Historic Englewood House Rises Again After Weathering Storms

Rising Up! That’s what is happening with a historic house on New Jersey Avenue here in Englewood. Owner Patti Weghorst said the house which was built in 1922 had sunk on one corner following a couple of years of torrential rain from storms with Hurricane Ian being the final culprit. The house was unlivable due to this situation and Patti was forced to move in with her daughter while she sought the funding and means of restoring the house. She loves the house and wants to continue to call it home.
Through limited help from FEMA along with a small business loan, she is making that happen. Davie Shoring, a home elevation business with offices in Arcadia and Louisiana, specializes in raising houses and also does site relocations. They have been working at her house applying supports and braces as the house is being elevated upwards to five feet above ground level, to set it above Sarasota County flood stage. Once that is accomplished with a concrete foundation, the house will require new plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and Patti plans to install new windows in the style of the original windows. The chimney has been removed and will not be replaced. The house was constructed by Leroy Bastedo who was a builder here in Englewood and served as mayor for a term in the 1920s when Englewood was incorporated as a town (it was dissolved in the late 1920s). The house has a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and one bath. The original front and back porches have been enclosed and incorporated into part of the living area and a loft created up among the rafters. Patti has owned the house for 22 years and loves the house’s ambience and its heart pine floors. Patti wants others who may find themselves in a similar situation with house foundation issues to know that there are solutions. The Englewood Review will follow up with Patti when her house restorations have been completed. Learn more about Davie Shoring at homeelevationexperts.com.