Tradespeople go All in to make family home Accessible
More than $300,000 in labour, materials provided to improve home’s accessibility
There is already a ramp leading up to Vienna Kennedy ’s front door on Massey Road. But soon, there will be an even better one, and beyond it, a newly accessible house.
Shane Chapman and his team at The Ultimate Deck Shop will be building the ramp, along with a new deck in the backyard.
And the accessible house — that’s thanks to the volunteer work of more than a dozen local businesses.
The goal is to make it easier for eight-year-old Vienna to get around with her walker.
She has arthrogyposis, a congenital muscle syndrome that causes limited mobility.
“We really liked that there’s a tight-knit group of people here that kind of embody that smalltown spirit,” Chapman said of his reasons for getting involved.
That group is working as Build Love, an organization co-founded by Derek Wu of Collaborative Construction and Brandon Fuchs of Superior Garage, with the intent of completely renovating the Kennedy family home.
“We’re going to shut down the store for a couple days and make sure everybody’s here to help out,” Chapman said. “It will be a bit of a sacrifice for us, but we feel that we would like our staff to be involved in this through and through.”
“We’ve been in business for over 25 years and just thought it was a great way to give back to our community,” added Ken Kowalchuk, a partner with Cupboard Brothers.
His company will replace the cabinetry in the kitchen, bathrooms, mud room and laundry room.
“We’ve got custom heights for her vanity and being able to pull up and brush her teeth without having too much trouble and same with the kitchen, lowering door handles,” Kowalchuk said.
“We have done lots of accessibletype cabinetry projects, but this one is a little bit different because we’re accommodating both parents and small children.”
When Dan Turgeon heard about the project, he approached Fuchs to get involved.
His company, Town & Country Plumbing and Heating, might have the biggest job of the bunch, with 12 employees involved.
“We probably have about three weeks of work to do,” Turgeon said.
“The concrete floor has to get cut and all new plumbing has to get installed to the accessible bathroom, to the kitchen, to the new laundry area.
“So we’ll start with that rough-in work under the slab, and then the concrete gets repoured.”
Before the project wraps up — hopefully in November — Turgeon’s company will install fixtures, and new furnace and airconditioning units: “There’s a lot of work that has to get done in a short period of time.”
But they all agree they feel honoured to be involved.
“Just sitting there watching the family, the smiles on their faces already … it chokes you up already and we’re not even really in it yet,” Chapman said.
More than 60 tradespeople, contractors and suppliers are providing more than $300,000 worth of labour and building materials to complete the project.
In a ceremonial event at the house on Thursday, 12 of the sponsors lined up for some synchronized sledgehammering of the existing drywall.
Vienna watched alongside her parents, Jared and Liana.
While the house has been stripped of furniture — and some flooring, trim and drywall — the renovation begins in earnest this weekend.
Kneeling beside their daughter — a stripped floor beneath them and a concrete wall behind — Jared explained about this room, their “formal living room.”
“We loved to sit here and Vienna would play the harp in this room,” he said, “and this is where our table was where we’d usually play Lego the most.”
“Or Playmobil,” Vienna said. “Home is a big deal for us and this is incredible,” added Liana.
“To be able to enjoy that easier would be incredible.”
Build Love is seeking donations and volunteers. To learn more, visit buildlove.ca.