Despite weathering a few setbacks, they now own a vacation home that’s everything they ever wanted. In 2005, after they purchased and started reconstruction on the late-1800s Brock House (the former home of railroad tycoon G. Paul Brock), their efforts were thwarted by Hurricane Katrina. The devastating storm left 3½ feet of water in the house and collapsed the structure’s facade. The McAleers salvaged what they could from the remains of the original house and began construction on a new home, bringing the structure up to the reformed FEMA codes and using as much material as possible from the Brock House. Salvageable materials included the original pocket doors, heart pine from the substructure that was used in the new living and...