A Closer Look: How Rebuilding Together Identifies Repairs That Change Lives

by Leon Rubis

When Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church representatives do a home assessment, they go beyond the “wish list” in the homeowner’s application to conduct a comprehensive checkup for health and safety hazards that are common in older homes.

RT-AFF contacts applicants to schedule a home assessment after confirming they meet ownership and income requirements for free repairs.

At an assessment, two or three staff and volunteer team leaders ask about the homeowner’s special needs and top priorities. As a nonprofit with limited funds and resources, RT cannot help every applicant or perform every repair a home may need. But the team listens to concerns, looks for unseen risks, and suggests solutions that can enhance independence and livability. The team focuses on solutions: What repairs can our volunteers make to address health and safety risks?

The team begins its work even before entering a house. Is the house number clearly visible from the street? Do deteriorated or uneven steps, porches or walkways pose tripping hazards? Are handrails or ramps needed? Is shrubbery overgrown? Are gutters and downspouts working to divert water away from the home?

They ask about residents’ balance and mobility to gauge their risk for falls. For residents with serious mobility challenges, a volunteer occupational therapist can do a clinical assessment to offer recommendations for accessibility modifications.

With a detailed checklist of about 50 items to examine, the team walks through the house with the homeowner to identify what’s needed. Common repairs and modifications include bathroom grab bars and raised toilet seats; plumbing and electrical fixtures; brighter lighting; correcting tripping hazards; double stair rails; basic energy upgrades, such as sealing air leaks; replacing unsafe dryer ducting; gutters and drainage; smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; and—where needed—exterior ramps and interior stairlifts.

Throughout the visit, the team takes measurements and notes of materials, tools and supplies needed for the work. If a stairlift is needed, they take photographs and measure the length, width, slope and configuration of the steps for our stairlift specialists to customize the unit off-site before installation.

 

A collaborative process

With the checklist and their own observations, the team often identifies issues that the homeowner might not have realized needed attention.

At a recent townhouse assessment in Reston, staff member Don Ryan observed that “your kitchen is really dimly lit,” and recommended a new LED light fixture. “We get really positive feedback” on them, he told the owner.

A large drop from the back door to the patio prompted a suggestion to install an intermediate “half step” for safer access. In the basement, the team quickly spotted a long run of plastic dryer duct with many turns that was not venting safely outside. “This duct is very susceptible to plugging up with lint, which is a leading cause of fire in homes,” Don told the homeowner. He suggested replacing it with rigid metal ducting routed more directly to a new exterior exhaust vent.

After the walkthrough, the team writes a list of repairs to be made for the homeowner’s approval and discusses scheduling. Homes that need only limited repairs are usually scheduled within a few weeks, while homes needing extensive repairs may have to wait until next April’s National Rebuilding Day for a bigger project team. Every other Friday, Rebuilding Together sends a “call for volunteers” with a brief description of upcoming projects to recruit and assign volunteers with the needed skills for each home. A typical project involves four to five volunteers working about a half day on weekdays or Saturday mornings. More extensive projects may be scheduled over two or more days.

The Reston homeowner shared that lingering injuries from an auto accident had prevented her from keeping up with home maintenance, and major work on her stairway by a hired contractor was poorly done and never completed.

“That’s why Rebuilding Together is here,” Don told her. “We have committed volunteers who love to solve problems.”