a large tree go cartwheeling by into my neighbor's house.
12:04And at that point, I realized that I made a mistake.
12:11And I thought I'd put us all at risk.
12:14We're so thankful and happy to be back here.
12:17I know.
12:18Well, there was a great collaboration team effort.
12:20I mean, beginning with FEMA coming in and clearing out all the fallen trees and just creating access for the builders so they could get in here.
12:28And then working with Jennifer on your beautiful landscape that she created and that you could implement over time.
12:34We were really happy to have this updated with the flagstone walkway and the boulder walls and more plants than we were able to grow here previously.
12:43I'm sure all different kinds of plants too, right?
12:46Yes.
12:47We love all of the different, the berry bushes and the coneflowers.
12:50Mm-hmm.
12:51And the natural steps really add a lot to the landscape.
12:54Right.
12:55Like how natural they are.
12:56It's a great approach to your home.
12:57Yeah.
12:58I think so too.
13:00I really love it.
13:01Zach!
13:02Matt!
13:03Hey, it's good to see you again.
13:04How you doing?
13:05Nice to see you.
13:06Look at this place.
13:07Look at this door.
13:08Isn't it amazing?
13:09Yeah.
13:10I can't believe it.
13:11It opens, it closes.
13:12There's no trees blocking it?
13:13Yeah.
13:14Let me show you the living room.
13:15This side of the house saw the most devastation.
13:18So all the light fixtures, the electrical plugs and everything were just, water was shooting
13:24out everywhere.
13:25I started walking down the stairs and that's when the other tree hit.
13:30And took out this part of the house.
13:3414 months later, it came time to move back in with new everything, including a fireplace.
13:40That, I'm very excited about.
13:42It's so sleek.
13:43It really goes with the sort of modern aesthetic.
13:45It's really nice and more importantly, it shows the trees, you know, who's the boss.
13:50Yeah.
13:51I'm not really doing that.
13:53But yeah, I'm very excited about using it.
13:56I'm just waiting for it to get cold enough to actually have a fire.
14:00We're getting there.
14:01Yeah.
14:02And I know Mark and James and Alan really had a lot of fun working on this.
14:06Yeah.
14:07Yeah, they did.
14:08So we made the counter so you can sit around it and the kids absolutely love this area.
14:14It's super nice.
14:15I bet, you know, one thing I find myself doing whenever we have an island in the kitchen
14:19is people like to gather around the corner.
14:21So you kind of just built that into the design so you can kind of face each other.
14:24Yeah, absolutely.
14:25It's really functional.
14:26And it just opens up this whole area a lot more than it was before.
14:29And it's just an incredible amount of drawers and storage.
14:31And I love the color.
14:32It looks really good.
14:33There's a lot more light coming in here.
14:35Yeah, I'm really like drawn outside onto the deck.
14:37Before the storm, we had just a wall of trees.
14:40And as you can see, they're all gone now.
14:42And we have mountain views, which is a nice thing to have.
14:46All right, let me show you upstairs.
14:48So we didn't have too much damage up here.
14:51We had some in the bathroom.
14:52And my daughter's room had a tree come through the ceiling and a lot of water damage.
14:59So we pulled all the drywall and took it down to the studs and remade this whole room.
15:04And it turned out fantastic.
15:06Needs more neon lights.
15:08What room doesn't?
15:09Exactly.
15:10So let me show you where the rest of the tree landed.
15:12All right.
15:13We had some damage in the bathroom.
15:15And then this room was completely destroyed.
15:18We had a tree kind of fall and split this room in half.
15:22And when they were rebuilding it, they offered us the option to kind of lift the whole room three or four feet and add windows.
15:28And it has turned out too good for children to use as a playroom.
15:33So now my office and they've been moved to the basement.
15:38This is incredible.
15:39This view is like pretty private, but you see all these trees.
15:42Yep.
15:43And it looks pretty good from the street to the elevation of the house.
15:47No, it was a great addition.
15:49James, with our builder, made the suggestion and we just went with it.
15:54Love that guy.
15:55Yeah.
15:56I'm glad you took him up on it because this is just so cool.
15:59Just very happy with how this whole space turned out.
16:02So that's pretty much the upstairs.
16:04We also did the basement.
16:06My reaction was to stay down in the basement.
16:09It was just a very terrifying experience.
16:12My neighbor Tony was banging on the windows and we opened the garage and he was like,
16:17we need to get, everybody needs to get out of here.
16:19My neighbor is a good friend and to put himself at risk like that, it was amazing.
16:29So, yeah, we grabbed our family and we took off running with them.
16:35We were in shock, you know, we didn't, I called a friend of mine because the phones went down intermittently
16:42and we made it to a fire station.
16:45And I called a friend of mine that lived out of town and I was like, call my mom.
16:58And, you know, just tell her we're okay.
17:02So now it's the playroom for the kids and a studio for Melinda.
17:06So we did the drywall and the flooring in there.
17:08Hey guys.
17:09Hey, how's it going?
17:10Great.
17:11How was the tour?
17:12I'm blown away by the decisions you guys made.
17:15I can't believe you were left with such a horrible situation and you persevered.
17:20You made good decisions on who you hired, the materials and the design.
17:24This house is a showstopper.
17:26And we're just so happy for you guys.
17:30Happy to be back.
17:31Thank you all for all you did.
17:38This is the Swannanoa River, so calm and peaceful today.
17:41But a year ago, it came raging through here to a level about 10 to 20 feet above my head.
17:47And 11 houses along this river disappeared that day.
17:50One house toughed it out and we're bringing it back to life today.
17:53So this is the house and actually was a modular house, a series of boxes that were assembled.
17:59And it was really the strength of those boxes that helped to withstand the water's rage.
18:03And look at it now.
18:04It's so fantastic.
18:05Hi, Paula.
18:06How are you, Richard?
18:07Nice to see you again, my dear.
18:08So good to see you.
18:09How are you?
18:10It looks fantastic.
18:12You have to be so excited.
18:13I'm so excited to be back in the house.
18:14I see you've even got a little landscaping going.
18:16That's a good sign.
18:17It is, yeah.
18:18Got some nice mountain laurel by the front door.
18:20Beautiful.
18:21That'll grow in beautifully.
18:22This neighborhood lost 11 houses that day, all taken by the river.
18:26Paula was an eyewitness.
18:28We turned around to just watch the water and that's when we saw the first house float by.
18:37And the water was so strong that it actually twirled the house.
18:44And it floated down the river and it hit some trees.
18:49The sound is like if you crumple up a water bottle.
18:53Yeah.
18:54That crunch, crunch.
18:55Crunch noise.
18:56That's the sound and that sound kind of triggers me.
18:58It's a happier time now as Paula prepares to spend her first night back at home.
19:03Give me the tour.
19:04All right.
19:05Well, this is the foyer and I wanted to make it really welcoming.
19:09I picked out this happy wallpaper.
19:10Did you do the wallpaper?
19:12Yeah, I installed it.
19:13I don't do that.
19:14It was pretty hard actually.
19:15Look at this.
19:16Fantastic.
19:18Yeah, my family room and I picked out this pink color.
19:21It changes with the light during the day and I really like it.
19:24I picked out new floors.
19:26They're white oak and they're hardwood.
19:28They have this super cool like matte finish on them that I like.
19:31Look at this.
19:32You'll never leave the sink, Paula.
19:33Right?
19:34I used to only have like a 24 inch window.
19:36It grew to six feet and I have this like riverfront view now.
19:39Fantastic.
19:40Boy, you've really made great progress here.
19:42So this is my bedroom.
19:43Love it.
19:44Not much changed in here layout wise or anything.
19:46You know, everything was down to the studs.
19:48What I'm most excited about though is my primary bathroom.
19:51That's why I love you.
19:52You want to show me the plumbing.
19:54I'll show you the plumbing.
19:55Yeah.
19:56So this is the vanity that I converted out of a buffet with Tommy.
20:00Great.
20:01He was here.
20:02Terrific.
20:03And this countertop is actually made from the river silt from right here.
20:07Some of the silt is in this countertop?
20:09Yeah, they cast it to make the concrete countertop.
20:11That's great.
20:12I like the stone detail.
20:13Yeah, that's the drain.
20:14A little homage to the river.
20:15Right.
20:16Great.
20:17And a big beautiful shower here.
20:18Look at that.
20:19Plenty of room.
20:20I love it.
20:21Yeah, I made it so it didn't have a curb.
20:22Right.
20:23You have to be so happy.
20:24Well, thanks for letting us be part of it.
20:25I mean, you went through a fair amount of trauma and you let us sort of come and witness.
20:29Thank you so much for your help.
20:30I needed it.
20:31You know what?
20:32Let's go celebrate.
20:33I'm ready.
20:34One year after Helene, Western North Carolina is finding its footing again.
20:39Tourists are starting to return to see these mountains heal.
20:43And slowly, steadily, more homes are rising from the mud.
20:48Over a thousand so far, with thousands of more homeowners finding their way through the
20:53rebuilding process.
20:54But behind each statistic is a family, like all these homeowners, proving that recovery
21:00isn't just construction, it's community.
21:03Yeah.
21:04I don't know.
21:05Long time coming though.
21:06You guys feel pretty good about it?
21:07Zach, let's start with you.
21:08What are your thoughts?
21:09I mean, it's just incredible how these five families, no one planned to remodel and they
21:13all came out on top.
21:14These houses are beautiful.
21:15Yeah, they really are.
21:16We come to these places that have had disasters.
21:18It's always the spirit.
21:19I mean, these five families were able to sort of get their buildings put together,
21:23but there's still plenty more that have to start from ground zero.
21:26So we hope that spirit continues.
21:28Yeah.
21:29Mark?
21:30Another emotional trip and I just want to give a shout out to all the construction personnel
21:34that came together and helped these families out.
21:37I'm proud to be part of it.
21:38Hear, hear, they got it done.
21:39Yeah.
21:40What do you think, Jen?
21:41I mean, people came out of the woodwork from all corners of America and they represented
21:46everybody, volunteered, put in sweat equity, and it really shows how humankind can come
21:51together.
21:52And everyone here is amazing.
21:53The kindness of strangers.
21:54Yep.
21:55Incredibly powerful.
21:56All right.
21:57Well, even though there's still a lot more work to be done down here in Western North Carolina
22:00and the Asheville area, our work is done.
22:03We are headed back to Boston to the suburbs to work on an old Victorian.
22:07So on behalf of all of us, I'm Kevin O'Connor signing off for This Old House here in Asheville.
22:12All right.
22:13Cheers.
22:14Cheers.
22:15Cheers.
22:16Well done, everybody.
22:17Well done.
22:18Next time on This Old House, after an extended trip down south, we're shipping up the
22:47Boston, well, 10 miles outside of Boston to be exact, to suburban Needham, Massachusetts,
22:53where for seven years, a family has been dreaming of renovating their 1896 historic home.
22:58And that dream will become reality on This Old House.
23:02We can start removing this deck, because this is where the new addition is going.
23:05Right.
23:09That's next time.
23:17We'll see you next time.
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