Freeport homes see major renovations after superstorm Sandy

Tropical Storm Irene had given Freeport homeowners Alison and Kurt Corell a false sense of security.

"We had stayed through Irene and our sump pump handled the water -- we thought we would be fine," Alison remembers of the decision for her, Kurt and their then-14-year-old son to wait out superstorm Sandy.

By the time they knew they weren't going to be fine, it was too late to go anywhere.

"It was so beyond anything we expected," Alison says. "As the water went higher and higher in the basement, my stress level went up and up. I had a panic attack. I finally gave up and went upstairs."

After spending a long night with their son, his friend and the dogs in the master bedroom, they awoke to find that water came within inches of flooding the first floor. Next, they started the generator and made coffee for the neighborhood.

That was nearly two years ago. Today, repairs are complete and the Corells are ready to open their doors to neighbors again. They and five other homeowners are celebrating surviving Sandy -- and post-storm renovations -- with a turn on the Freeport Historical Society house tour on Sunday.

The home tour, which hasn't taken place since Irene devastated the waterside community in 2011, will include one of Freeport's few remaining baymen's cottages. Built in the 1920s, this bungalow was the home of a longtime Freeport bayman.

The tour runs the gamut from a modest ranch to a house surrounded by decks and three boat slips. "All the homes on the tour this year were impacted by Sandy to some degree," says Cynthia Krieg, historical society president. "What they have in common is that the homeowners all love their houses."

Two of those resilient homeowners are Robert, a retired firefighter, and Nancy LaRocca, who live in a two-story home in south Freeport whose living room, kitchen and master bedroom overlook the water. "We knew it was going to be bad," Nancy, 67, a teacher, says of Sandy. "We took off to stay with our daughter. We came back to 2 feet of water on the first floor."

Elaine Cassimatis, 60, a real estate broker and property manager, is also opening her tri-level split home to the tour. In addition to an open-concept first floor, the house includes a wraparound deck and an expansive water view.

"I had three feet of water in the lower level of my three-level split," says Cassimatis of the flooding in her family room, office and bathroom. She had completed a major renovation after buying the house in 2008. "Chairs were floating into the windows. When water picks something up, it doesn't set it back down where it found it."

While there may be a few things still to do here and there, the homes featured are either back in shape or well on the way to it. The homeowners, none of whom did their own renovations, agree that they learned a lot about their own strength but also about the willingness of Freeport residents to pull together.

"Each of these homeowners -- and homes -- has a story to tell," says Rita Carter, trustee with the historical society.

LESSONS LEARNED
Sitting on one of two large decks at Elaine Cassimatis' home, it is hard to imagine how the tranquil waters of Randall Bay turned violent. "There was all the silt, and the smell," she says of the devastation. "One thing I learned was to not hold onto things. One of the reasons I bought this house was because of the crawl space and all the storage. I'm a lot more practical now."

She tells of boxes of cherished items floating in the water. Now, things she doesn't use, she donates so others can.

Although her story is compelling, the house itself is captivating. Cassimatis says she loves to entertain, and her home reflects her passion for welcoming guests. She has a large, open living room, dining room and kitchen with two long buffet-worthy islands. The kitchen opens onto an expansive deck and patio. Upstairs, the master bedroom looks out onto a canal, and the guest bedroom opens onto the upper deck.

Cassimatis has furnished her lowest level with pieces, such as a futon, that take only two people to move upstairs. She has made things beautiful, but practical. "I don't say I survived Sandy," Cassimatis says. "I learned from it."

LOVING THEIR HOUSE AGAIN
The LaRoccas and two of their grandchildren spent three months living on the second floor after their home was hit by a 5-foot surge and the first floor took on 2 feet of water. What cooking they could do was in a microwave in the master bathroom.

"When we tore up the carpet downstairs, there was six inches of sand," Nancy says. "It was unreal."

Visitors will tour their bright, airy kitchen and cheery living room, which look out on Baldwin Bay. Upstairs, they'll show visitors how the grandkids perched on the rim of the tub for dinner. More important, they'll hear how these homeowners did so much of the demolition work themselves, and slowly learned to love their home once more.

"At first, I thought I didn't have the heart, the stomach, to do it again," says Nancy, who turned to her quilting for solace on many days. "We did the demolition ourselves."

HELPING HANDS
Alison and Kurt Corell, 49 and 56, respectively, lost a well-manicured yard and their lower level to the ravages of Sandy.

"We had water in the basement up to the rafters. It also was in the garage and mudroom," says Alison, who stayed through Sandy with her husband and 14-year-old son. The youngest, 11 at the time, stayed with relatives.

Alison remembers seeing all her late mother's Spode Christmas dishes floating in the water. "A friend posted on Facebook that we needed help," she says. "One of my neighbors came over and rinsed every piece of that Spode."

On the tour is the master bedroom where the family waited out Sandy. In addition to touring the redone lower level, rustic kitchen and open-concept living room, visitors can take a break on the family's restored back porch that overlooks the water.

"When I look back, the good outweighs the bad," says Alison, who recently was honored for her work with Friends of Freeport, a civic group. "We have so many new friends and our involvement in the community is amazing."

ALSO ON THE TOUR
Three additional houses on the house tour include:

BAYMAN'S COTTAGE. Sandy flooded this 1928 house with 4 feet of water. This bungalow has a gourmet kitchen and nautically themed bathroom. Baymen's cottages were built near the water to give owners easy access to their work. Visitors expecting a cramped interior will be surprised by the home's open floor plan.

WELL-LANDSCAPED RANCH. Built in 1955, this home suffered damage from 5 feet of water in the garage and 18 inches in the living room, forcing the family out for eight months. The redone landscape includes ornamental grasses and perennials, as well as three decks and a dock.

RANCH WITH A BACKYARD OASIS. The entire house suffered flooding and had to contend with inches of mud after Sandy. All the walls and floors were opened up. This open-concept house has a living room, dining room and chef's kitchen that overlook the backyard and pool.

2014 Freeport House Tour

WHAT. A benefit for the Freeport Historical Society

WHEN | WHERE. 1-4 p.m. Sunday

INFO. $25, includes dining discount to Pier 95 Restaurant and a chance to win a gift certificate to Rachel's Waterside Grill; advance tickets available at telephone below; buy same-day tickets at Freeport Exempt Firemen's Hall, 9 N. Long Beach Ave.; participants will get a program and map of the homes after purchasing tickets; 516-546-0822, freeporthistorymuseum.org