52 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Early Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com 52 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Early Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com TCB A month after Harvey, the Bepko’s were situated in a rental house in Port Aransas, and were pursuing the ser- vices of a general contractor, which was required due to the extent of the damage to their home and the need for multiple sub-contractors for its rebuild. A general contractor is guar- anteed a management fee, of sorts, built into the insurance claims, equal to 20% of the actual cost of materials and labor. In addition to finding and overseeing the work of subcontractors, the general is responsible for permit- ting and keeping the project on sched- ule and on budget. During the remediation process, the family sorted through what could be salvaged and what was lost for good, items that piled over ten feet high in front of their home. With all of the storage units in the area out of busi- ness themselves, the Bepko’s did their best to save the items that survived the storm in a makeshift arrangement out- side the house. Still, they fell victim to looters, rain and even snow. As a cold winter thawed into spring, the Bepko’s found glimmers of hope as they found an available roofer and a general con- tractor to handle the rest of the work— or so they thought. Just as the Bepko’s were spending hours upon hours shopping for mate- rials and considering the options for their home, their general contractor, apparently unsatisfied with a fee of only 20%, abruptly quit. He just folded up his notebook and walked off. It wasn’t long into the role of self gen- eral contractor that it became obvi- ous to Brandon that “20%” isn’t really 20% in the world of general contrac- tors—at least not with the one he had chosen—as the true costs of various subcontracted services were found to be either lower, or quite negotiable. Permitting, however, is a different matter. Everything requires a build- ing permit, and while most subcon- tractors, like roofers who largely sell directly to the public, are experienced at securing permits, some are not and depend on the general contractors who hire them to deal with it. As this experience unfolded for the Bepko’s, and as we continually heard similar stories from their island neigh- bors, the value of conveying it through the magazine become clear, and here was are. “Port A Rebuild” is our multi- part chronicle of the restoration of the Bepko home. Over the following eight months or so (we expect), meaning the next four editions of this publication, we will bring you the story of how this near-fatally damaging family home will be brought back to life, better than ever we hope, and who contributed their ex- pertise and craftsmanship to this one little slice of the overall recovery after Hurricane Harvey. When it’s done, we will invite you, our readers to see how it all turns out!