AFTER SANDY: RESTORING A DREAM HOME

Water and wind can destroy a house. But they can’t destroy a dream. 

 

That’s a phenomenon the team from Best & Company has witnessed over and over in the past nine months, as we have assisted homeowners in coastal and low-lying areas around the New York metropolitan area rebuild in the wake of Sandy.

 

Fred and Barbara Toborg were among the thousands of New Yorkers displaced when last fall’s Superstorm caused massive evacuations and destruction in neighborhoods throughout the region: When word got out that the retired couple—the long-time athletics coach at Manhattan’s Trinity School and a dynamic member of the Broad Channel Historical Society, respectively—had lost their home of 28 years to flood damage, Best & Company co-founder Chip Brian (a Trinity alum) and his team of contracting professionals stepped up to make vital improvements that would not only restore the structure, but also work to lessen the potentially ravaging effects of future storms. Understanding that a property located on a salt marsh remains in a vulnerable position, we installed water and vapor barriers underneath the floor system in the crawl space, incorporated flood vents in the foundation walls, and applied antimicrobial treatments in the crawl space and throughout the home’s water-damaged first floor.

 

This summer, we are happy to report that the Toborgs are comfortably back in their beloved home in the middle of Jamaica Bay—their kitchen, their living areas, their deck, and their dream beautifully rebuilt.

 

If you own a property on the waterfront—or are considering investing in one—you’ll want to make every effort to ensure that your home is as resilient as technology and quality construction allow. Contact us to find out all the ways Best & Company can help to make your home the very best it can be.