TAMPA, Fla. (February 25, 2009) — One home was a true extreme makeover for the Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay Kickoff, after it was determined that rehabbing wouldn’t save the structure.
The Richman Group of Florida, Inc. and First Florida Building Corp. worked with Rebuilding Together in conjunction with the NFL during Super Bowl week on the 65-year old shotgun style home in the Historic West Tampa neighborhood.
The owner is a disabled widow who is raising four grandchildren.
Mrs. Lucy Nieves, 66, is doing her best to raise and feed the boys on a fixed income and is unable to afford desperately needed repairs to her home.
They did not have hot water and only two electrical sockets worked in the home. The floor was covered with extension cords running to those two outlets. Cold nights were bitter for this family, as there were large gaps in the doorframes and windows. The kitchen sink was also not connected to the sewer system, so raw garbage and dishwater were spilling onto the adjacent vacant lot.
First Florida Project Manager Dana Teeter was eager and ready to take on a project. He submitted a scope of work that included extensive repairs to the home with the goal of giving this elderly widow a safer and more comfortable home.
It was decided that it would be better to demolish the structure and build a brand new home due to the severity of repairs needed. Sensitive to the owner’s needs and feelings, they rebuilt the home to be a replica of the old home right down to the special niche where she keeps a candle lit to her deceased husband Ismael. Thanks to the team assembled by the Richman Group and First Florida, Mrs. Nieves and her grandchildren will have a safer, healthier and more energy efficient home that will last them for generations to come.
A dedicated volunteer team of Richman’s trades, sub contractors, vendors and architects worked tirelessly to provide a brand new home for the Nieves family in just 40 days. This is the only home of the 20 featured rehab projects that was required to be completely rebuilt. Teeter was recognized with a Hometown Hero Award for the project by Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay.
Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2000 in response to the increasing need for residential housing rehabilitation programs to improve living conditions for very low and low-income families, especially those of senior citizens and persons with disabilities, since these repairs can be impossible to do on their own and sometimes costly.
