A New Kitchen—and a New Heartbeat—at Women’s Shelter

Costs Covered 100%HomeAid Northern Virginia and Builder Captain Beazer Homes recently completed a $20,000 kitchen replacement and upgrade for the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS), a private nonprofit in Loudoun County, Va., that provides emergency housing support and advocacy for women and children who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. The cost of the project was covered in its entirety, thanks to donations by Beazer and its trade partners and a grant from the United Way of the National Capital Area.

The project entailed gutting the home’s kitchen and dining area and installing new cabinetry, granite countertops, backsplash, sink, flooring and appliances. Beazer and its nine trade partners also replaced the flooring in the night counselor’s office and made plumbing repairs in the home’s bathroom.

Putting the finishing touches on the LAWS kitchen.

“One of the most important aspects of this project was logistics,” said Gary Szebalskie, vice president of customer care for Beazer. “The home was occupied throughout the renovation, and in order to minimize disruption to residents, we did a lot of pre-planning so that we could be in and out in 72 hours. We started on Tuesday morning and were out by Thursday—it was like a mini ‘Extreme Makeover!’”

“The kitchen is the heartbeat of our shelter,” added Sue Curtis, executive director for LAWS, “and having such beautiful space where our clients can cook and eat together as families makes this an especially wonderful improvement. The women are thrilled, and we are grateful to the crew who were so gracious and caring while working around the women and children who were living here during the renovation.”  

Beazer Homes has a long history with HomeAid: Don Knuston, president of Beazer’s Virginia operations, was one of HomeAid Northern Virginia’s founding members, and the homebuilding company has served as a HomeAid Builder Captain eight times.

Thanks to Builder Captain Beazer Homes for the LAWS project and to all of the trade partners!

Artelye Marble & Granite
Capital Carpets
Century Tile
DM Household Repair LLC
Eastern Applicators
Hall Mechanical Services
Ideal Construction Services
MasterBrand
Timberlake Cabinets


 

Trade Partner Spotlight: Timberlake Cabinetry

 

 

With a shelter full of families and plans to renovate the home’s kitchen while it was occupied, finding the right demolition and installation company was critical to the success of the LAWS project. Gary Szebalskie, vice president of customer care for Beazer Homes, knew just where to turn for help: Rick Neary, account manager for Timberlake Cabinetry.

“Of all our trade partners, they were involved in one of the biggest ways,” said Szebalskie. “They did all the demo and installed all the cabinetry in one day. It was a pretty big job and, as usual, they did it on time and with minimal disruption to the residents.”

Timberlake, the builder division of American Woodwork, is the largest independent cabinetmaker in North America and has been bringing cabinetry directly from the factory to builders since 1980. Neary says the company is a long-time partner with Beazer Homes and has worked on HomeAid Northern Virginia projects four times.

“These projects are a great way to give back to the community in a way that also helps us build relationships with homebuilders,” said Neary. “Since we’re a national company, we have the resources to do it. We’ll work on as many HomeAid projects as they ask us for.”

For more information about Timberlake, visit www.timberlake.com