Chantilly, Va., March 5, 2013
HomeAid Northern Virginia and Builder Captain Van Metre Homes completed a major renovation to The Ives House in Falls Church. The house, owned by Falls Church Presbyterian Church and leased to Shelter House, will serve as transitional housing for families who are homeless or at the immediate risk of becoming homeless. View before and after pictures and the YouTube video.

Built in 1855, the Ives House is one of the oldest historic buildings in Falls Church and was used as a group house by a variety of service organizations before sitting vacant for several years. The $37,000 renovation of the six-bedroom, three-bath house includes a new kitchen; updates to two bathrooms; interior painting and carpeting throughout the common living spaces; plumbing repairs and upgrades; several security upgrades; and testing to ensure the sprinkler system is up to code. The exterior stairs and porch were also repaired.

“This is a really exciting project,” said Bill Darrow, chairman of the buildings and grounds committee for the Falls Church Presbyterian Church. “After having been vacant for so long, the house really needed a lot of TLC, and we’re so blessed by HomeAid’s offer to do the renovations for us at such a low expense. HomeAid is giving us a truly great gift; their work will make this a very special place for families.”

“Our primary goal is to provide families with supportive services that will allow them to increase their ability to care for their family and maintain safe housing,” said Laura Martin, director of the Patrick Henry Family Shelter and Transitional Housing Programs for Shelter House. “Van Metre and HomeAid have turned an otherwise impossible dream into reality.”

This is the first time Van Metre Homes has served as a Builder Captain for a HomeAid project. “We really wanted to give back in a bigger way,” said Doug Wagner, P.E., vice president of engineering for Van Metre. “Everyone was so generous with their donations, allowing us to come in under budget and on time. It was easy to find and recruit partners to help, and they just came in and got it done. They were spectacular.”