Home and Life, Reconstructed

Whole-house remodel by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County’s Remodelers Council, (919) 233-2033, www.wakeremodelers.com

BEFORE

In February, the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County came to the rescue of a bride-to-be who was involved in a tragic accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. On NBC’s Feb. 10 airing of the Today Show, the show’s hosts announced a surprise home renovation project for Rachelle Friedman and her fiance, Chris Chapman, of Knightdale. The couple live in a fixer-upper they had purchased as a dream house that, after Rachelle’s accident, became an obstacle course of impracticality. When the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County’s Remodelers Council learned about Rachelle’s ordeal, they banded with NBC, rolled up their sleeves and donated services and materials to restore her home and quality of life.
 
Members of the Remodelers Council—Deveraux Hamilton of Envision Built in Fuquay-Varina, Edward Lewis Sadler of Sadler Construction Inc. in Cary, John R. Sperath of Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Inc. in Raleigh and Glenn White of Complete Construction Company Inc. in Apex—led the redesign and renovation. In 11 days, they remodeled the kitchen, the master bath and hallway bath and closet; built new cabinets and countertops; widened doorways; built a new deck and ramp and installed a brand new elevator, making the home wheelchair accessible and beautiful to live in.

For the master bath, the vanity was elongated and lowered for easy access to the sink and countertop, making it easier for Rachelle to apply her makeup. A new, single-handle faucet was mounted on the face frame of the cabinet on the left side of the vanity giving her easy reach. The bathtub was replaced with a new shower that’s roomy for two. “The master bath shows that you can have a room designed to be wheelchair accessible and still beautiful,” Lewis Sadler of Sadler Construction says. “We wanted Rachelle to be able to function and enjoy her home with the abilities she has.”

Contributing Contractors
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Inc., 909 Trinity Road, Raleigh, NC 27607, (919) 303-0758, www.blue-ribbon-construction.com
Complete Construction Company, 4125 Maple Bottom Drive, Apex, NC 27502, (919) 422-1333, www.completeconstructionco.com
Envision Built, 1322 N. Main St., No. 115, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526, (919) 928-5222, www.envisionbuilt.com
Sadler Construction Inc., P.O. Box 3023, Cary, NC 27519, (919) 651-9052, www.sadlerconstructioninc.com

Photos courtesy of John Sperath, Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Inc.