LEICESTER, NC – Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene demolished countless homes across Appalachia, one North Carolina man is turning disaster debris into architectural triumph, salvaging storm-scattered materials to construct the house he’s always envisioned but never could afford.
John Saunby wandered through the devastation left by America’s deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina, seeing opportunity where others saw only loss. While his Leicester neighbors struggled with insurance claims and rebuilding costs, Saunby began collecting the scattered remnants of destroyed homes that littered the mountainside.
His original porch posts emerged from tangled wilderness vegetation. Kitchen floorboards that once graced his home turned up inside an abandoned cotton mill miles away. Each discovery felt like finding buried treasure in the most unlikely circumstances. What started as curiosity evolved into something much more ambitious.
“The woods are full of treasure,” Saunby said, surveying materials destined for landfills that instead became the bones of his new dwelling. Despite decades of experience in home construction, he’d never possessed the financial means to realize his architectural dreams – until Helene inadvertently provided the raw materials.
The storm that killed hundreds and caused billions in damage when it swept through the Southeast last September left an especially brutal mark on Western North Carolina. Entire communities near Asheville disappeared under mudslides and floodwaters. Television footage couldn’t capture the scope of destruction that residents faced when returning to their properties.
Standing among the wreckage proved overwhelming even for seasoned builders like Saunby. But where others saw only heartbreak, he recognized Black Locust wood perfect for unique bark siding. Massive tree trunks that once stood for generations became load-bearing posts for his roof. Every salvaged piece carried history from homes that couldn’t be saved.
His vision includes architectural elements most builders would consider impossible without significant investment. The salvaged materials allow for creative flourishes that new lumber could never provide – weathered textures, natural patinas, and the character that comes only from survival. It’s sustainable building born from necessity rather than ideology.
As the one-year anniversary of Helene approaches next week, Saunby continues his treasure hunts through the scarred landscape. He’s particularly seeking Wormy Chestnut lumber, a rare wood typically salvaged from century-old barns. The American chestnut trees that once dominated North Carolina’s forests were wiped out by blight decades ago, making any remaining wood precious.
The project has attracted an unexpected collaborator. Jenny Kimmel, an Appalachian recording artist, has become both his partner and muse for the construction. She provides musical accompaniment while he works, her guitar melodies floating through the construction site as walls rise from reclaimed materials.
Their unconventional building process has become something of a local curiosity. Kimmel sees poetry in the project that goes beyond simple recycling. She tears up describing the deeper meaning, calling it a house with “the soul of the world in it” – a structure that honors what was lost while creating something entirely new.
Saunby calls this his “last hurrah” in home-building, suggesting this might be his final construction project. If so, he’s ending his career with something remarkable – a home that transforms tragedy into beauty, waste into wonder, and storm damage into architectural art that couldn’t exist without the hurricane’s devastating passage through these ancient mountains.
