Mold forces couple to raze house, build anew

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Mold forces couple to raze house, build anew

By Angie Francalancia

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/wellington/content/neighborhood/wellingt

on/epaper/2005/12/14/npw_angie_1214.html

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

The remodeling looked drastic. The neighbors stopped to gape as the

crane knocked down walls, crunched the roof and scraped away walls.

To and Rudy Arkenbout, the demolition of their Paddock Drive

home marks a turning point toward recovery, though.

" This, to me, is like a weight off my chest, " said. She took a

video as her home became a pile of rubble. She'll save the video to

show a young nephew who loves big machines.

There was no way to save the 3,200-square-foot home the Arkenbouts

have owned for the past four years. Six different kinds of mold took

hold after Hurricane Frances hit a year ago, they said.

" The guy who did the mold inspection gave me this list and

said, 'Take it to your pediatrician,' because some mold can cause

eye damage and skin damage, " said.

They stayed in the wood-frame home with the help of air-purifying

machines. But when Hurricane Wilma roared through in October, the

Arkenbouts moved in with some neighbors.

" We stayed with Alan and Ann Gerwig during Wilma, " said. " Our

friends have been wonderful. "

The Arkenbouts, who have two children, , 14, and Christy, 13,

have lived in Wellington since 1993.

Last week, as the crane crushed the house, Rudy joked with friends

who stopped by about the little " roof leak " he had.

Although their home was an older wood-frame design, they liked

the " country " feel, said. Built in 1987, it was one of Royal

Professional Builder's designs.

Royal Professional Builders built many houses in Wellington and

Royal Palm Beach, where the company used to be based. Because Royal

Professional's Wally Sanger is a friend of Rudy's, the family asked

Sanger to build them a new home.

" We went to Port St. Lucie to look at some of the models, and when

we went in one, I just fell in love with it, " said. " Wally

said, 'That's the updated version of your house.' "

Construction on their new home, which they will build on the same

lot, will start as soon as the demolition is done, the Arkenbouts

said.

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