When Sweat Equity is the Only Way Home

By: Amy R. Hughes, This Old House magazine (Page 4 of 4)

Photograph: Larry Fink

Johnny Moore eyes what's left of the Sheetrock in his living room. He cut off the bottom section at the line where Katrina's floodwaters had stagnated. Sons Chip (middle) and Troy bring in sheathing for the new roof they are building.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Johnny's youngest son, Nigel, steadies himself on ceiling joists while he secures a roof rafter to the ridge beam.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Many of New Orleans's 19th-century homes were built on raised pier foundations, which helped them stay dry during the flood. By contrast, the postwar slab-on-grade construction of the Moore house allowed water to flow freely into living areas, causing catastrophic damage.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Nigel (left) and Chip survey their work on the new roof.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Firefighters for the NOFD, Troy, Chip, and Nigel work 24-hour shifts, then come to their dad's house on their off days to help him rebuild.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Johnny wants to repay his boys for their labor with some of the aid money he’s waiting on. It’s doubtful they'll accept his offer.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Rather than cram into this FEMA trailer, Johnny's wife, Venus, has been living in Baton Rouge while the house is under construction.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Balancing on the top plate, Nigel measures the roof framing to make sure it's square.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Johnny calls down for more fasteners to finish nailing down a rafter.

Photograph: Larry Fink

During breaks from working on his own house, Calvin Collins, 79, helps the Moores. "If we have a question, he sets us straight," Troy says of the retired carpenter. "Mr. Calvin has been building houses for 60 years."

Photograph: Larry Fink

Chip recalls first entering his own flooded home: "It was like a river had run through. My bed had a mold blanket. It looked like a quilt."

Photograph: Larry Fink

Chip and Nigel install framing for a "cricket," a ramp between the new and old roofs to divert rainwater. Nigel's shirt was a gift from New York City firefighters who helped rebuild his company's engine house.

Photograph: Larry Fink

After a day of backbreaking work at Johnny's place, Troy and his wife, Wendy (seated), invite family and friends over for a celebratory crawfish boil at their home in the Holy Cross section of New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Troy installs a header for a new window opening.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Using a template made from a piece of scrap lumber, Calvin and Johnny lay out their cuts for the "cricket" rafters.

Photograph: Larry Fink

Troy and Chip show their cousin Christian Rhodes (left) snapshots of their post-Katrina rescue efforts. "All our emergency plans were out the window," Troy says. "If we hadn't bought our own boat, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything."

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An Uncertain Future

By late afternoon, the roof framing is almost complete, and the guys are dripping with sweat in the hot sun. They retreat to Johnny's shop for some water, and get a construction update from a neighbor who has come to borrow a C—clamp. They also discuss the status of Johnny and Venus's appeal for a larger grant from The Road Home, a federally funded compensation program designed to give homeowners up to $150,000, minus any insurance or aid money they might have already received to cover their losses. The Moores were offered $60,000, but they're afraid it won't be enough to replace all that they've lost.

They hope a new offer comes soon, because they've got to get the house finished. The National Weather Service predicts as many as five major hurricanes will hit the Atlantic region this year, with peak season beginning now and running through the end of October. Johnny acknowledges that the next big storm could be even more devastating than Katrina. But he's betting that improvements such as replacing the old single—pane windows with stronger double—pane ones will help hold back the wind, and building the new addition on 4—foot piers will foil floodwaters. Besides, giving up and moving away from his boys and the city he loves is not an option he's willing to consider. "You've got to get rid of the fear. You can't worry about dying. You've got to take the challenge," Johnny says and climbs back on the roof to help Nigel nail new sheathing to the rafters.