In our blog series, “Getting There,” we ask professionals and experts what it takes to be successful and what kinds of advice they can offer. And, as we believe the concepts of curiosity, creativity and communications are vital to contributing to the success of any endeavor, we are also interested in knowing which they have utilized most often and how.
Debra West
Barberville, Florida
Debra West is Executive Director of The Barberville Pioneer Settlement. They are restoring the historic Underhill House located on their property.
Why did you feel it was important to take on the restoration of the Underhill House?
The Underhill House is not only the oldest brick residence in Volusia County – its architectural design is unlike any other in the area. The Settlement and Volusia County ECHO (tax payer dollars) had already made investments for the purchase of the house and property before the recession, it would have been a shame to let it deteriorate and eventually fall. We got to save it just in time.
Why was it important to you personally? Was it more than just a part of the job?
I have always dreamed of restoring an old house so I’m in some ways able to live that dream through this project so yes it is more than just part of the job. Now that we can see progress it is even more exciting.
Being involved with a historic preservation project in rural Florida, were there any special challenges?
The first round of bids were over budget partially due to costs associated with housing if work crews were based out of the area. Therefore, the contractor that could bid competitively would need to be local, with historic preservation experience and have specific insurances in place. These qualification really narrowed the field of options.
Do you use the concepts of creativity, curiosity and communications in your work on this project?
Not having photographs of the original house we had to be curious and creative; working around the unknowns that presented themselves along the way. For example, discovering things that were not original to the house like newer siding that was found on the second floor that gave us clues that the porch windows were most likely not there originally and changing plans to use lattice in place of the windows. Communication was key with many individuals to make the necessary changes and to get the job done.
