(Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 2 - January 26, 2026)
I’m
applying what I know of construction sequencing to this written insight into
the TV phase of my career, trying to explain what’s pertinent in order that
makes sense. My hope is that these details, much wordier than how I’d respond
in a direct message back to a viewer or curious person far away, will answer
lingering questions and perhaps help someone else get where they’re trying to
go.
Hurricane
Hugo slammed into the Carolina Coast in 1989. I moved to South Carolina a
decade later. And a couple years after that I spotted a casualty of the
historic storm. I did research on the decaying home at the county registrar's
office and reached out to the property owners. However, they weren't ready to
sell until the house was condemned by the local building department in 2005.
My
ownership of this overgrown place coincided with Les Stroud's hit TV show Survivorman.
Throughout this series, the outdoorsman hangs tough in the wilderness, by
himself for days, documenting each experience as he teaches viewers how to cope
if they ever find themselves in extreme circumstances. It's a pretty cool show
and I imagine a few lives have been saved by knowledge viewers gained from
watching this series. Although I'm not a big hiker or camper, I really enjoyed
the episodes I was able to watch, and they inspired me to buy a camcorder to
document the renovation of what I began to call 'The Hurricane House.'
However,
the highest-ranking inspector and I disagreed starkly on the potential of the
dilapidated brick.
I said to
him, "It's not really that bad."
But he
answered back, "This place must be torn down."
I remember
what I thought in that moment. “Now it’s on.” At that point, I’d come through
multiple impossible renovations with profit, and I was primed for another
challenge.
However,
he was the authority, the man, and like Ceasar, he could give the thumbs up or
down on my permit. We both understood this. And yet, I also knew that
inspectors come and go, so I entered something of a holding pattern, secured
the exterior openings, and shifted my focus to other projects. And when this
head official was replaced a short time later, I pulled permits and got to
work.
From the
start, I documented my efforts. Although I owned it outright, by myself, I
needed plenty of help to bring this house back from the brink. It was good
practice to hit the record button and explain how I approached each phase and
the strategy from start to finish. I had no idea how to turn this footage into
something watchable for my family or anyone else. I still don't. But it was fun
to make the videos and a good experience overall, allowing me to look back at
what I started with and compare it to the finished home I had to sell at the
end. When it sold, at the height of the real estate bubble, my realtor believed
that it was likely the highest square foot price in the history of the
neighborhood.
Although I
had no way of knowing it, documenting the project on video was good preparation
for down the road, when I had a chance to try to explain what I did on camera
for people in high places.
(Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 4 - Coming Soon)
