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Family from Berry, KY. Thus begins a week of activity which will culminate in the keys to a wonderful new home being
handed to a much deserving family.
exiting the bus to wake the
Hassall Family with the
infamous bull horn:
GOOD MORNING
HASSALL
FAMILY!!!!!!
Family for a photo opportunity.
The family was so excited!!!
(Steve on the far right in gray
sweatshirt)
showers. Too bad. Everyone geared up in hardhats and their blue shirts and began to film what the crew calls
the "BRAVEHEART." After running up the hill behind the house for 5 or 6 takes (it felt like 300), the rain
began. And it didn't stop. The contractors all joked with Ty that he brought it with him from LA. The crew
decided to scrap all of our hard fought running, and re-shoot the message to the family inside a tent where we
had all gathered to stay out of the rain. Shortly afterward, the Demolition began. It only took around three
hours to finish the demo and clean-up the mess in order for construction to begin. But the rain never stopped,
and by nightfall, it was the biggest mess you've ever seen. Six inches of mud covered everything. The ground,
the road, our boots. But we had a job to do, and by midnight, the floor was in place and framing had begun.
They had worked through the night and the rain started again around 6am, so they had to take a short break. But
as we were speaking, the last sheets of plywood were being placed on the roof, and the back deck was taking
shape. How Amazing! It just goes to show what a little determination and a lot of heart can do. 8pm: Just
received word that shingles are going on the roof, plumbing is being roughed in, and they are getting ready to
blow insulation. Still Raining.
and plumbing were done, front porch and back deck were ready, and drywall was getting ready to be installed.
Still muddy and messy. Six hours behind schedule. 3pm. Just talked to Dad again. Everyone is still working
despite rain and mud. The stone workers are on site and working on the house. The vinyl siding is starting to go
up. 11pm. Dad just left for the night. On his way out he took the picture below. Wow! The painters have
started working, Electricians will be there in the morning to start putting in lights and switches, and the
guttering will be going up in the morning. I heard on the news tonight that the rain is behind us. Let's hope so.
Workers are installing all of the indoor trim and doors, etc., and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the yard
will dry up enough to actually work on landscaping.
least have a chance. The inside of the house is pretty much ready to go, and outside, workers are installing
pavers and excavators are spreading new soil and leveling everything out. Somehow, we managed to make up
some time in all of the mud and rain, and construction is only two hours behind schedule when the contractors
gather in a very emotional key exchange ceremony with the designers at 7pm. Just following the key
exchange, the chaos began. Furniture started coming in by the truckload, and there were 900 people in the
house moving furniture, unpacking, peeling labels, and generally just walking on top of each other. Everyone
wanted to be in the house. (little known fact: the furniture and decor do NOT come pre-assembled. Everything
is either made on-site or comes in boxes to be put together when it arrives on the truck. And believe me, there
is a LOT of furniture.)
the key exchange.
side to try to finish the house before the family came home. It was exhausting, but no one wanted to leave
before the end was in sight. We started this in the rain and mud, we were going to finish it if it killed us. This
is one of the best experiences that any of us have ever had. Certainly memorable at the least. When the bus
rolled away, the look on the faces of the Hassall Family was more than any of us could have imagined. Their
shock and emotion was more than many of us could take. Their joy was worth all the effort and pain. All the
rain and mud and trials never dampened the spirits of the people who worked so hard for that moment, and we
were not disappointed. Thank you, Hassall Family, for giving us a reason to believe again in people. Your faith
gives us hope, and we have been honored to be a part of something so amazing and wonderful.
