To mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this week Curbed is looking at how the housing, architecture, and neighborhoods of New Orleans have changed since the storm. Here, the first in a series of House Calls at renovated New Orleans properties.
When Brandon Dughman first walked into the double shotgun at 620 Clouet Street, it was clear that a healthy amount of personal vision would be required to turn the dilapidated dwelling before him into something he'd feel comfortable calling home. Dughman, who works in project management for an affordable housing developer, encountered 1960s paneling on the walls and ceiling, three layers of linoleum plywood and fake hardwood flooring over the original wood floors, closets that didn't reach the ceiling, and a general state of neglect in the 100+-year-old Bywater double.