BUXTON, N.C. — Since the first house fell in Buxton, News 3 has been in the area sharing the community's stories. As things have quieted down in the area, crews have been hard at work reinforcing structures and moving some houses entirely. That's where News 3 met Crum Works Inc. and Lightning Marine Construction in action.
"I'm pretty busy," said Barry Crum, owner of Crum Works Inc.
"We've been doing a lot more work," said Justin Hewitt, a foreman with Lightning Marine Construction.
Barry Crum and Justin Hewitt have years of experience in all aspects of the house-moving business. But that experience has been accelerated ever since 15 homes collapsed on the oceanfront this fall.
"We've moved a house, we've stabilized some houses, and we're gearing up to move more houses," said Crum.
"We have three more just beside here that we're going to be doing very soon," said Hewitt.
To say this work is difficult would be an understatement. Crum tells News 3 they typically move a house to its new location where it sits on supports, then crews like Hewitt and Lightning Marine Construction install the pilings underneath it. But because of not knowing what the ocean conditions will be like this time of year, they are now doing something different.
"What we're going to do is we're having pilings installed before we move the house. That way, we are able to take the house and roll it on top of its new foundation. We're hoping that method will be a little faster and a little safer," said Crum.
News 3 was able to see Justin and his crew in action with the piling work Thursday, where ultimately a house sitting just feet away from the ocean will be moved.
"We're drilling the hole down to try to get to the water table, and from that water table, we put the piling in, we set well points to fill up our tanks, we flush them down with a rod and a staff, and we get them set and get them level, and then we come in with a machine, and we hit them with a hammer," said Hewitt.
For Barry and Justin, these aren't just jobs. They both feel a lot of pride in being able to do this work for the area.
"Working down here, I've met a lot of people and have a lot of good memories on this end of the beach. So, I'd like to see them last, I'd like to see this beach grow a little bit more," said Hewitt.
"This is a small, isolated community. They'll tackle whatever comes their way. They're not scared to put their boots on and get up and do what needs to be done. And that's something I really appreciate. It makes me proud to be to live here where I grew up, and to call this my home," said Crum.
Crum said this work doesn't just happen overnight — it's going to continue from now even into late next year. He said he's excited for beach nourishment to come to the area in 2026.
"We're looking forward to nourishment. We're going to be moving houses that we can move. There's some houses that are in the ocean that we can't move. Right now, we've done what we can to shore them up and just stabilize them. So, we'll be working probably into the summer and maybe even fall on these houses between moving and shoring and putting in new septics. There's a lot of work to be done," said Crum.
