There is good news for a family Global News first introduced you to in November.
A family in Morinville ran into a nightmare when they hired a contractor to renovate and put an addition onto their mobile home.
Therasa Smith says her and her husband paid a company thousands of dollars up front, they didn’t finish the job and eventually just didn’t come back.
She says her family was left with an unsafe mess, and no way to pay for further repairs.
After hearing their story, Pleasant Homes, a Morinville based manufactured modular home company, stepped in.
They provided the Smith family with a new home, at cost, and a number of other businesses stepped up to donate time and services as well.
The Smith family now has a brand new mobile home, thanks to the help of their community.
Simon Boersma of Pleasant Homes says when he saw what the Smith family was going through it hit him.
“I think we need to look after people in our community. I think a lot of times we go far away to meet the needs of communities, but at the same time we can meet it right here in our local community.”
When Boersma and his partner Gary Hauk first saw the home, they immediately saw warning signs.
“Things were crooked, things weren’t straight, so I was right away concerned with structural (issues),” Boersma says adding, “The smell got to me, while I was walking through the house and I thought, ok there’s something totally wrong here.”
Their team did a full inspection of the home and due to the added weight put on the house during renovation, they found that the home was no longer structurally sound.
“There was an immediate danger of that house actually collapsing. It wasn’t safe to be in,” Hauk explains adding, “It was time to put an action plan together.”
Smith says she couldn’t believe how quickly the company got moving to help her and her family.
“I bawled, I cried. It was like a dream, like it wasn’t happening,” Smith says adding, “They’re guardian angels, they helped us a lot.”
Boersma says it feels great to have been able to help. He does, however, have some advice for anyone looking to do renovations.
“Don’t get the cash contractors. These guys, they may be great, but there’s a reason why they’re doing cash work.” He says adding, “You’re not going to get a better deal at the end of the day, get a proper contractor to do the job.”
He also recommends asking the contractors for customer references and getting a second or third opinion before making the final decision.
Recommendations Smith agrees with.
“Investigate, take your time, don’t jump into it, don’t give all your money unless they’re legally allowed to have your money. If they’re signing a contract in your home, they’re not allowed to have your money up front.”
While the process was frustrating, Smith says it does get better.
“There is a silver lining and there are good people out there still. Don’t lose your faith if you come across one bad one, because there’s two more good ones just around the corner.”
Smith loves her new home, her kids love it and she says it feels great to have a safe home for her family.
“It feels great to see these kids have their own rooms, to have a family in a house that is fantastic, it’s a great feeling,” Boersma says.
“It makes my heart feel good when I look around and see the kids so happy, and Therasa and Ian as happy as they are,” adds Hauk.
With files from Julie Matthews.
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