Homebuilders in Edmonton are rebuilding basement for charity

More than a hundred volunteers and contractors are working hard for hours this week to renovate a house for a good cause.

For the past decade, Bild Edmonton Metro, a residential construction company in Edmonton, has chosen a track for their annual renovation project.

This year, the company chose to rebuild a basement suite for Amy’s House, a nonprofit organization that helps out-of-town cancer patients and their families with temporary housing during their treatment.

“We have everything from unskilled labor all the way up to really skilled trades in electrical and framing and all kinds of different things,” Lindsey Butterfield, vice-president of government relations for Bild Edmonton Metro, said Tuesday morning.

“They’re going to rebuild it to make it fresh, modern and really comfortable for the people who have to stay here,” she added.

Butterfield told CTV News Edmonton that the renovation project will use materials donated by volunteers; The project will add laundry facilities, a bathroom and an open space for families to relax between medical appointments – which will be completed in three days.

Trina Alain, the guest services coordinator for Amy’s House, said they were “honored” when they were chosen for the construction as the home’s basement was “quite old and falling apart.”

“We don’t really have the money to upgrade or do renovations ourselves, so this will have a huge impact and just create more space for families to stay,” Alain said. “It’s amazing … that so many people can come out and give up their time and financial donations and do it in three days.”

When the basement is completed, the Amy’s House organization will have two full houses for families coming into town for cancer treatment, which happen to be next to each other.

The renovation project will unveil the completed basement renovation on Thursday, October 3.