Stories
Building a bright future for their family by adding an ADU
Nadine and Jon will never be empty nesters thanks to an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver and the West
11 Sep, 2024
After home repair with Habitat, this family won’t have to keep patching their roof.
Nathan and Steffany have fretted for years about their leaking roof. But thanks to their home repair partnership with Habitat Metro Denver, they will soon be shielded from the elements.
When Nathan and Steffany bought their tri-level home in Denver eight years ago, they were first-time buyers. Their three-bedroom brick home needed a lot of work and the roof leaked. But the housing market was hot and the couple had been outbid on other homes.
They patched the flat roof, and made updates to the interior by putting in new kitchen fixtures, finishing the basement, and converting one bedroom into a hair salon for Steffany’s part-time business.
When a tree fell on their patched roof a few years later, things took a turn for the worse. Insurance wouldn’t cover the $30,000 to $60,000 cost to replace the whole roof.
“It’s been so hard,’’ shares Steffany. “We tried to repair the roof ourselves, but I see the leaks when I am working with clients. I try to stay professional, but it is embarrassing. I repaint the walls, spackle the cracks, and keep trying.”
Even with a low interest mortgage and Nathan’s job as a commercial journeyman electrician, they couldn’t afford a loan to buy a new roof. They have two sons, ages 3.5 years and 9 months.
“When we first moved in, the ceiling in the boys’ room fell in and we’ve been patching the roof ever since,’’ shares Nathan. “The leak in their room now has water running down the wall. We had to figure out a way to get a new roof.”
Nathan began to research ways to get the roof fixed. He saw an ad for Habitat’s home repair program and filled out an application. When Habitat contacted him to move the project forward, it almost seemed surreal.
“I applied, but I didn’t get my hopes up,” shares Nathan. “Then Habitat called and said ‘We are going to do your roof.’ It was too good to be true!”
As part of the Habitat partnership agreement, the family will pay about 15% of the roofing costs. Nathan also put in sweat equity by helping recycle metal and assembling light fixtures at the Habitat ReStore. And he also took a class in estate planning.
“We’ll all sleep better with a new roof over our heads,” shares Nathan. “Habitat has been a real blessing.”
“We’ll all sleep better with a new roof over our heads,” shares Nathan.
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