Local contractors, builders restore Lumby woman’s home

“[Cox] has not been able to have a proper bath or shower for years because she can’t actually get into the bathroom with the wheelchair she has now, and the care aid is not strong enough to carry her,” Embley explained, saying she can only be cleaned with a sponge bath. He added her bed is located in the living room as the lift needed to get in and out of bed is too large for the trailer’s bedroom.

Upon learning more about Cox’s situation, a shareholder in the window company contacted a local contractor, who met with Embley and agreed to help restore the Lumby woman’s home to a more liveable quality.

“[The contractor] helped us source local electricians and framers and plumbers to help, so this morphed into a complete demolition and renovation and rebuild of a brand new bathroom,” Embley said.

“We took away closet space, we opened the whole thing up, and we got her a zero entry shower basin that was donated, so she could go in and have a shower.”

The province also donated a shower-friendly wheelchair so Cox can easily access the amenities in her new bathroom.

“You should see her, she’s never not in tears [of joy] since we started. She’s welled up every time we’re there, she just cannot believe it,” Embley said.

“Her faith in humanity is totally restored.”

Violet Cox with Todd and Kate Embley of KT Fairglass (submitted photo)

The refurbished bathroom (submitted photo)

One of the newly installed windows (submitted photo)

The work to form the partnerships and restore the bathroom to a useable quality took roughly two months, but was fully functional as of May 9. Embley added the work did not cause any disruption to Cox.

The window company co-owner went on to say the project couldn’t have been done without the donations of time, work and supplies from local people and businesses.

“This is what the dream has been for us doing the Community Give-Back project, I feel like there’s a lot of interest and desire for people to jump in and help and do, but you just need the people who create the spark,” Embley told Vernon Matters.

“That’s, I think, all we’re really doing. Finding the opportunity and identifying the needs that need to be done so that they’re easy to understand and digest, so when you go to Ace Hardware or Shepherd’s Hardware or Kohler, you can present to them exactly what you need and why and for whom and then it’s easy for them to buy in and jump in and help.”

The business co-owner went on to say he hopes the Community Give-Back program continues to grow so larger projects like this one can be undertaken through community and business support, saying he may not want it to be “full HGTV,” but does want to help people in need. He also hopes to see it grow enough so they can do free window replacements on a monthly basis.

Nominations to the Community Give-Back project can be made through KT Fairglass’s website.

by Liam Verster

Local contractors, builders restore Lumby woman’s home

What Matters