After decades of living on Normand Avenue, Earl Wischmeier is no stranger to flooding. His New Smyrna Beach home has been hit twice, but after the last storm, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.

“I lifted everything up, loaded everything in the attic, cleaned up the mess,” Wischmeier said. “Within four or five hours after the hurricane, we had it all swept up and dried up and cleaned up and fans going.”

But rather than relocate, the longtime resident made a different choice: He raised his house.

“It’s no good if it floods,” he said.

Wischmeier elevated his entire home 46 inches off the ground, a project that’s taken time, planning, patience, and the help of a few friends and people. From designing the lift to securing materials and determining where to stay durin

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