Dave Lake remembers getting the phone call he never wanted to receive on the night of Aug. 25.
“He saw the lightning hit it,” Dave said. “Thirty minutes later she was wrapped up and there’s nothing they could do. Bad day.”
The family stilt house, perched above the Gulf waters about a quarter-mile off the coast in Port Richey, was gone. The home that had become a special hideaway would have to be rebuilt.
There was never any doubt in Dave’s kids' minds that the home would return.
“When it went down a lot of people were heart broke,” said Brian Lake. “The community has stepped up, monetarily and everybody giving a good hand.”
Dozens of friends and family have spent nearly every weekend day since late August planning, delivering, and building back Stilt House No. 6. The homes have a lot of history in central Florida. They were originally built about a century ago as working huts for fisherman and once numbered as many as 28.
Now, only nine remain.
That includes the Lakes' home.
“This went so fast,” said Dave, watching his kids work the saw and nail gun. “Faster than I thought it would.”
In about two months, 52 poles were driven into the sandy bottom of the Gulf of Mexico to establish a base, floorboards were set, and a roof was raised. The workload isn’t over.
The payoff is coming for a man who spent so many summer nights on the stilt house porch watching his family swim and play.
“My kids will have it and their kids will have it. Everybody will have it,” Dave said with a smile. “That’s all I care about and have a good time.
“My eyes are tearing right now.”
Bobby Lewis is chronicling the Lake family’s journey to rebuild their home. The family hopes to complete the house by Thanksgiving, including its recognizable American flag painting on the north and south sides.
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