New Orleans Project, Part 1 of 10

For the second project of the season, THIS OLD HOUSE travels to New Orleans, Louisiana, to help a fourth-generation resident of the Lower Ninth ward return home, while following stories of rebuilding and recovery throughout the city. Host Kevin O'Connor visits Musicians' Village with founder Harry Connick Jr. to see how he and childhood friend Branford Marsalis are providing new housing for the city's musicians through Habitat for Humanity. In historic Holy Cross, along the banks of the Mississippi River, homeowner Rashida Ferdinand shows Kevin why she loves her c. 1892 flood-damaged shotgun single and artist's studio. Rashida tells Kevin her plans to restore and expand the property after a two-year vacancy. Master carpenter Norm Abram meets Rashida's builder to assess the challenges of building post-Katrina in New Orleans. Homeowner Marna David shows Kevin how she managed to renovate her own shotgun single in Holy Cross - twice - once before the storm and once after. (Part 1 of 10)