At Country Living, we've always defined "dream home" a little differently. Double-height foyers, en suite saunas, moats—the typical Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous trappings don't resonate around here. Our fantasies tend to involve rustic charm and eco-friendly repurposing. Still, there's no denying that this issue's House of the Year began with a blank slate and plenty of pie-in-the-sky ideas. Then, last October, things got real, real fast. After Hurricane Sandy beat down on New York City, we scrapped our build-from-scratch plans and decided to renovate a flood-damaged bungalow in the Queens neighborhood of Breezy Point. Though we intended to help just one homeowner, book editor Marian Lizzi, we wound up getting to know the whole community: Lizzi's neighbors, the bartenders at the local pub, and the many kind folks…
